Existentialism In No Exit, By Jean-Paul Sartre

“Hell is - other people!” (No Exit, 45). This line serves as the main structure of existential philosophy. Existentialist philosophy is based on the belief that a person makes their own decisions and is responsible for the consequences of those actions and choices. “GARCIN: A man is what he wills himself to be” (No Exit, 43). However, existential philosophy can be seen in many different lights, as it occasionally contradicts itself. For example, existentialist philosophy states that one man should not judge another based off of his/her decisions. "What proof is there that I have been appointed to impose my choice and my conception of man on humanity? I’ll never find any proof or sign to convince me of that” (Essays in Existentialism, 39). However, existentialist philosophy also states that one man should hold any other person to their own personal moral standards. …show more content…
An existentialist philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, believes both of these contradictory beliefs. In the play No Exit, by Jean-Paul Sartre, the different views of existentialist philosophy are very prominently shown. These views of the philosophy are shown in the way that the three main characters interact amongst each other. The three main characters - Inez, Garcin and Estelle - are stuck in a room, “Hell”, with only each other and their choices. They must face how other people are their own personal hell through the two different viewpoints of existential philosophy. This ultimately shows that, no matter the controversial viewpoints, the main structure of existentialist philosophy is, “Hell is - other people!” (No Exit,