Jean-Paul Sartre’s work, “No Exit” is a play about three people who are sentenced to hell and forced to spend the rest of eternity in the same Second French Empire decorated room without the luxury of their eyelids. The work, mostly known for its phrase, “Hell is other people,” is one of Sartre’s more popular works, largely because of its high level of accessibility (I think high school teachers use it) and brevity. Interestingly, Sartre wrote “No Exit” as a one act play in order to allow the audience to avoid the German-created French curfew during World War II.
Despite the seemingly-sophomoric literal reading of the work, understanding “No Exit” involves an understanding of Sartre’s existential views as a whole. Generally, Sartre believed mankind is “condemned to be free.” This freedom to act as we please places ultimate responsibility for all actions onto humans, and precludes any sort of reason or excuse for what happens. Therefore, to exist among (certain) humans–as the three “No Exit” characters are–is to experience a godless, reasonless, and meaningless hell. Their hell is precisely their freedom to exist amongst each other without any exit, reason, or explanation. Death–existing in the “outside” world and not among others–is exactly the exit the characters want, but can’t attain.
“No Exit” is one of the best existential works around, and many theaters have featured the work over the past 70 years. It’s simplicity in form is both why many theater troops are intrigued by it, and why the work remains so popular. There are many nuances and sociological inferences to draw from the work, as well, but I don’t like giving too much of the plot away in this “Books for Men” series, so I’ll let you sort those out.
Generally, I’d recommend “No Exit” to anyone who enjoys a good philosophical read, is interested in existentialism, plays, or would like a quick read for a plane trip.
