1. What is Existentialism?
Existentialism is a philosophical and literary way of thinking that focuses on the individual human being, freedom, choice, responsibility, and the search for meaning in life.
In very simple terms:
Existentialism asks: “If life does not automatically give us a purpose, how should we live?”
The movement became particularly influential in European intellectual and literary culture after World War II, when the destruction and suffering of the war led many writers and thinkers to question traditional ideas about God, morality, purpose, and human existence.
2. Major Existentialist Thinkers
1. Jean-Paul Sartre
Sartre emphasized human freedom and responsibility.
His famous philosophical position is associated with the idea:
“Existence precedes essence.”
In simple language, this means that human beings are not necessarily born with a predetermined purpose. They make themselves through their choices and actions.
Literary Example: No Exit
Sartre's play No Exit presents characters trapped together and forced to confront themselves and one another.
The play explores:
- Freedom
- Responsibility
- Self-deception
- Human relationships
- Judgment by others
The famous idea associated with the play—“Hell is other people”—suggests that our relationships with others can become a source of psychological suffering because we constantly worry about how others perceive and judge us.
3. Albert Camus
Camus is strongly associated with the concept of the Absurd.
What does "Absurd" mean?
The Absurd arises from a conflict:
Human beings want life to have meaning, but the universe does not necessarily provide an obvious meaning.
For example, imagine a person asking:
“Why am I here? What is the ultimate purpose of my life?”
If the universe gives no definite answer, the person experiences the Absurd.
Literary Example: The Myth of Sisyphus
Camus uses the Greek myth of Sisyphus, who is condemned to repeatedly push a huge rock uphill only for it to roll back down.
The important point is not simply that Sisyphus suffers.
It is that his task is repetitive and apparently meaningless.
Camus uses this situation to explore how human beings can confront an apparently meaningless existence.
4. Martin Heidegger
Heidegger's philosophy focuses strongly on Being, human existence, anxiety, mortality, and our relationship with the world.
A central concern is that human beings become aware of their own existence and ultimately their mortality.
In simple terms:
We are conscious that we exist, and we are also conscious that our existence is temporary.
This awareness can produce anxiety and force individuals to think seriously about how they are living.
Literary Connection
Heidegger's ideas can be connected to literary characters who experience:
- loneliness
- anxiety
- uncertainty
- isolation
- awareness of death
- difficulty finding an authentic way of living
5. Major Existential Concerns
A. Meaninglessness
Meaning
Existentialism questions whether life has an objective, predetermined meaning.
A character may ask:
“What is the purpose of my existence?”
Literary Example: Waiting for Godot
Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot is one of the most important texts associated with the Theatre of the Absurd.
Vladimir and Estragon repeatedly wait for someone called Godot, but Godot never arrives.
Their waiting becomes repetitive and uncertain.
This creates a powerful sense of:
waiting → repetition → uncertainty → possible meaninglessness
6. Freedom
Existentialism emphasizes that human beings have the capacity to choose.
Even when circumstances are difficult, the individual must confront choices.
Literary Example: Sartre's No Exit
Sartre's characters are forced to confront the consequences of their previous decisions.
Their past actions cannot simply be erased.
Therefore:
Freedom is connected to choice.
7. Responsibility
Freedom also creates responsibility.
If we are free to choose, then we cannot easily blame everything on fate or circumstances.
Simple Example
Suppose a character has two choices:
Choice A: Tell the truth.
Choice B: Lie.
If the character chooses to lie, that choice becomes part of his or her responsibility.
Existentialist literature frequently explores the consequences of such decisions.
8. Absurdity
This is one of the most important concepts for understanding Theatre of the Absurd.
Meaning
The Absurd describes the strange conflict between:
our desire for order and meaning
and
a world that may appear irrational, chaotic, or meaningless.
Literary Example: Waiting for Godot
Vladimir and Estragon:
- wait,
- talk,
- argue,
- consider leaving,
- continue waiting.
The situation repeats itself.
There is no conventional dramatic resolution.
This breaks away from traditional drama, where characters usually pursue a clear goal and the plot moves toward a definite conclusion.
9. Alienation
Meaning
Alienation means experiencing a sense of being separated, isolated, or disconnected from other people or from society.
A character may be surrounded by people but still feel completely alone.
Literary Example: The Stranger
Camus's novel The Stranger presents Meursault, a protagonist who appears emotionally detached from many conventional social expectations.
His relationship with society demonstrates the tension between:
individual experience ↔ social expectations
This makes the novel particularly useful for studying existential concerns.
10. Individual Existence
Existentialism places the individual at the centre.
Instead of beginning with:
“What does society expect from me?”
the existentialist perspective asks:
“Who am I, and how will I choose to live?”
The individual must confront:
- freedom
- choices
- uncertainty
- responsibility
- mortality
- isolation
- meaning
11. Connection with the Theatre of the Absurd
This is particularly important for UGC-NET English Literature.
The Theatre of the Absurd developed prominently in the post-war period.
Important playwrights include:
- Samuel Beckett
- Eugène Ionesco
- Jean Genet
- Harold Pinter
12. Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
This is the most important literary example for remembering existentialism and the Theatre of the Absurd.
Basic situation
Two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait for Godot.
Godot does not arrive.
They continue waiting.
Why is this existential?
Because the play raises questions such as:
- What are human beings waiting for?
- Does life have a predetermined purpose?
- Why do people continue living despite uncertainty?
- Can humans create meaning themselves?
- What happens when communication fails?
- Why does life sometimes appear repetitive?
Beckett does not provide a simple philosophical answer.
That uncertainty is itself significant.