Jean-Paul Sartre Essay -- Biography Biographies Philosophers Essays

Jean-Paul SartreJean-Paul Sartre was an existentialist philosopher. The questions of his school of thoughtoften come let out in his readings. Existentialism questions why we exist.Existentialists deny the existence of God. Existentialist writers much(prenominal) as Kafka andSartre often use prisons and solitary confinement to tell their stories. Often, incompletethe reader nor the protagonist is awargon of what crime has been committed.Jean-Paul Sartres The Wall reflects his philosophy and soulfulnessal experiences.He worked for the French resistance and was impris whizzd by the Germans duringWWII. The apologue takes endow during the Spanish Civil War in an old infirmary beingused by the Spanish Fascists to hold prisoners. The Wall is told from a firstperson, stream of consciousness point-of-view, and uses existentialist philosophy,to top the follies of totalitarian governments like Fascism, and national socialistsm. Like most existentialist writers, Sartre chooses to tell t he reputation of The Wall formthe first person stream-of-consciousness point-of-view. We get dialogue from some othercharacters, but the dialogue is filtered through the question and thoughts of Pablo. Theterror in the twaddle slowly unfolds from Pablos mind. In the beginning, Sartre onlygives us a sense of touch of terror. The reality of the situation has not yet set into Pablosmind They pushed us into a big white room and I began to act involuntarily because the light hurtmy eyes. Then I saw a duck and four men behind the table, civilians, looking overthe papers. They had bunched another assemblage of prisoners in the back and we hadto cross 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 tension on the round skull foreshadows a scene that later brings terror intog reater effect. Tom tells Pablo while they are waiting 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 prudence 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 still 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 court of justiceafter he gives his false testimony, had nothing to do with politics (36). Whenasked why he was arrested, Garica responds They arrest bothbody who doesntthink the way they do(36). The Nazis and the Fascists used mental torture and the menace 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 that Gris is hiding in thegraveyard in the gravediggers shack and is killed in a gunfight. Pablo says after tuition 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.