Jean-Paul Sartre, in his plays No Exit and The Respectful Prostitute, demonstrates existentialist concepts, especially those pertaining to people’s relationships with others. One such concept is that of the idea that “hell is other people”, meaning when people judge themselves they reflect on other people 's thoughts and opinions about them. Therefore, if the relationship the person has with the other is bad, then the other person may seem as if they are hell since their objective view of the person causes the person to feel negatively about themselves while they reflect on their own actions.
This concept of “hell is other people”, which Sartre coined the term for himself, as well as the concept of the “other” person, or simply just the Other, shows the cyclical …show more content…
The three characters want something from the other characters. However, the other characters refuse to give it to them. Garcin desires Inez and Estelle to think of him as a hero and not of a coward, but the women only torture him with this fact, like Fred and Lizzie do with each other. Inez says, “Do you hear the crowd? Do you hear them muttering, Garcin? Mumbling and muttering. ‘Cowdard! Coward!’”(45). Estelle desires power through men, thus she desires Garcin to think she is attractive. Garcin is too preoccupied with his own cowardice to take notice of her. For example, he tells Estelle, “I shan’t pay attention; I’ve other things to think about”(35). Finally, Inez, as a self declared sadist, desires to corrupt Estelle both sexually and mentally, yet Garcin gets in the way of this because Estelle is much more interested in him. The audience can already see the cyclical nature of the trio’s relationship without knowledge of existentialism. Analyzing the drama for existentialism, serves to make the relationship seem more
This concept of “hell is other people”, which Sartre coined the term for himself, as well as the concept of the “other” person, or simply just the Other, shows the cyclical …show more content…
The three characters want something from the other characters. However, the other characters refuse to give it to them. Garcin desires Inez and Estelle to think of him as a hero and not of a coward, but the women only torture him with this fact, like Fred and Lizzie do with each other. Inez says, “Do you hear the crowd? Do you hear them muttering, Garcin? Mumbling and muttering. ‘Cowdard! Coward!’”(45). Estelle desires power through men, thus she desires Garcin to think she is attractive. Garcin is too preoccupied with his own cowardice to take notice of her. For example, he tells Estelle, “I shan’t pay attention; I’ve other things to think about”(35). Finally, Inez, as a self declared sadist, desires to corrupt Estelle both sexually and mentally, yet Garcin gets in the way of this because Estelle is much more interested in him. The audience can already see the cyclical nature of the trio’s relationship without knowledge of existentialism. Analyzing the drama for existentialism, serves to make the relationship seem more