Exploring Existentialism: Sartre vs Feiffer

Existentialism Comparison Essay
Existentialism is a philosophy, which revolves around the beliefs humans create themselves. Every person has his own view on existentialism and displays it differently. An existentialist in search of his meaning of life to end meaningless existence. Jean-Paul Sartre in his story The Wall attempts to demonstrate the conditions due to which a protagonist loses himself and becomes an existential after a deposited psychological trauma, but afterwards finds his new meaning. In comparison with Sartre, Jules Feiffer in the movie Little Murders shows Alfred a complete existentialist that looks hopeless. However, as a protagonist with the help of Patsy he decides to change and tries to believe in a society. Both Pablo

Moreover, both of the characters experience and display the same symptoms of alienation and isolation in other words it is a high degree of distance or isolation from certain individuals. In comparison with Alfred from the Little Murders, Pablo experienced both alienation and isolation because from the geographical point he was captured in the hospital cellar away from his city and doesn’t feel the connection with people and feel loneliness. “…But I thought to myself that if it was all over ; if she looked at me now her gaze would not leave her eyes, it would not reach out to me. I was alone.” (293). To tell the truth, that was a first time when Pablo felt lonely and has realized a change in his personality. Closer to the climax of The Wall Jean-Paul Sartre increases the pressure on the psyche of the protagonist through activities of additional persons. “…I had already noticed he had a tendency to prophesy and call me “Pablo”in a kind of pale voice. I didn 't like that very much, but it seems all the Irish are like that.” (290), Pablo shows his discontent to what is happening around him, as well as the people around him with their habits. During the night spent in the cell before the execution Pablo was able to come to terms with his own mortality and therefore his existence. He re-evaluates all of the relationships, loyalties, and faiths that he had held during life and finds them all to be false when compared to the absoluteness of death. “At that time I had the impression that I had my whole life before me, and I thought to myself, “It’s all a damned lie.” Now it wasn’t worth anything because it was finished… For a moment I tried to appraise it. I would have liked to say to myself, “It’s been a good life.” But couldn’t be appraised, it was only an outline.” (292-93). Like Pablo, Alfred displays the existential characteristics