No Exit By Jean Paul Sartre Existentialism

The voices of history and tradition are present in quite a few of Jean-Paul Sartre’s pieces. Jean-Paul Sartre, born Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre, was a very complex man. In the 1940’s, Sartre served in the military during World War II. The war heavily influenced Sartre, causing him to relate many of his pieces to his experiences in World War II. Sartre was a French philosopher, and was a major contributor to existentialism - the 20th century way of thinking. Perhaps Sartre 's obscure way of thinking can be traced back to his childhood - he was a small and cross-eyed little boy who generally did not fit in with the “ordinary” children. The way that he was treated and viewed by others forced Sartre, at an early age, to view people, thoughts,

This particular piece, No Exit, was written while Sartre was involved in World War II. Sartre was originally drafted into the French army as a meteorologist, but was later captured by German troops and was held prisoner for nine months. While he was held captive, Sartre wrote No Exit, which portrayed what Sartre had lived through during his encounter with the German army. Sartre wrote this iconic piece in order for his readers to interpret and to understand that the idea of Hell can come in all different forms - that Hell is not always the usual fiery pits and brimstone type of Hell like one is traditionally led to

One would also be able to catch a glimpse of the history of Sartre 's own life through his characters. Sartre creates many characters that not only represent himself, but also represent others from his past. One example would be the character Inez from No Exit. Inez speaks, as well as acts, in a way that represents Sartre. She speaks as an existentialist would speak, and she shares many of Sartre’s personal thoughts and beliefs. As it is stated, “INEZ: We are all tarred with the same brush. … we are criminals – murderers – all three of us. We 're in Hell, my pets; they never make mistakes, and people aren’t damned for nothing” (No Exit 16). Sartre used not only Inez, but the character Olga to signify another real life character of his as well. Sartre and his lover, Simone De Beauvoir, were both having an affair with a woman named Olga. Her name later reappeared in Sartre’s No Exit. In the story, the character Estelle is looking down onto earth after her funeral that was earlier that morning. Estelle looks down to not only see her friend, Olga, but also her husband, Peter, accompanying her. Olga, while dancing, is pursuing Estelle 's husband:

ESTELLE: … Oh, just look at her face, all scarlet, like a