What is it about a situation or place that makes it seem like hell? Is it the way a place feels or smells? Could it be what is taking place or does it deal with the weather? In the Bible, hell is described to Christians as a place full of fire, extreme heat, where the devil lives, and somewhere where no one wants to go. In the play “No Exit”, Sartre takes an interesting approach as to what hell is. He describes hell as not being a place of torture but states that hell is other people. It is wanting something but in the end unable to get it. In many chases it can be seen in life on Earth, rather than a one time thing that an individual may endure once they die.
In the play, “No Exit”, Sartre beings the play describing the setting of the indisputable hell. He crafts his version of hell as a single room with three couches, a bronze statue, and second empire decor. However obsolete the room may seem, what is quite interesting is what is not seen or placed in the room. Within the small room there are no devices of torture. With Sartre making the decision to have the room bland, there is a clear line to his notion that hell is not the environment. With the room describes as it is Sartre is suggesting that the definition of hell is more complex than an actual place.
Throughout the play, Sartre plays with idea of hell psychologically between three different people. He carefully crafts each person’s own individual hell. The first character that Sartre introduces to his audience is Garcin. Garcin was a journalist in his former life and was part of a “pacifist newspaper” (Sartre 16). He is the first person in the play to question how this room will be like a living hell. Once he opens up about what he was like in his past, he tries to convince one of the two women to believe what he did was not the actions of a “coward” (Sartre 42). Towards the end of the book, Garcin has a chance to escape but does not take it. He does not leave, because he feels that he must “convince” Inez that he is above being a coward. This allows the reader a slight glimpse into what Garcin is truly seeking from the women. He believe that if one of them believes that his action to flee was that of another reason, rather than cowardance, then he might be saved from his turmoil inside himself. However neither women is willing or capable of relieving his conflict with believing he is not a coward.
Sartre then introduces Inez to the equation. In many ways Inez is not your typical female. She is an extremely independent women, that does not need a man for anything. However she does have a weakness for women. In her past life she was lovers with her deceased cousin’s wife. Inez was a manipulator and loved to inflict pain on others. When Inez is introduced to Garcin in the room, she is extremely skeptical of him and keeps her distance from him. Also in the types of conversations she has with Garcin, it is clear that she despises men. However her attitude begins to subside after she fixes her eye on Estelle. When Estelle is frantic about her appearance, Inez makes her move on Estelle by assuring her that she will be her “ glass” and tell her how beautiful she looks (Sartre 19). Inez feels that she can reassure Estelle how beautiful she is because she is Inez “taste” (Sartre 20). With this exchange between the two women, Sartre allows a clear depiction of the two women’s feelings. Inez feels strongly for Estelle, but the feeling is not mutual. Estelle in many instances proceeds to push Inez away and cling to Garcin. The instance that Estelle goes to Garcin, Inez becomes sour to her and starts calling her things like “baby-killer” Sartre 44). With this dynamic happening between Inez and Estelle, Sartre is setting up Inez’s hell perfectly. Inez is longing for Estelle badly, but Estelle is unwilling to give herself over to Inez and be her “crystal” or the object of Inez’s affection (Sartre 34). Estelle denies Inez a small sense of happiness or contentment by keeping her distance from her and going for Garcin.
Then finally Estelle is brought in. Estelle is the rich spoiled brat types. She has never had to work for anything and is a stuck up character in the play. Estelle was a married women that had an affair with another man, got pregnant, and killed her baby. With the backstory of Estelle it is hard for the readers and one of the characters to truly feel sympathetic for her. Estelle is met by two different scenarios before her when she enters the “hell”. The one is Inez who is kind and caring towards her and wants her badly. The other is Garcin, who tries his hardest to ignore her and keep quiet. These two options laid before Estelle are tricky to her: to have the attention she is desperately seeking but by a women or to be completely ignored by a man. Estelle, however, does not choose either one of these options. She instead pushes away any intimate notion with Inez, a woman. Instead she tries to basically throw her at Garcin, and persuade him into paying attention to her. However, he is more interested in Inez than her. Estelle is seeking a man’s attention and affection, however the only male participant in the story is unwilling to allow himself to give her what she needs. Without the attention and affection, it seems that Estelle is lost in a sense. She has never been without male interest in her direction before and frankly does not know how to deal with it. It would seem that Estelle feels that without attention and affection that she is nothing. In some aspects readers could say that she feels less of a woman without the sort of acknowledge from a man.
In all three of these characters it can be tricky to uncover how they are alike and how all of them are going through hell at the same time. Sartre places all of the characters; Garcin, Inez, and Estelle; in a situation where each of them is in desperate need of something from the other person. Garcin wants Inez to believe that he fled from war was not because her was a coward and afraid. Inez wants Estelle to appreciate and accept the affection she is giving her and finally Estelle wants Garcin to give her the attention she is accustomed to from other men. However do to the debilitating circumstances that Sartre places them under, they are unable or unwilling to give the other what they are after. This statement allows for the readers to see that the hell is not defined by the place or the environment the three characters are placed in. Instead it is defined by the three characters.
In the play, “No Exit”, Sartre beings the play describing the setting of the indisputable hell. He crafts his version of hell as a single room with three couches, a bronze statue, and second empire decor. However obsolete the room may seem, what is quite interesting is what is not seen or placed in the room. Within the small room there are no devices of torture. With Sartre making the decision to have the room bland, there is a clear line to his notion that hell is not the environment. With the room describes as it is Sartre is suggesting that the definition of hell is more complex than an actual place.
Throughout the play, Sartre plays with idea of hell psychologically between three different people. He carefully crafts each person’s own individual hell. The first character that Sartre introduces to his audience is Garcin. Garcin was a journalist in his former life and was part of a “pacifist newspaper” (Sartre 16). He is the first person in the play to question how this room will be like a living hell. Once he opens up about what he was like in his past, he tries to convince one of the two women to believe what he did was not the actions of a “coward” (Sartre 42). Towards the end of the book, Garcin has a chance to escape but does not take it. He does not leave, because he feels that he must “convince” Inez that he is above being a coward. This allows the reader a slight glimpse into what Garcin is truly seeking from the women. He believe that if one of them believes that his action to flee was that of another reason, rather than cowardance, then he might be saved from his turmoil inside himself. However neither women is willing or capable of relieving his conflict with believing he is not a coward.
Sartre then introduces Inez to the equation. In many ways Inez is not your typical female. She is an extremely independent women, that does not need a man for anything. However she does have a weakness for women. In her past life she was lovers with her deceased cousin’s wife. Inez was a manipulator and loved to inflict pain on others. When Inez is introduced to Garcin in the room, she is extremely skeptical of him and keeps her distance from him. Also in the types of conversations she has with Garcin, it is clear that she despises men. However her attitude begins to subside after she fixes her eye on Estelle. When Estelle is frantic about her appearance, Inez makes her move on Estelle by assuring her that she will be her “ glass” and tell her how beautiful she looks (Sartre 19). Inez feels that she can reassure Estelle how beautiful she is because she is Inez “taste” (Sartre 20). With this exchange between the two women, Sartre allows a clear depiction of the two women’s feelings. Inez feels strongly for Estelle, but the feeling is not mutual. Estelle in many instances proceeds to push Inez away and cling to Garcin. The instance that Estelle goes to Garcin, Inez becomes sour to her and starts calling her things like “baby-killer” Sartre 44). With this dynamic happening between Inez and Estelle, Sartre is setting up Inez’s hell perfectly. Inez is longing for Estelle badly, but Estelle is unwilling to give herself over to Inez and be her “crystal” or the object of Inez’s affection (Sartre 34). Estelle denies Inez a small sense of happiness or contentment by keeping her distance from her and going for Garcin.
Then finally Estelle is brought in. Estelle is the rich spoiled brat types. She has never had to work for anything and is a stuck up character in the play. Estelle was a married women that had an affair with another man, got pregnant, and killed her baby. With the backstory of Estelle it is hard for the readers and one of the characters to truly feel sympathetic for her. Estelle is met by two different scenarios before her when she enters the “hell”. The one is Inez who is kind and caring towards her and wants her badly. The other is Garcin, who tries his hardest to ignore her and keep quiet. These two options laid before Estelle are tricky to her: to have the attention she is desperately seeking but by a women or to be completely ignored by a man. Estelle, however, does not choose either one of these options. She instead pushes away any intimate notion with Inez, a woman. Instead she tries to basically throw her at Garcin, and persuade him into paying attention to her. However, he is more interested in Inez than her. Estelle is seeking a man’s attention and affection, however the only male participant in the story is unwilling to allow himself to give her what she needs. Without the attention and affection, it seems that Estelle is lost in a sense. She has never been without male interest in her direction before and frankly does not know how to deal with it. It would seem that Estelle feels that without attention and affection that she is nothing. In some aspects readers could say that she feels less of a woman without the sort of acknowledge from a man.
In all three of these characters it can be tricky to uncover how they are alike and how all of them are going through hell at the same time. Sartre places all of the characters; Garcin, Inez, and Estelle; in a situation where each of them is in desperate need of something from the other person. Garcin wants Inez to believe that he fled from war was not because her was a coward and afraid. Inez wants Estelle to appreciate and accept the affection she is giving her and finally Estelle wants Garcin to give her the attention she is accustomed to from other men. However do to the debilitating circumstances that Sartre places them under, they are unable or unwilling to give the other what they are after. This statement allows for the readers to see that the hell is not defined by the place or the environment the three characters are placed in. Instead it is defined by the three characters.
Hell can bee seen in everyday life by Sartre point of view. It can be thought of as not getting a job promotion that someone has worked countless hours to try and obtain. In much of the real world, hell is sort of like not getting what an individual wants or think they deserve. Hell in this sense is actually more common than others depiction or interpretation of hell. In the Bible, hell is the place where Christians do not want to go. It is an agonizing torture chamber of misery, fire, and complete hopelessness. It is a place that people think the worst of humanity goes. Many Christians teach their children that it is the place of monsters. Hell in the bible is used as a way of scaring Christians into doing the right thing. However, if people were to imply that logic to their everyday life there would be a ton of fear. Sartre view of what hell is allows for individuals to actually examine what humans truly think hell is. It does not have to be so drastic as to where the demons come from, but it can be a small thing. Also by Sartre view on hell, not everyone’s hell is the same, in some senses it is personalized to every human being that walks the planet.
Although Sartre makes a compelling argument of hell being other people, his state does not need to be taken literally. Hell is other people in the instances that individuals desire or expect something from another person, but that person is unable to give them what they are after. With wanting something from someone and not being able to get it in a particular circumstance can make an individual feel hopeless. However it is not in the extreme as people torturing another human being with a knife, a gun, or a hot poker.
Although Sartre makes a compelling argument of hell being other people, his state does not need to be taken literally. Hell is other people in the instances that individuals desire or expect something from another person, but that person is unable to give them what they are after. With wanting something from someone and not being able to get it in a particular circumstance can make an individual feel hopeless. However it is not in the extreme as people torturing another human being with a knife, a gun, or a hot poker.
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