Research Paper On Jean Paul Sartre

“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does” (Jean-Paul Sartre). This reflectful proposition endorses the central idea behind No Exit and epitomizes Sartre’s existentialist perspective of mankind and the consequences of our freedom. Existentialism as a whole is a mind-boggling proposition and philosophy especially for those who depend on rules and reasons. Many religions and philosophies believe that human life and existence have a precursory meaning or purpose. Existentialism, on the other hand, implies that such concepts haven’t a meaning until humans give it to them, an idea articulated cleverly by Sartre himself as “existence precedes essence.” By making choices you demonstrate

Beyond his existentialist contributions and literary accomplishments, Sartre’s theories towards political and societal structures, as well as human rights, influenced the minds of many and built itself into the fabric of its time period. Sartre was a major intellectual figure of his century and to many, including Michel Contat and Michel Rybalka, his bibliographers, he was, “uncontestably the most outstanding philosopher and writer of our time” (Contat, Rybalka.xiii).This admiration is shared by literary critics as well, as Thomas Flynn, author of “Jean-Paul Sartre” of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, had this to say about Sartre’s life work, “Sartre (1905–1980) is arguably the best known philosopher of the twentieth century. His indefatigable pursuit of philosophical reflection, literary creativity and, in the second half of his life, active political commitment gained him worldwide renown, if not admiration” (Flynn). However, this recognition and praise was not always the case for Sartre, as it was through a lifetime of ambition and reflection that he acquired the knowledge and attention he amassed by the time of his passing. In his youth, he attended prestigious Parisian schools with traditional philosophical education stressing Cartesianism, neo-Kantianism, and Bergsonism. Thanks to a mixed religious upbringing and a household of “borderline

Because of this, his worlds are steeped in notions regarding the relationship between existence, thought, freedom, and human interaction throughout life. No Exit is an existentialist play, and the themes surrounding it lean not only towards the darker sides of human behavior, but also human existence. To Sartre, the interactions between the characters are reflective of the human condition as he once said, “Hell is other people.” But this message was misinterpreted, as it’s only in regards to the fact that other people can be the ones who alienate and lock oneself into a particular person, which deprives one of their freedom. Sartre once said in response to the widespread misconception, “ It is thought that what I meant by that was that our relations with other people are always poisoned, . . . But what I really mean is something totally different. I mean that if relations with someone else are twisted, vitiated, then that other person can only be hell”(Sartre). Sartre's true meaning behind conflict, as seen by the characters and the interactions between them, aren’t exactly negative, as he never indicated that opposition against other individuals freedom was negative, but rather that a person who rejects “bad faith” and lives authentically will, in the event of opposition to another with differing values but equal freedom, express such fundamental