Sartre: Living in the Gaze of Others Is Living in Hell
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Sartre: Living in the Gaze of Others Is Living in Hell
Total: 2,466 characters | Approx. 5 min readThought Shuttle
In Dante’s Divine Comedy, hell is a vast abyss that plunges straight from the surface to the center of the earth, shaped like a wide-topped, narrow-bottomed funnel. The souls of sinners, according to the severity of their earthly transgressions, are placed in different levels of this “funnel” to receive punishment: some sink into mud pits, enduring wind and rain; others are burned alive in raging flames, crying out in agony… All these horrors subtly suggest that life on earth is precious, and one should cherish it while living.
But is the human world truly as wonderful as people imagine?
One thinker disagreed. For him, there exists something called “purgatory on earth.” It may not be a tangible place, but like a dense fog, it shrouds the mind and invades one’s spiritual world. Today’s Thought Shuttle will fly into this thinker’s intellectual universe to explore what this “earthly purgatory” really is. He is the great philosopher who masterfully combined literary and intellectual depth — Sartre.
Today’s Protagonist: Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre, born June 21, 1905, in Paris, is one of the most important French philosophers of the 20th century and a leading representative of “atheistic existentialism.” A philosopher by vocation, he was also a gifted writer, producing numerous literary and dramatic works in an attempt to elucidate his philosophical ideas through skillful literary expression.
Sartre’s childhood, like that of many children today, was steeped in the love of his grandparents. He spent most of his time with his maternal grandparents. His grandfather, a professor of linguistics, had a vast collection of books at home, and this knowledge-filled environment became a paradise for the young Sartre to absorb learning.
In 1929, the 24-year-old Sartre brilliantly achieved first place in the national competitive examination for teaching positions in secondary schools, where he also met Simone de Beauvoir, who earned second place. Their astonishing and controversial love story has long been the subject of public fascination and gossip (curious? Search online).
As a thinker, Sartre’s literary prowess was no less than that of other literary giants. He famously declined the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature, giving the simple reason: “I decline all official honors.”
Sartre’s most famous idea is undoubtedly “Hell is other people.” Perhaps many of you are also experiencing the gloom encapsulated in this very phrase. 🚪Third post
What He Thought: Hell Is Other People
Keywords:
Sartre’s No Exit Hell is other people The relationship between self and others Hell has no torture instruments — only “other people”
Background
In 1945, Sartre wrote a play titled No Exit (Huis Clos). The profound meaning and far-reaching influence of this play have far exceeded the scope of drama itself, sparking philosophical contemplation. Its central theme concerns the relationship between oneself and others.
The protagonists are three sinners after death, cast into a strange hell devoid of torture devices and mirrors. The three can only affirm their own existence through the gaze of others. At the same time, they are on guard against one another, hiding secrets, hoping to suppress their sordid pasts and project a favorable image in each other’s eyes. A bizarre scene unfolds in this hell: They each isolate themselves, yet mutually “interrogate” one another. Each becomes the scrutinizer of the others, while simultaneously being constrained ceaselessly by “the gaze of others.”
Sartre’s Famous Play No Exit
This is an ordeal — an unbearable torment. None of the three find peace; none can leave; none can be at ease, free, and authentic to themselves. Finally, one of the protagonists, Garcin, realizes why this hell has no torture instruments, and cries out in anguish:
[!info] “I would never have believed it. Hell has no sulphur, no blazing stakes, no red-hot irons. What a joke! No need for sulphur, stakes, or irons — hell is other people! The eyes of others are mirrors — or perhaps demonic mirrors from hell.”
Through the voice of the protagonist Garcin, Sartre articulates his thoughts on the relationship between self and others: A great many people in the world live in “hell” because they are overly dependent on others’ judgments of themselves. This contains two layers of meaning:
First, we care too much about the gaze of others. Thus, when the relationship between self and others becomes discordant, we cannot find our own footing.
Second, when we cannot properly handle unfavorable judgments from others, their “malicious” evaluations become our hell.
Living in this world, no one is a solitary individual; one must inevitably interact with those around them. Typically, we understand whether our actions are appropriate and whether our approaches help build good relationships through these interactions. On nights when we “reflect on ourselves three times a day,” who among us doesn’t search the day’s memories for a parent’s comment, a teacher’s glance, or a classmate’s reply?
But when a single word from another pierces you, or when during repeated rumination you feel they are subtly criticizing you, that they might no longer like you, that your relationship seems to be deteriorating — in that moment, don’t you feel as if you’ve arrived at the gates of hell, helpless yet resentful, anxious yet uneasy? Don’t you feel that, though still on earth, you might as well be in purgatory because of the presence of others?
A Single Thought Can Turn Hell into Heaven
If others are hell, are we then trapped in this hell inescapably? Perhaps we should thank Sartre for not closing the door entirely. In his view, others may certainly be a formidable obstacle, but not one we cannot overcome.
How to resolve the problem that “Hell is other people”?
First, we draw too absolute a distinction between “self” and “others” in our consciousness, which reinforces an “egocentric” mindset. Being overly self-centered inevitably leads to a lack of proper regard for others. In this case, we ourselves become the culprits in worsening our relationships, and we too must bear the responsibility for the “torments of hell.”
Second, we fall into distress because we cannot properly handle the judgments and evaluations others make of us. But in truth, while others’ judgments are certainly important, they are for reference only. Treating them as the ultimate verdict is absolutely unacceptable. If we live uncomfortably just to hear a flattering word or praise from others, or to reduce their negative comments or attacks on us, our authentic self will inevitably, in some midnight hour, fall into a tormented corner of the soul.
Finally, if we cannot properly regard ourselves, we ourselves can also become our own hell. Here, I’ll leave a blank for you to ponder: Why might oneself also become one’s own hell?
In short, the conclusion is this: whether others become our hell depends largely on our own mindset. If we offer sincerity, if we care less about the gaze of others, and if we can just be ourselves — with this shift in thought, we will find ourselves no longer in hell, but in heaven.
Usage Analysis
Applicable Themes: The relationship between self and others, properly handling others’ evaluations, being oneself, etc.
Example:
People always come to know themselves and affirm their existence through the gaze of others. Yet, the more we do this, the more we feel that the gaze of others is an eternal, inescapable presence. At this point, we begin to suffer a spiritual torment under that gaze: Did I do something wrong? Could I have done better? What should I do to get it right? Sartre encapsulated this psychological scenario in the phrase “Hell is other people.” Many people in this world, including you and me, are more or less experiencing this painful situation. It is precisely because we care too much about the gaze of others, and desire too strongly to establish a perfect self in their eyes, that we are driven to constantly judge ourselves according to others’ standards and “revise” ourselves repeatedly. Little do we realize that with each revision, we become utterly unrecognizable, and under the gaze of others, we perpetually cycle through our own journey through hell.