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An evaluation of Jean Paul Sartre existentialism
An evaluation of Jean Paul Sartre existentialism
Sartre existentialism beliefs
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Rules of the Game
14 June 2010
The film Rules of the Game is a very in depth and unique art that thematically portrays characters playing with the notion of moral codes. What is truly unique about the film is how its literal focus is on appearances all the while showing how reality really is. The characters run around the mansions, in and out doors, through the woods playing musical lovers pushing the limits of morality and the rules of society while not really changing anything at all; they are stuck and defined by their roles After reading Jean-Paul Sartre’s example of “bad faith” it becomes obvious that many of the characters are acting out this form of self deception. A few examples of this is the pilot who loves in his head but does not acknowledge the reality of the situation, or the servant who chases another man’s wife around but really has no intention of catching her. There is one character in particular, Christine, who represents bad faith in an undeniable self deceiving way.
Christine, like the young woman on the date, floats through the film never denying or acknowledging the advances of her multiple “loves.” In the opening scene the pilot announces on the air his love for her and half way through his confession she switches the radio off. She knows he is enamored with her, but she laughs it off like it was someone else’s reality. In this moment she made the conscious choice to ignore his advances, after all, they are still just words. The pilot is so distraught he attempts to end his existence while Christine exists in the moment, flirting with her husband. Her old friend Octavo stops in to explicably warn her about how her flirtatious actions cause certain reactions. She laughs this off not conceding that she...
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...use. Christine is one of them; she is not leaving, not following her desires but obediently submitting to her husband’s request. This is definitely self-deceit for Christine is truly denying who she is; instead, she is acting out the role that she believes is necessary to maintain order in her society.
It is ironic that the film is named Rules of the Game because the characters run around in fits of chaos trying to change the rules, but in the end nothing changes. The servant never catches the woman; the “other” woman does not get the husband to leave his wife and the conductor, Octavo, leaves at the end of the show. The video camera focuses narrowly on each of the characters, personifying their defined roles and attempts to break free. They are contained by a prison of delusions and immoral impulses, not accepting that humans have control over their existence.
...ng. She examines the issue of divorce and remarrying, using relationships as a tool for social climbing, she also examines the insecurities that arise when a man discovers that the definition he placed on the woman in his life isn’t as realistic as he would like to think. She subtly addresses the issue of man’s desire to own and define women they are in a relationship with, while trying to control any of her social interactions that could potentially threaten his sense of ownership.
As the story begins, the character of the husband has a negative personality. He lacks compassion, is narrow-minded, and is jealous of his wife’s friendship with a blind man named Robert. His constantly complains that “a blind man in my house was not something [he looked] forward to” (362). The close outside friendship between the narrator’s wife and Robert provokes his insecurities. This friendship has lasted for ten years and during those years, they have exchanged countless tapes regarding experiences they have gone through. Because of this, her husband feels “she [has] told him everything or it so it seemed” (363) about their relationship.
Edna Pontellier was on her way to an awakening. She realized during the book, she was not happy with her position in life. It is apparent that she had never really been fully unaware However, because her own summary of this was some sort of blissful ignorance. Especially in the years of life before her newly appearing independence, THE READER SEES HOW she has never been content with the way her life had turned out. For example she admits she married Mr. Pontellier out of convenience rather than love. EDNA knew he loved her, but she did not love him. It was not that she did not know what love was, for she had BEEN INFATUATED BEFORE, AND BELIEVED IT WAS love. She consciously chose to marry Mr. Pontellier even though she did not love him. When she falls in love with Robert she regrets her decision TO MARRY Mr. Pontellier. HOWEVER, readers should not sympathize, because she was the one who set her own trap. She did not love her husband when she married him, but SHE never once ADMITS that it was a bad decision. She attributes all the problems of her marriage to the way IN WHICH SOCIETY HAS defined the roles of men and women. She does not ACCEPT ANY OF THE BLAME, AS HER OWN. The only other example of married life, in the book, is Mr. and Mrs. Ratignolle, who portray the traditional role of married men and women of the time. Mr. Pontellier also seems to be a typical man of society. Edna, ON THE OTHER HAND, was not A TYPICAL WOMAN OF SOCIETY. Mr. Pontellier knew this but OBVIOUSLY HAD NOT ALWAYS. This shows IS APPARENT in the complete lack of constructive communication between the two. If she had been able to communicate with her husband they may have been able to work OUT THEIR PROBLEMS, WHICH MIGHT HAVE MADE Edna MORE SATISFIED WITH her life.
The conflict of good and evil presents itself in “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Child by Tiger” in two completely different ways. One story being commercial fiction and the other being literary fiction, there are many ways of viewing variables such as good versus evil, realistic versus unrealistic stories and moral significance. The stories have different voices and are meant for different audiences, but in viewing the overall moral importance of both fictional works, the story with a greater moral significance is “The Child by Tiger”.
The play is set in the 1920s when women started to receive clerical jobs and were expected to complete certain milestones in life. For example, in the scene labeled “at home” young woman – the main character – tells her mom that she is going to get married, because everybody does it, but then says she will not because she does not love Mr. Jones (Machinal). Ultimately her choice was to not get married, but in the end she does because her mom needs and wants her to get married for financial stability and the young woman feels that her destiny was to care for her mother. However, in the scene titled “prohibited”, the young woman starts deciding her destiny and chooses to cheat on her husband, Mr. Jones (Machinal). This is the moment when she realizes she can control her own destiny. That she does not have to be the happy housewife that society says her fate has to be. But there was still one problem, society still appeared to be in control of her destiny because she hasn’t decided on what her exact destiny would
Traditions demonstrate a set of social norms that have been followed and adapted to for an elongated amount of time. In each of the plots, Medea, The Piano, and The Age of Innocence, the standard set by society was broken and the consequences imposed took form in varying degrees and shapes of violence. Whether it was outright murder as in Medea, or a more subtle but intense struggle as in The Age of Innocence, these consequences serve as the community's opinion of this breach of its expectations for its members.
One character that best supports this theme is Peter. Peter is Ender’s older brother, who is more ruthless and cold hearted. Peter is a good example of this theme because of his patience, strategic skills, and determination. Peter always wanted to take over the world, but he couldn’t do it at a young age. When playing games a person must be patient and wait for the right time to move. On page 128, Peter states “I’ve been learning things about patterns in human behaviour” Peter has been studying patterns, in order to make his move. The quote best exemplifies how Peter’s life is a game because Peter is playing a patient game; he is watching his opponents’ moves and waiting for the pieces to fall in place. Another example is his strategic skill can help make precise moves. Page 129, middle of the page, Peter and his sister have been writing columns on the internet. Peter is using his strategic skills to devise a plan to take over the world by manipulating the world it is going through war and then later on becoming to make peace. Peter’s columns are being published and that is part of his plan. He is using skills, like in games to plan ahead. Finally the last example that best proves how life is a game is Peter’s determination and cockiness. Great players are determined to win and if they are determined they are cocky. Page 181, Peter says, “ I could become a businessman and run some big corporation, I’d scramble and maneuver until I was at the top of everything and what would I have? Nothing, I am going to rule.” Peter is confident that he will rule the world. Like a champion at games they only think they are going to win a...
From the first paragraph we are already given insight into the situation - Sally is living together with a man called Edward, who most certainly is her husband, and Sally is also taking care of his kids, whom they did not have together. From there on readers can guess that this probably is not Ed's first marriage and it is logical to think that Sally is aware of this fact. The reason of Ed's previous divorces remains unknown, even to Ed himself (or so we are told), Sally is bound not to let it happen again, she shall be his perfect wife and “the one” in his life. Internally, this frustrates Sally, who worries that Ed would one day realize she is not the “true bride”. “What if he wakes up one day and decides that she isn't the true bride after all, but the false one? Then she will be put into a barrel stuck full of nails and rolled downhill, endlessly, while he is sitting in yet another bridal bed, drinking champagne”(773). This passage not only fully reveals the frustration and worries of Sally but also her insecurity. Bounded by the thought of getting a divorce w...
... make poor decisions. Freddy Malins shows up at the party drunk, causing problems for the host. Gabriel has problems socializing with Miss Ivory, because she does not agree with his opinions. As a result, she leaves the party early. When people socialize, they usually do not want to discuss work but use socialization as an escape from it. The songs at the party have some significance because of the feelings and thoughts they provoke in different people. The song “The Lass of Aughrim” causes Gretta to smile and stimulates Gabriel’s desire for his wife. The next song, however, back at the hotel, reminds Gretta of a previous lover. Where the first song brings them together, the second song pulls them apart. The first song, for Gabriel, is an escape from his problems to his wife, while the second song causes the wife to want to escape her marriage with Gabriel.
Because of the life that Christine leads, the role of mother and daughter are switched and Rayona often finds herself watching out for her mom. When Ray comes home from school, she would often learn that her mother had gone out to party. Times like this meant that Rayona had to care for herself. It is not uncommon for one to stay out late; but when it is the parent who is doing so, one must question the responsibility of the person. When Christine leaves the hospital, Rayona shows up and helps prevent a potential disaster. She realizes what her mother plans to do, and that her mom will not crash the car with her on board. While Christine is not very reliable, she has no wish to hurt Rayona either; Ray's prediction was correct. As a child, Rayona must fulfill more obligations than a normal teen. Over the time that leads to her abandonment, Rayona begins to feel displaced from her mother. Christine's increasing self concern causes Rayona to feel her mom is ignoring her, when that is not true at all.
It solidified the truth unacknowledged to them earlier--their friendships among each other were valued above their less than satisfactory marriages in their minds, something that if uncovered by their husbands would have surely placed them under detrimental suspicion. Throughout the story, after surviving the odds and preserving a dangerously unsteady life, the female characters proved that their devotion to each other could conquer the power struggle against the forced commitments they lived in. Society deemed their marriages to be untouchable and unable to be disputed in any way, but with the sturdy connections among them, wives found a way to tamper with the stereotypes and secure a better future for their fellow struggling
Finally, I will now discuss the repercussions of the wife role and the mask of motherhood on Eva’s relationship with Kevin. Ruddick states, “a ‘good mother’ may well be praised for colluding in her own subordination, with destructive consequences to her and her children” (104). Accordingly, the mask of motherhood strips Eva of her authenticity and integrity, and as it becomes her way of life, it diminishes her power (Maushart 463). Her “anger at the conditions of motherhood…become translated into anger at the child,” so that her relationship with Kevin becomes controlled by the wife role and mask of motherhood (Rich 52). Subsequently, even the act of loving him becomes problematic for her. Eva notes, “the harder I tried, the more aware I became
She refuses to show him love. “When I move away and hold the sheet against myself he, sensing what this means, refuses, adamant yet polite, to traffic in the currency of rejection.” (Lopez) She met this new guy and he kisses her hand. “You see, a new boy just a last month had raised my shy hand to his warm mouth and kissed the inside of my palm.” (Lopez) She does not really know what she wants. The kiss has her mind think about worth her really love her lover. In the end she says, “Why should he give up? (Lopez). She doesn’t know why he is still with her after she rejects his
Mary gave in to John’s notion of faking a relationship for sexual gratification, when she was faking sexual enjoyment for a relationship. Mary invested her time and body into John, hoping she would be compensated with the title “Mrs.” Mary auditioned for the role tirelessly. She cooked whenever he came over, although he never showed any gratitude in return with an evening dinning out. Mary cleaned up after John while he slept, so he would be assured that she is not regarded as unkempt. This woman even kept herself unbelievably presentable when he wakes up the next morning, only to have him ignore her metamorphosis.
Amanda, somehow, finds a way to be both selfish and selfless when it comes to Laura. Amanda wants Laura to be happy and successful, but does not understand that Laura is too shy and unmotivated to be either. When Amanda discovers that Laura has stopped going to typing class she is beyond disappointing. When discovered Amanda yells at her daughter saying, “Fifty dollars’ tuition, all our plans- my hopes and ambitions for you- just gone up the spout, just gone up the spout like that.” Laura quit something as simple as learning how to type; this realization struck Amanda because if she cannot do that there is no way Laura could provide for herself without a husband. Mrs. Wingfield’s worst nightmare is is for her children to become dependent on relatives and not being able to take care of themselves. After Laura drops out of typing school Amanda says, “What is there left but dependency all our lives? I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who aren’t prepared to occupy a position. I’ve seen such pitiful cases in the South—barely tolerated spinsters living upon the grudging patronage of sister’s husband or brother’s wife!—stuck away in some little mousetrap of a room—encouraged by one in-law to visit another—little birdlike women without any nest—eating the crust of humility all their life!. Amanda had always wanted for Laura to find a nice husband, but then the situation became desperate when the younger women