Sunday, August 20, 2017
Quesion
In the play, No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre, we are introduced to Garcin in the opening. Garcin has died and is in Hell. The setting is in a room with three different colored couches. In the center was a bronze ornament. That's it. No bathrooms, no mirrors, no beds. We learn that there are no torture devices. Nor are there people to physically torture him. His first question was about a bathroom and a toothbrush because he was so accustomed to the mortal world and was anxious about cleaning. My question is what would your portrayal of Hell be? Also, would you have reacted the same way as Garcin?
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As ironic as it could be, my personal portrayal of "Hell" would have to be complete isolation or a black void. Both are uncomfortable situations that I would not like to be a part of. I feel like I too would have reacted in a similar way to Garcin. I would have gone through all the hassle imagining would Hell would be like only to find out that it's just a room filled with three couches. Not only is it anticlimactic, but it is also a major letdown. One has high expectations going in only to realise further down the line that the end is kind of like an unfinished video game. You're just sitting there waiting for something exciting to happen. The only problem is that you know, deep down within yourself, that nothing new is going to happen next
ReplyDeleteMy picture of Hell is just a place where dark, evil spirits live, fulfilled with fire and torture, which I think it's a common thought. From your description of the Hell from No Exit kind remind my of The Pit and the Pendulum, which the narrator was suffered in both metal and physical tortures. I think that no bathroom and unable to get clean is a kind of dehumanization. Think about it, only animals don't need to be clean. Also Garcin is in Hell, this could be a mental punishment for him. And if I in this Hell, I think I will react the same as Garcin, I will be anxious if I don't get to wash my hair. It can be the opposite too, when you die you're just ghost or a spirit, nothing can really harm you other than mentally.
ReplyDeleteHow I see hell is related to the world of Hades as i grew up with the Percy Jackson books. I just picture hell as filled with fire and condemned souls pleading for mercy. The idea of a fiery hell has been implanted into the common person. It sure is a place I hope I never see. I wouldn't have reacted the same way as Garcin as I would be anxious to appear in a room and waiting for what is to come. The sole paranoia is what makes the scene so intense in my opinion. There would be more important things at hand than washing ones teeth and hair. Good question!
ReplyDeleteIf I were in Hell, I pray to God never, I imagine a place with souls and the shattering of teeth to a great extent. Souls trying to find a way out, but can't. It's like a nightmare that you can never escape. Fire everywhere, but it feels like lava, Hell being so hot that it is unexplainable. Souls screaming at the top of the lungs, if souls have lungs, and trying to be heard, but no one seems to hear. Torture with fire and no sign of light, deep down into the pits of Hell.
ReplyDeleteI know, by the looks of it, your book does not mention any of our ideas of what hell will be. Your book sounds very interesting Tien! Hopefully, you enjoy it!
When I think about hell, I think of a fiery place, like most people would, except it would be in a slaughterhouse for people to get killed. Especially in a creeepy hospital. If I were Garcin, I would also react the same, but I would ask different questions.
ReplyDeleteFirst yes I would react the same way as Garcin. My hell would be something repeated such as seeing my death over and over or seeing the ones I love being killed. It's more of the little stuff I have to look at for all eternity that would cause me the intense pain.
ReplyDeleteMy perception of hell is biblically based and pertains to it being the "lake of fire." I find it fascinating that in your book it's portrayed so different.
ReplyDeleteYou guys have very similar ideas!
ReplyDeleteWhen i think of hell i picture fire, and the dead who have committed horrible sins. I also imagine people being put t work for the devil and suffering.
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