Although short and comical, Jean-Paul Sartre's play “No Exit” offers great insight into the basic ideas of his existentialist philosophy. The banal setting of the work and the diversity of the fundamental character types allude to the applicability of the themes to reality. The fundamental principles underlying Sartre's philosophy are detailed through the three main characters and the transitions they undergo as the play progresses. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The setting seems purposefully ambiguous in the exposition of the work, allowing Sartre to create an atmosphere and relate to his audience before delving into his main ideas. The entire work takes place in a single room, initially described as "a Second Empire-style drawing room", with "a massive bronze ornament standing on the mantelpiece" (3). In the opening, the main character, Garcin, enters "accompanied by the valet of the room" and begins to make informal chats with him about the style of the furniture and where his "toothbrush" might be (3-4). If it were not for Garcin's blunt question about the location of the "racks, red-hot tongs, and all the other paraphernalia," the audience would assume that the setting is simply a living room of an ordinary middle- or upper-class family (4) . Eventually the audience is informed that the room is a representation of hell, with the waiter supposedly exemplifying the devil. However, exposing the audience to the ordinary room before revealing its meaning allows Sartre to create a recognisable, earthly and informal atmosphere, suggesting that “hell” may be present in real life. Its setting also directs attention to the exchanges between the characters because the room is so normal, further implying that "hell" can be found in the minds and relationships of human beings. Garcin's statement at the end of the play that “hell is other people” is in line with this view (61). The atmosphere is maintained throughout the rest of the work, with references to common objects such as the “sofa” and “the fireplace” (18, 60). Furthermore, the main characters – an outspoken older man, an ostentatious middle-aged woman, and a lower-class lesbian – are different in many of their outward character traits, perhaps implying that the situation depicted could easily happen to any person. of the public. According to existentialist philosophy, for human beings “existence precedes essence”. Some objects (such as inanimate objects) are defined simply because they exist as a particular object; for example, a table is defined as a table. Sartre called an object thus defined a “being in itself”. On the other hand, the human being must be defined in two ways: first as an object that simply exists (a human being), and then as the essence on which he decides. Sartre called an object thus defined a “being-for-itself”. This idea is the central concept behind Sartre's work. As the second category of beings, the characters in the drama are initially defined as existing simply because they are objects present on the scene. It is the formation of the essence of each character that establishes the conflict in the work. Left in a simple living room, without the presence of continuous action and cultural expectations, the characters must find a way to define their essence with each other and with themselves. Garcin, a pacifist who is in hell for running away from military service, has trouble defining his essence because he hasn't taken responsibility for it. Instead, he lets others define hisessence through their subjective characterizations of him. For Sartre this is an example of “bad faith”: self-deception and lack of personal responsibility for one's essence. Garcin's dependence on others is foreshadowed from the beginning of the play. When the waiter declares that he is about to leave the room, the captions say that “Garcin makes a gesture to detain him” (9). When the waiter leaves, Garcin immediately becomes frantic, pressing the call button for the waiter and even "beating on the door with his fists" (9). After the second character, Inez, arrives, Garcin looks around and proclaims, “How beastly of them! They took away everything that even remotely resembled a glass” (11). Thus, it is evident that Garcin is lost without a third-person view by which to define himself, in the form of another person or a mirror. The lack of mirrors in the room reinforces the idea that the characters will only have each other and their own consciousness to define their essence. Although Garcin sometimes makes statements that suggest that he desires greater personal responsibility for his person, he is never able to act on it. It. He initially tries to ignore the women in the room, saying that they will all "work for [their] salvation" by "looking within [themselves], never lifting [their] heads" (23). However, Garcin is unable to do so and instead listens to conversations about him on earth. Garcin later states that with his absence he has “left [his] destiny in their hands,” demonstrating once again how he lets others completely define him (52). Throughout much of the play, Garcin attempts to convince Estelle (the third main character) and Inez that he is not a coward for abandoning his civic duty to join the army. He tells Estelle, “If there is anyone, just one person, who says quite positively that I didn't run away… that I'm brave and decent and the rest – well, that person's faith would save me” (53) . Therefore, it is evident that he relies on the faith of others rather than himself. When she realizes that Estelle doesn't really understand what she's asking of her, she turns to the more experienced Inez for confirmation of her character, telling her: “It's you who counts; you who hate me. If you have faith in me I will be saved” (57). Garcin's anachronistic references to salvation also suggest that he has not accepted responsibility for his own character and the consequences (such as condemnation) that have resulted. Furthermore, like Garcin's statement that his acquaintances on Earth now have his "destiny", it represents a bit of Sartre's opinion on determinism: that it is a form of bad faith, because it denies individuals the freedom to assume responsibility for one's actions. .Estelle represents a character who similarly has bad faith and relies on external things to verify her essence and existence. Like Garcin, she initially lies to both herself and others about why she is in Hell, demonstrating a lack of responsibility for herself and her actions. She is particularly alarmed by the absence of mirrors, saying, “When I can't see myself I begin to wonder if I really and truly exist” (25). He further states: “When I talked to people I always made sure there was someone nearby where I could see myself. I watched myself talk. And somehow it kept me alert, seeing me as others saw me” (25). Estelle's reliance on a third-person view of herself, like Garcin's, reveals that she has not learned to define her own essence and is consumed by dependence on others; has "bad faith". Inez exploits Estelle's need for a mirror, offering her eyes as Estelle's mirror. Estelle looks Inez in the eyes and exclaims, “Oh, I'm here!.