Existentialism And The Absurd: Literary Analysis

Existentialism is a 20th century philosophical belief that emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. It was first brought to public attention, through Jean Paul Sartre’s book L’existentalisme est un humanisme in the mid 1940’s. The philosophy allows humans to define what the true meaning of life is, to make their own rational decisions despite living in an irrational world. It deals with the absurdity of life and emphasizes action, freedom and decision as a fundamental. And the only way to rise above the essentially absurd condition of humanity (which is typically categorized as suffering and death) is by exercising personal freedom and choice. The philosophy of Existentialism and the Absurd is presented through the literary works

of both William Golding and Albert Camus. Both the Lord of the Flies and The Plague written in 1954 and 1947 respectively, are influenced by their author’s experiences during WWII. Both novels carry the characteristics of existentialism which is represented through the plot, characters and the allegorical significances.

To begin, the plot of both novels revolves around Sartre’s philosophical ideas of alienation as well as the basic principles of existentialism. To start, Lord of the Flies relates to three aspects of the existentialism theory: the absurd, alienation and finally the freedom of individuality. The first part of the novel analyzes the absurdity of the world – a nuclear war brings a group of children to a deserted island that later becomes a slaughter-house due to the human condition. According to Albert Camus, “The absurd is born out of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world.” (pg.21, Myth of Sisyphus) Camus’s theory is exhibited when Jack rebels against the societal norms as they are no longer being enforced. He persuades the other children to join his tribe on the basis of food and moral freedom. They are soon relieved of their shame and self-consciousness and wreak havoc on the island. While the second part of the novel analyzes the alienation the boys face while on the island. Sartre interprets alienation in an ethical manner, he believed that alienation occurs when humans’ reject their responsibilities and freedoms. Golding uses the idea of alienation to showcase the reason that the boys succumb to their fear of the unknown which guides them to commit acts of terror and savagery. The final part of the novel relates to one’s individual freedoms and the responsibilities that come with it. In the novel, Golding introduces the connection between individualism and community. Golding speaks of the role of an individual in society. Many of the problems on the island – extinguishing the fire, lack of housing, Simon’s and piggy’s death stem from the boys’ self interest over the principle of community. It is understood, that the boys would rather fulfill their individual desires rather then work together as a coherent group. The principles of individualism and community are demonstrated by Jack and Ralph, respectively. For instance, Jack wants to have fun and go hunting, while Ralph wants to secure the groups rescue, a goal that can only be reached if the boys cooperate with each other. While, Ralph’s idea is the mot responsible it would mean the boys would need to work. This causes them to shirk their societal duties in favour of fulfilling their individual desires. The boys join Jack’s tribe on the promise of total freedom which is later revealed to be illusory. Golding suggests that individual freedom is difficult to sustain within a group dynamic, which would mean that sometimes individuals will be required to give up their morals and standards. Similarly, in The Plague, Camus emphasizes the absurdity of the which he characterizes as the plague. He focuses on explaining mankind’s indifference to goodness through the plot line. For instance, as the plague began to ravage the city, people were indifferent towards each others suffering and believed their suffering was unique. People overlooked the seriousness of the situation and in turn got ill. And those who tried to help them such as Dr. Rieux were shunned due to fear evoked by both the government and citizens. To continue, The Plague is an allegorical novel which emphasizes the human condition based on Camus’s prior experiences during WWII. Prior to WWII, people were indifferent towards the suffering of those inside Hitler’s regime. This allowed Hitler to slowly move and conquer area around Germany as there was no one to question and challenge him. This allows the reader to think that if one person had intercepted his plans then maybe the war could have been prevented. This human behaviour is the root of many current day problems such as civil conflicts and war which is described through the idea of existentialism.
Secondly, the philosophy of existentialism is expressed in both novels through the thoughts and actions of characters.

It is said, that humans only have three options in life: to commit suicide, chose to believe in a divine power or to accept the absurd and create one’s own meaning to life. This is portrayed through the three primary characters of the Lord of the Flies. For instance, Jack is the metaphorical representation of the individual who commits suicide. He is overwhelmed by the current situation, and succumbs to his primitive senses. This is representative of suicide as Jack lost everything that he valued and is now merely a shadow of his past. While Piggy is illustrative of the individual who believes in a divine power. Piggy believe that they would be rescued by the adults until his death. Though Ralph originally believed that he to would be rescued, he did not let his faith guide him and decided that in order for the boys to survive they would have to work. He established a government and assigned tasks to every single child. While Piggy put his entire faith into being rescued and was not productive during the rescue effort. Similarly, in The Plague, Cottard represent the character who succumbs to the absurdity. During the plague, he used peoples’ hopelessness and naivety to smuggle them out of the city which though ethically wrong left him satisfied. But after the plague epidemic was declared over he became belligerent and insane which drove him to shoot

innocent bystanders. To continue, Father Paneloux described the plague as the wrath of god and chose to believe that after the citizens of Oran have repented for their sins, everything will go back to the way it was. He did not bother to help with the relief efforts but rather create panic among citizens this soon leads to his defeat. Finally, Dr. Rieux accepts the plague but he does not let himself be defeated by it. Instead, he and a few other men work to create a relief effort and try to treat the ill-stricken. The actions and behaviours of characters in both works prove this aspect of the philosophy. And both works are connected through this simple philosophy.
And to continue, both novels are allegories for wars which was influenced by the authors experiences during WWII. Both Golding and Camus speak of the human condition which they showcase through the emotions and mentalities of characters. In addition, the authors use hidden symbols of war reveal the idea of existentialism and the absurd. The war itself represents absurdity and pointlessness of life. And within it soldiers try to give meaning to their own lives by fighting for their country, which in turn is an illusion that is yet absurdity once again. In the Lord of the Flies, Golding introduces the idea of the inner beast within every being. Though the novel isn’t situated in a war zone, William Golding uses children to express the human condition and the reason for wars. William Golding based his character Jack on the Nazi Leader Adolf Hitler. For instance, Jack persuades the other boys to join him by saying “Listen all of you…We hunt and feast and have fun. If you want to join my tribe come and see us. Perhaps I’ll let you join. Perhaps not.” (pg.140) Jack’s offer makes the boys reconsider their current duties and his nonchalant attitude compels the children to join him. This is similar to Hitler’s actions in the late 1930’s to 1940’s, he promised the citizens that he would bring food again to Germany and eliminate the cause of the Depression, Jews. In the Lord of the Flies, Jack implements punitive and irrational rules among the boys similar to the rules enforced upon the Germans during WWII. This created conflict among the two groups of boys which resulted in Jack implementing vicious and sadistic behaviour. But the course of these events result in the boys losing their innocence. After witnessing the actual mindset and behaviour among them during these desperate times the boys learn of the evil that surrounds humanity and the destruction it creates. Similarly, in the Plague, Camus introduces the various mentalities that exist during times of war. He uses his characters to represent these dispositions. To begin, there are mainly three types of beings that existed during the plague and war. For instance, Camus uses the character of Cottard to represent the individual who cares for recognition and their individual gain. In the context of war, this would be the soldier who goes to war in order to receive recognition and accolades and be glorified as a hero. This sort of individual has no care for how their action affect others and will only commit them if it brings them personal gain. To continue, Camus uses Dr. Rieux to showcase the individual who risk their lives in order for the better of society. During War, this would be the soldiers who fight for their country in order to bring peace to their home. In the novel, Rieux treats patients’ ill with the plague, He puts his life on the line to treat the ill. And Finally, Camus uses Father Panteloux to represent the individual who put their entire faith in a divine power. During WWII, this would be representative of many of the women who worried but did not provide their skill towards the war effort. Both novels represent the idea of existentialism through the behaviour of characters during any period of the absurd be it isolation, the plague or war.

To conclude, Both Lord of the Flies and The Plague exhibited characteristics of the philosophy of existentialism and this was portrayed through the plot structure, the characters and the allegorical significance of the novel.

To continue, William Golding and Albert Camus’s past experiences during WWII influenced their analysis of the human condition. They believed that humans were capable of reverting to their primitive ways if they are given a chance and that there is a minimal amount of the population who will retain their moralistic standards. And both their ideas are supported by the philosophy of existentialism and the absurd. Though, there was morals in the society this was engulfed by those who had reverted to their primitive ways. To conclude, both Golding and Camus represented existentialism by portraying that all our actions are irrelevant in this irrational world because this only brings calamity to rest of

society.