Evil-Spring 2012
Where is the evil in No Exit ?
If Hell is other people, then Evil derives from the characters themselves. However, none of the three in the room seem evil per se as they describe their actions on earth; they just seem like bad people. However, through their interactions with the "other people" in the room, a form of evil is elicited from each character. By themselves the three are just bad; it is the Hell in their interactions with the others which elicits the hatred, lust, animosity, and evil.
The evil in "No Exit" comes from the relationships between the people. It is generated by their interactions and found in the torture and pain they inflict on one another.
Each perpetrates evil on the others, torturing them with words, making their lives a living hell.
Evil is in the characters' lack of empathy and Inez's sadism.
Evil comes from the deliberate refusal to give others peace, when doing so has little or no negative impact on themselves. In hell, Garcin desires faith to validate his own life, yet Inez, the only other individual capable of providing this faith, deliberately refuses to give it to him ("you're a coward because I wish it" (44)). Estelle desires shallow love, yet Garcin denies her this. Inez desires power, yet Estelle denies her this. In life, Garcin's wife desires mutual love, but Garcin refuses to satisfy this desire. Estelle's lover desires the life of his child, but Estelle refuses to satisfy this desire. Inez's Florence desires a clean conscience, which Inez deliberately denies her.
People are inherently evil so it's the people being evil and creating their own hell.
There is no morality (or at least a different, and as the characters discover, yet undefined version of morality) in No Exit because all the characters have already died and cannot die again. The foundation of human morality is "I won't kill you if you don't kill me," as most actions and reactions that guide human behavior are hinged on, at least on an abstract and subconscious level, the fear of death. The absurdity of their situation is made apparent when Inez tries to stab Estelle but in failing exposes their immortality and thus the false pretenses upon which their morality (which was well-suited for their previous lives) is based.
The evil in "No Exit" is found in the lives that the three characters led on Earth. If Garcin, Estelle, and Inez were not evil then they would not be in Hell. Because these three are in Hell, we know that they committed irremediable sins, and since there is no redemption in Hell, these three characters will remain evil forevermore.
Interestingly, the only evil in the play comes from human souls. It seems that evil originates in each individual, with their manifestation in their interactions with each other.
"Other people suck; you suck too"
Agreed; back at you
Each person's suckiness is amplified by others's suckiness. T.T
People seem to be predisposed to consider their own well-being over that of others, even if advancing their petty interests is of great harm to others. Inez, Garcin, and Estelle had the power to give each other peace with little or no effect to themselves, but they all refused in order to validate their self worth as they perceived it.
Yeah, everything sucks. Especially when you're in hell. Every person is obviously making this experience worse for the others, but they are also doing it to themselves. By acting as they are, they provoke each other making everything worse for everyone. Each one is being cruel and in turn making everyone miserable including themselves.
I guess they do suck, but they are also responsible for alot of good. For example, people suck in No Exit because each individual holds different conceptions of what the other desires and is either unwilling or unable to satisfy that desire. It is no coincidence that this combination was placed together, however--if another combination of people were placed in hell they could we willing and able to satisfy the other's desire and provide them with peace, representing a "good."
Other people won't naturally want to help you if that's what it means to suck in your view.
Since other people can cause you pain, and we’re all human, it’s pretty certain that you are also capable of causing others pain. Even if you try to mitigate the pain you cause others, it’s inevitable that you will accidentally hurt someone, thus adding one more to the category of “sucking.”
Yes but the amount of "suckiness" you allow them is dependent on you yourself. As in, they're only as "sucky" as you make them out to be. Perhaps the "suckier" someone appears to be, the "suckier" you are yourself.
Absolutely everyone has the potential to suck. In the context of this post, "to suck" is to be viewed negatively, with varying degrees of annoyance, anger or resentment, by another person. There is so much subjectivity and relativity in the way people are perceived by others, so absolutely anything anyone were to do could be perceived negatively by another person. And everyone is bound to annoy or anger another person, as it is very unlikely for any one person to be universally loved, so everybody does suck.
"A triangle never works"
Thats a little unfair. It may not work perfectly, there may be some tension, but it can still work, some people do play well with others. Just because these three choose to make this room the hell they expect, this doesn't mean that no three people can get along, some people are kind to others.
I agree a group of four is much better than a group of 3 because people will generally pair off instead of having a dynamic of two against one. In a group setting, rarely do people want to stand alone--for example, in a group of three, the dynamic will generally not be one vs. one vs. one, but rather, two vs. one. The idea that "a triangle never works" is true if trying to create a setting in which there will be a cohesive dynamic. It is not as true in No Exit, where the dynamic trying to be created is one of torture--when Estelle and Garcin pair up against Inez, they are able to torture her more effectively. They are also tortured by their pairing because Estelle relies on Garcin for a release from her torture and vice versa, so if one fails the other, torture ensues.
Whoa, “never” is a little strong, especially since it’s going to have to work in the case of the play where they can never leave. With an infinite amount of time, they are going to eventually work everything out between them.
The problem with a triangle, or a relationship between three people is that there are two relationships involving some combination of overlapping people. Relationships are already problematic. Your relationship with yourself constantly changes and affects you because it is complex. Then throw in another person and you have a conventional relationship. It is very difficult for most people to maintain even a two person relationship. Now add one more person and you have a triangle. Not only are there the normal complexities of trying to relate to other people in a way that is constructive and conducive to enjoying life, there are multiple relationships competing for attention within the same system of relationships. No matter how well three people seem to get along there will always be tension and conflict generated by attempting to balance the multiple relationships. Inevitably the relationships between the three will be different and incomparable and yet all the members of the triangle will constantly be attempting to compare them. We are inherently envious creatures and ultimately the triangle would destroy itself and disband. Unless of course you are in hell and the bell doesn't work.
People do stuff for their own good. It just happens to be that their own good conflicts with the other two's in this story. But a triangle can work.
