Existentialism In Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit

1. Jean- Paul Sartre’s No Exit reveals the existentialist philosophy by how he establishes the characters as naive in the way that they attempted to justify their actions. When they enter hell, Garcin realizes that he was a coward for abandoning his soldiers. As for Inez, in the beginning she claims that she was innocent. Although, as the story concludes it was revealed that she was murdered due to her lover’s affair. Furthermore, Estelle at first believes the reasoning for existential philosophy of free will is also incorporated towards the end of the play when all three characters own up to their actions that led them to this dystopia or “Hell “that they are in.
2. When the door is opened Garcin becomes troublesome over the fact that Inez has called him a coward. This inclines him to stay and redeem himself as the heroic person he claims to be. When Inez makes him realize that he is a coward he is determined to stay and make up for his actions as a way to be set free from this internal hell they all face. Furthermore, they

are all afraid of their freedom due to how they feel dependent on each other’s personalities. For instance, in the end of the play she has understood why she is there in the room with Garcin and Estelle but she refuses to go when the door opens since the Valet said there is no way out. The reason for her stay is because of her love and determination to get with Estelle. As for Estelle, she is dependent for the need of affection from males, thus she becomes desperate to get with Garcin knowing his intentions are futile and womanizing. Even though these characters have all different intentions of staying they are all aware of the fact that there is no way to escape their internal misery. Thus, by staying they feel that they can benefit from one another to justify their persona and overall
actions.
3. In the play, there are no mirrors in the hell they reside in. Due to how they are all egotistical in their own ways, there are no mirrors in the room to serve as a purpose of self- judgment. As a result, they are inclined to judge themselves and not let each other’s actions be justified. By enforcing this, they are faced to realize their fate and sins sooner to come to a point of clarity that brings out their existential aspect among each other. Causing them to take responsibility for their sins and no longer justify them with excuses.
4. Around the time period in 1944, was when Nazi Germany took over France. Around this controversial time, it was quite significant that Sartre's play was published due to the brutal restrictions enforced. Sartre displayed the setting of his play to represent the Hell that existed on earth, by using the conflicts that the Jews faced with the Nazi Germans. Similarly, the Jews were put in their own personal hell like the main characters in the play due to their punishment of being who they were. Through the inhumane conditions they were placed in, the Nazis enforced this idealism of personal torture with the mental suffrage they gained from family separation, the brutal living conditions, physical punishment and shame. Moreover, the characters in the play were also put in their own personal torture with the conflicting personalities they all attained. Thus, this caused them to realize their true identity and accept their eternal fate for what they were.
5. The three main characters in the play have nothing to gain when they lie about their pasts due to the reason that they are in their own personal hell and have no way out. Towards the end of the play, Garcin comes to a realization that they must all own up to their actions to see if that’s a solution to end their misery. By telling the truth, they can redeem themselves, even after their committed sins. Their deceitful behavior is revealed after they admit to their wrongs. Each character is displayed as egotistic within their own personalities. For instance, Garcin tries to portray himself as sophisticated and heroic with talking about his accomplishments. But he is forced to strip the truth and reveal that he was a womanizing coward. As for Inez she displays this sociopathic role when her relationship with Florence is brought up. Similarly, Estelle also puts herself as high class and innocent. When the novel concludes, the reader has a new insight of how she is promiscuous and has murdered her infant child. In the ending, the truth was revealed about all of their pasts, and will forever live in this eternal Hell that they can never overcome due to their conflicting personalities.
6. From the three characters, Garcin serves as the voice of the playwright due to how he is the one who first attempts to find out why the three of them have been placed in the room. Furthermore, when Garcin has the opportunity to leave after the door opens, he decides to stay to figure out how to end their misery. By him being the first to attempt to redemption, he tries to prove his worth by getting at Estelle. Once he realizes that her word is tainted with her intentions of only being with him, instead he decides to prove his self worth to Inez.
7. In No Exit, John Satre he enforces this idealism of “free will,” for the way that the three main characters struggle to realize the responsibility of their own actions. By them finally coming to this realization they have accepted their fate from that, their sins have led them to this point. Although, Sartre's concept of being free is not the scenario for these three protagonists. Even if their sins were based on free will and their own decisions, their fate of being in this “hell,” is inescapable even if they have accepted the truth of their actions. As for Sartre's purpose the characters are free when they are on earth, but their freedom is stripped away when they are brought to this temperate room as their punishment.
8. Sartre's quote, “Hell is other people” implies that the presence of humans that bring misery to others is his vision of hell. He portrays this concept with his play, No Exit, as the three main characters are trapped together in this room. the three characters have all committed sins, although their conflicting personalities are what brings this concept of “ hell” to each other. When an argument occurs the temperature of the room rises. This symbiosis of Sartre's version of hell still maintain this idea of the unbearable temperature. But the temperature of the room reflects the relationship that the three characters maintain to each other. By each character having different personalities, towards the end of the play, they all accept that their fate will be them driving each other insane in their room. Opposed to having this idea of physical torture and inferno, Sartre portrays this through mental pain.
9. Inez and Estelle are opposites, they face many conflicts while trapped in their room with Garcin. Inez is in love with Estelle, she repels her due to how she is after Garcin. Hurt by the fact that Estelle will never feel the same way about her, she intervenes when Garcin reciprocates the same physical feelings for Estelle. With this complicated relationship that they all face, Estelle being the desperate and dependent woman she is goes after Garcin knowing that he will only use her. Unlike Garcin, Inez is determined to win over Estelle, after creating a binding agreement with Garcin to not pursue interest with Estelle. Although, this is later broken when Garcin becomes vulnerable and insecure that he is a cowards from his actions, and begins to consider Estelle as a form of redemption. This is when Inez manipulates Garcin’s actions in no longer wanting to be with Estelle, and instead seeks his own redemption from proving his worthy to Inez. The dynamic of the three main character’s relationships has been often inconsistent due to their conflicting personalities.
10. The “Hell” that Sartre uses, describes how we are placed with people that make us miserable in order to pay for our sins. Although, Sartre was an atheist, he uses the setting of No Exit to portray the costly measures we as humans sometimes must face to come to this realization that things don't just happen by fate but they occur due to our actions. Some human sensibilities presented in the play, was how the main characters were in denial of their actions. As in the beginning they attempt to portray themselves as innocent and have no reason of being in “Hell.” Revealed later on in the play, their suffrage makes them tell the truth for their actions that led them there. It is not until the end of the play where they conquer the burden of taking responsibility after seeing a glimpse of the earth after they are pronounced as dead. The conflicting personalities of Inez, Garcin, and Estelle, help each other realize their faults. Aside of being in denial, they gain this essence of morals and ethics at the end of the play. Although, they realize their actions they still must own up to their punishment that will last throughout eternity.
11.

Albert Camus portrays this idealism about isolation among the characterization from both the Stranger and No exit. Meursault can be described as isolated due to his independent personality. By him enclosing his thoughts only to himself and not expressing his emotions to his friends or family, he gives off this vibe of being reserved. Towards the end of the novel, he begins to feel alone when the jury and judge do not see his perspective as to why he killed the Arab. Same goes for the three main character in No Exit. With their egoistic attitudes they are in denial for their committed crimes. Although, it is not brought up until the end of the play when all three characters begin to feel vulnerable and alone once they finally realize who they are. For instance, when Garcin was troubled after Inez made him realize that he was a coward. He tries to escape this isolation of guilt by attempting to redeem himself to Estelle and

Inez.