Going to hell to meet oneself
Going to hell to meet oneself For most readers, the idea of hell is likely in unison with Dante’s depiction of the seventh circle of hell in his epic poem the inferno . Where the rivers flow with boiling blood and fire, and ghastly beasts act as torturers to those who have committed sin. However, a rather contrary conjecture of hell is proposed by the renowned existential philosopher and playwright Jean-Paul Satre. In the play no exit , Satre portrays a version of hell that is rather mundane. No demonic beasts. No burning pit of cadavers. No eternal darkness. Just three damned people in a tastefully furnished room. At first, this version of hell seems quite lenient, but as Garcin reveals “There’s no need for red-hot pokers. Hell is other people.”. In this short essay, I will delve into Satre’s portrayal of hell in the form of an unlikely torturer: ourselves. In No Exit , aside from the odd paperknife attempted suicide, torture is not present in the form of physical pain, bu