The Myth Of Sisyphus

By Albert Camus Analysis

In The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays, author and philosopher Albert Camus develops the theme of existentialism through his ideas of the absurd, suicide, and hope. By addressing prominent questions such as "what does it mean to live?" and "what is my real identity?", Camus emphasizes that the true "purpose" in life is to embrace the freedom of being able to choose how we define our lives, even if life ultimately has no meaning. In this research paper, I wanted to further analyze Camus' ideas, along with my other sources, to address the question: "should you embrace the given elements in your life or revolt against them in order to define your life"? To Albert Camus and his inspiration Jean–Paul Sartre, the answer to this question is...show more content...

Camus read many of Sartre's work while he was developing his own theories about the absurd, and the two remained close friends for many years (9); Sartre even "approvingly summarized and quoted from The Myth of Sisyphus after its release" (6). With this being said, the two eventually had a falling out "in the midst of the Cold War as they began to disagree aboutphilosophy and politics" (7), and one of the greatest philosophical differences between the two men regards the approach to defining yourself under given circumstances. Although both philosophers agree that we must confront the meaningless of our existence without question, Camus differs from Sartre in his approach to carving one's future. To Camus, total rejection of uncontrollable circumstances in one's life is the only way to take control of your destiny. As stated in Louis R. Rossi's 1958 article in The Kenyon Review, "Camus points out that Nietzsche's doctrine of total responsibility stems from his revolt" (5), when discussing Nietzsche's novel about a man revolting against God. Camus, an atheist (3), does not believe that the purpose in life is to devote yourself to a deity, so he believes you have the power to define your life however you choose. With that inmind, Camus admits that every individual has certain aspects in their life that they cannot control, such as when you were born or who your parents are, but there is no God or any higher being that can decide what we do with our lives.

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It is common for authors to use similar themes in their work intentionally. For Albert Camus, the author of "The Myth of Sisyphus" and The Stranger, the use of similar themes seems to be intentional. The author takes a very different approach to the same topic, however. Not only is the underlying topic of existentialism the same, but the writing styles and rhetorical devices similar, as well. Through the use of similar devices and themes, the reader is able to understand, analyze, and compare and contrast the complementary approach that has been taken in both stories. Camus uses a more informal word choice in The Stranger, and a more formal word choice in "The Myth of Sisyphus". Here, while Meursault is talking to Raymond, the reader...show more content...

"It was pleasant; the coffee had warmed me up, and the smell of flowers on the night air was coming through the open door. I think I dozed off a little."(Camus,14). In this use of imagery, you can see how Meursault obviously feels about his mother, as there is a lack of interest or even empathy. In "The Myth of the Sisyphus", Camus takes another route, but still uses heavy visual imagery. In this quote, the narrator explains that through coercion, Sisyphus is able to talk the Gods into letting him visit his wife one more time before he has to return to the underworld. "But when he had seen again the face of this world, he enjoyed the water and sun, warm stones and sea, he no longer wanted to go back to the infernal darkness...Many years more he lived facing the curve of the gulf, the sparkling sea, and the smiles of the earth."(Myth of Sisyphus). Though this imagery, the reader is able to tell that Sisyphus is a master of trickery, and that he feels better than the Gods because he can outsmart them by telling a simple lie. When he does, he is obviously pleased with himself because he now gets to live in the sun, and by the sea with his wife. This ties directly into some of the meaning behind existentialism and how the only hope for meaning in one's life lies with the individual who can construct in. Camus uses the undeniable underlying theme of existentialism in both pieces, but adds absurdism within "The Myth of Sisyphus". Considering that in both the stories the Get more content

The Myth of Sisyphus The Myth of Sisyphus which was originally published in French in 1942 is a riveting one hundred and nineteen page essay written by French philosopher Albert Camus. The English translation by Justin O' Brien followed thirteen years later in 1955. In this essay he tackles the question; does the realization of the absurd require suicide? Throughout this essay I hope to answer this question along with some other points made by Camus during the expanse of his essay.

Sisyphus is more well known for his punishment in the underworlds than what he did during his life. The Myth of Sisyphus is overall pretty well known. In this myth Sisyphus, king of Ephyra was punished for deceitfulness and exposing the secret of the gods. Sisyphus was condemned for the rest of eternity to push a cumbersome boulder up a precipitous hill. Once he got to the top each time to no prevail, he watched to rock roll back down the hill just to repeat this process forever. Sisyphus's alacrity to...show more content...

Camus claims that there is a bitter conflict between what we want from the universe and what we actually find in the universe. Meaning, order, and reason are widely wanted while formless chaos is normally found. Camus believes that one either finds meaning and order in the world through themselves or a higher being or they deem the world and life absurd and meaningless. If life is meaningless than does that mean it is not worth living? There are generally only two options, find meaning for your life or end it.

Camus believes there is a third option and is exploring the idea that we can accept and live in a life devoid of meaning. He believes that facing the absurd does not entail suicide but requires living life to its fullest. Many claim that Sisyphus is the ideal absurdity due to the fact that his punishment represents the human condition: struggling permanently without hope for Get more content

Modern society is plagued by incessant monotony. However, Albert Camus's existential story The Myth of Sisyphus, Joseph Campbell's interview "Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth", and David Foster Wallace's commencement speech "This is Water" postulate possible solutions to societal ennui. Albert Camus conveys, in The Myth of Sisyphus, that acceptingf tedium as impermeable, more effectively. Wallace asserts that the best approach to the banality of everyday life is to accept that it is not unique an individual and that one should steer away from the "natural default setting" of being self centered. Wallace conveys that "everything...supports my belief that I am the absolute center of the universe", and strongly imparts his belief that the...show more content...

To this, Joseph Campbell responds, "it's very nice to be able to put yourself in situations that will evoke your higher nature, rather than your basic urges or daily drudgery", presenting his idea that tedium is conquerable part of each person's life. Juxtaposing Joseph Campbell, Camus relays that it is during the period of consciousness and acknowledgement where Sisyphus, "is superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock" (Camus). As Sisyphus continues to push his rock up the mountain, his moment of consciousness attributes to the proposition that tedium is, once again, insurmountable. He understands that his tedium can never be completely omitted from his life, thus acceptance is the only method of achieving a perceivable end goal. As elaborated by Camus, the idea of a journey through tedium towards the ultimate goal of a "place of rest" is actually a futile task. As humanity is unable to surmount tedium due to its unassailable nature, and thus, the prevention of fruitless efforts and emphasis on productive endeavors is the most effective method of dealing with the tedium of everyday

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