Emily Whelan 10/1/16 In The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus argues what the meaning of life really is. In this paper, I will explain the story of Sisyphus, and how it symbolizes the meaning of life. First, I will explain how Sisyphus was punished by doing meaningless labor for the rest of eternity. Then, I will break down how Camus describes Sisyphus as an absurd hero. Finally, I will show that no matter how absurd something is, one could still find happiness. In the beginning, Camus starts out by explaining the consequences of Sisyphus’ actions to give the reader some idea of what this whole essay is about. Camus
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I would never say that Sisyphus is a hero, but an absurd hero is different. He understands the absurdity of life. Even though he knows how crazy it is, he tries and makes the best of it. He will never truly obtain full and complete happiness, just like any average human being. We are never fully content. We take what we get and we try and make the best of it. Facing the absurd is a struggle in itself. Add in all the other factors of life and the absurd seems impossible to get through. Once you realize that what you are doing is absurd and really understand that, that is when the absurd gets …show more content…
When you think about it, in our everyday working lives there is no ending result to it either. This may be morbid, but we do these meaningless jobs until we die. So our lives are no less absurd than Sisyphus’s life. This does not mean that happiness is not possible. Happiness is completely and totally possible. Once we accept the repetition of our lives, that is when we can find happiness. That is the meaning of life according to Camus. Once we find our fate and are okay with it, that is when we can be happy. Camus tells us that if we accept that there is nothing more to life, then we will find happiness. "Happiness and the absurd are two sons of the same earth". Camus makes it clear that you cannot really have one without the other. Sure things get a little crazy sometimes but as they say, there is always a light at the end of a dark tunnel. For Sisyphus, that light was every time he finished rolling that rock up the hill. He had those few moments when the rock was rolling down the hill to appreciate the hard work he has put into it. Those few moments of pure joy that he has accomplished something. We all have those moments sometimes. For example, when I finally finish something hard, like writing a paper on philosophy, I have that moment of simple bliss when I realize that I have accomplished something. That moment
I would never say that Sisyphus is a hero, but an absurd hero is different. He understands the absurdity of life. Even though he knows how crazy it is, he tries and makes the best of it. He will never truly obtain full and complete happiness, just like any average human being. We are never fully content. We take what we get and we try and make the best of it. Facing the absurd is a struggle in itself. Add in all the other factors of life and the absurd seems impossible to get through. Once you realize that what you are doing is absurd and really understand that, that is when the absurd gets …show more content…
When you think about it, in our everyday working lives there is no ending result to it either. This may be morbid, but we do these meaningless jobs until we die. So our lives are no less absurd than Sisyphus’s life. This does not mean that happiness is not possible. Happiness is completely and totally possible. Once we accept the repetition of our lives, that is when we can find happiness. That is the meaning of life according to Camus. Once we find our fate and are okay with it, that is when we can be happy. Camus tells us that if we accept that there is nothing more to life, then we will find happiness. "Happiness and the absurd are two sons of the same earth". Camus makes it clear that you cannot really have one without the other. Sure things get a little crazy sometimes but as they say, there is always a light at the end of a dark tunnel. For Sisyphus, that light was every time he finished rolling that rock up the hill. He had those few moments when the rock was rolling down the hill to appreciate the hard work he has put into it. Those few moments of pure joy that he has accomplished something. We all have those moments sometimes. For example, when I finally finish something hard, like writing a paper on philosophy, I have that moment of simple bliss when I realize that I have accomplished something. That moment