Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

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The Rise and Fall of Existentialism

Existential literature often focuses on the personal journey towards existential awareness. Common
themes in existential works, such as alienation and confrontation with death, often lead the "anti-hero"
towards a climactic choice that defines whether they have reached true understanding. The themes within
existential literature are reflected from the world at large, and the works themselves are a metaphor for a
grander shift in Western philosophy.
Intellectualism in post-war Europe had a sort of existential realization of its own, paralleling the
experiences of its literary figures. The philosophy of existentialism had its roots in late nineteenth century
philosophers such as Kierkegaard and Nietzsche (Crowell), but wasn't popularized until after World War II,
and Sartre (Gaarder 455). After two world wars and countless civil disruptions throughout Europe, the
populace was disillusioned with the senseless violence. Recent developments in science had cast religion
into doubt, but even if there was a God, according to Sartre "the question... is irrelevant" (Crowell).
Widespread revolutions in Europe had spread mistrust in government and any sort of rational social order.
The only place left for people to turn was within themselves. Existentialism was a practical philosophy for
the modern age and for the masses, who for the first time in history had the leisure and public education
to become interested in a fuller existence. All of the importance was placed on the individual and the
importance of individual choice. It was the only way to cope with the increasing absurdity of the world.
Existential heroes in literature are alienated from everything surrounding them (Bigelow). This
alienation creates self-dependence, and creates a "degree of power" over others by not submitting to an
established order (Porfirio 85). Alienation is crucial to existentialism because an alienated individual is
much more able to see a complete picture of his surroundings. Yossarian's last walk through Rome in
Joseph Heller's Catch-22 is a powerful demonstration of his separation from his surroundings, as he walks
from one violent vignette to the next, only seeing a glimpse of each and unable to intervene. His alienation
leaves the reader with a feeling of despair for the meaningless horror of existence, and helps push
Yossarian to the realization that only he can help himself. In Jean-Paul Sartre's "The Wall," the three
condemned men were alienated from each other, which allowed them to withdraw into themselves.
During the long night of thought, Pablo was able to come to terms with his own mortality and therefore his
existence, but the other two were too occupied with fear and self-pity to come to any such realizations.
Albert Camus's character Mersault in The Stranger had a similar experience, in which his long
imprisonment in solitary confinement gave him the time to think and come to peace with death.
Existentialist alienation reflects the increasing modernity of the times. In less than the span of a
lifetime, the world of the average man expanded to encompass the globe. Men were sent off to fight wars
on the other side of the world in the name of lofty political ideals, or sent to work in factory job whose only
meaning was a salary and a manufactured part. The alienation that characterized existence was an effect of
the sheer billions inhabiting the world, and people's search for a context within which to put themselves.
Existentialism was a philosophy developed by people who sat around in cafes, absorbed in thought about
their place in the modern world.
A theme of death and violence is also common in existential works, even when it does not necessarily
happen to the protagonist. Mersault, an admittedly unusual character (but who is more perceptive
because of it), accepts his mother's death matter-of-factly: she was there, now she is not (Camus). Her
death is of no consequence because he wasn't very concerned with her existence in the first place. But that
is exactly what makes death such a turning point. "The existential attitude itself is not so much chosen as
arrived at," writes Porfirio, "...the threat of imminent death... forces the individual to re-examine his life"
(88) The threat of mortality is particularly pungent in existentialism, because the philosophy strips away all
dressings of an afterlife or the hope that any morality transcends existence. The night before Pablo is to be
placed before "The Wall," he re-evaluates all of the relationships, loyalties, and faiths that he had held
during life and finds them all to be false when compared to the absoluteness of death (Sartre). When he
finally accepts his life's meaninglessness, he is rewarded with rebirth.

Courtesy of: Prof. Ali Raza Fahad Dept. of English Govt Postgraduate College, Gojra
 Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
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War seems to have been a particularly strong influence of existential sentiment. Both "A Clean, Well-
Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway, and "The Wall," by Sartre, were set during the Spanish civil war, and
the characterizations reflect the fear and alienation inflicted by the senseless violence of the wars raging
around them. Catch-22 was written about the absurdity of World War II, and even The Stranger was set in
an Algeria torn by racial animosity. During World War II, the entire world was well acquainted with the
senseless slaughter of millions of people, and the pervading sense of death helped a existential realization
for our whole society.
"Each individual assumes responsibility for his life through the act of choosing between two
alternatives" (Porfirio 87). The discovery of one's ability to choose is the crossing-over point in the journey
towards existential realization. Existential choices and the accompanying anxiety are as "unique" as the
individual doing the choosing (Bigelow). A choice can be large, such as McWatt's decision to commit suicide
after realizing that he had killed Kid Sampson (Heller) or seemingly small, such as Pablo's decision to lie to
the guards about his revolutionary friend's hideaway (Sartre). Either way, the existential individual must
learn to deal with the consequences of his actions, and to choose freely and proudly.
The world has changed a lot since the beginning of the century. The current generation of young has
grown up in the post-modern age of mostly world peace. Many of the issues that existentialism grappled
with will always be a part of human existence, but the philosophy itself perhaps isn't quite as relevant now
as before. Existentialism was a part of Western society's "adolescent" stage, a time of rapid development
accompanying disillusionment and questioning of traditional values. It was, of course, also a time of
extreme arrogance, reflected in the creation of an entirely self-centered philosophy.
After an impressive adjustment of foundations, our society has become far more complacent. We are,
perhaps, a society in its young adulthood, flush with newfound wealth and the responsibilities of the work
force (we did, after all, have an industrial revolution, and we are a country of salaried workers). We can
look back at our moody university years with a little fondness, when idealistic political causes absorbed our
consciousness, and we sat around in cafes and created philosophies for the new era.

Courtesy of: Prof. Ali Raza Fahad Dept. of English Govt Postgraduate College, Gojra