Jean-Paul Sartre Essay -- Biography Biographies Philosophers Essays

Jean-Paul SartreJean-Paul Sartre was an existentialist philosopher philosopher. The questions of his philosophyoften come out in his readings. Existentialism questions wherefore we exist.Existentialists deny the existence of God. Existentialist writers such as Kafka andSartre often use prisons and solitary confinement to tell their stories. Often, neitherthe reader nor the protagonist is aware of what abuse has been committed.Jean-Paul Sartres The Wall reflects his philosophy and personal experiences.He worked for the French resistance and was imprisoned by the Germans duringWWII. The story seizes place during the Spanish Civil War in an old hospital beingused by the Spanish fascists to house prisoners. The Wall is told from a firstperson, stream of consciousness point-of-view, and uses existentialist philosophy,to illuminate the follies of totalitarian g all overnments like Fascism, and Nazism. Like most existentialist writers, Sartre chooses to tell the story of The Wall formt he first person stream-of-consciousness point-of-view. We get dialogue from another(prenominal)characters, but the dialogue is filtered through the mind and thoughts of Pablo. Theterror in the story slowly unfolds from Pablos mind. In the beginning, Sartre onlygives us a hint of terror. The humanity of the situation has not yet set into Pablosmind They pushed us into a big white room and I began to blink because the light injurymy eyes. Then I saw a table and four men behind the table, civilians, looking overthe papers. They had bunched another group of prisoners in the back and we hadto overlay the whole room to join them. There were several I knew and some otherswho must have been foreigners. The two in front of me were blond with roundskulls they looked alike. I supposed they were French. The smaller one kepthitching up his pants nerves. (7) The emphasis on the round skull foreshadows a scene that later brings terror intogreater effect. tom turkey tells Pablo while they are w aiting to be executed, that they aimfor the eyes and head to disfigure your face. The emphasis on the perfect roundskulls in the first paragraph draws attention to faces and heads. The smaller onehitching up his nerves, tell us from the beginning that Pablo should be nervoushimself. Pablo knows he is in trouble at the beginning. He unspoiled does not realize theamount yet. ... ...out truth or a persons innocence. Juan isguilty of know crime and is put to death. Garcia who Pablo meets in the courtyard afterwards he gives his false testimony, had nothing to do with politics (36). Whenasked why he was arrested, Garica responds They arrest everybody who doesntthink the way they do(36). The Nazis and the Fascists used mental torture and the threat of terror to getpeople to question their own existence, their own sanity. They do not think, theyjust take orders and obey. Therefore, it is perfectly ironic that Pablo sends them toa place devoid of reason or thought. The further irony is th at Gris is hiding in thegraveyard in the gravediggers shack and is killed in a gunfight. Pablo says after learning of Griss death, everything began to spin and I foundmyself siting on the ground I laughed so hard I cried (37). Pablo laughs until hecries because he realizes he never will understand why one man dies and anotherlives. In spite of all his thinking and mental anguish over the question, everyanswer he discovers leads back to Descartes the only part of his existence he cannot question is the one truth, I think, therefore I am.