Garcin: "Alone, none of us can save himself or herself; we're linked together inextricably."
-pg 38
This quotation may seem very simple and minute, however; the meaning behind it holds a lot of truth. This quote is not only quintessential to the play, but it is also a tremendously important concept that all human beings should remember.
To fully understand this quote, I will have to give a very brief summary of what occurred before this quote was stated. In the beginning of the novel, the reader is introduced to one of the three main characters, Garcin. Garcin finds himself in hell or to be more specific, Jean-Paul Sartre’s version of hell. Garcin does not once question his placement in hell and automatically realizes that he is in hell for a reason. However, Garcin wants to dwell on his shortcomings by himself and does not want to share them out loud. Later on in the play, the other two main characters are introduced, Inez and Estelle. Like Garcin, Inez fully understands the gravity of their situation and also acknowledges that she too deserves to be in hell. Estelle on the other hand, is very different from her cohorts; she is distracted by superficial things and she believes that her placement in hell was an accident. After some time, the three characters decide to reveal their iniquities to each other. In order to not ruin the book, I will not discuss their sins.
Shortly after confessing their sins, Garcin states, “Alone, none of us can save himself or herself; we're linked together inextricably.” Garcin acknowledges the fact that human beings have the power to set other people free from their pain, shortcomings, and inequities. After realizing this, Garcin spends the remainder of the play trying to win the favor of the remaining characters.
I know to some people, this small quotation may seem insignificant, but I truly believe that this quotation speaks volumes. I really love that through a few short simple words, Jean-Paul Sartre is able to explain something of such great magnitude. Through this quote, readers learn that we possess the power to set other people free of all their insecurities, flaws, and sins. Until a human being is convinced by other members of society that his actions are acceptable, he will not be able to possess a clear conscience. Most people do not realize how influential they are in some one’s life. Our thoughts and opinions about an individual can be in some cases the difference between life and death. For me, this quote was life altering. After reading this quotation, I have become really pensive of how I treat other people and I sincerely do not want to be the cause of any anguish in another individual’s life.
Overall, I really enjoyed the play. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone (by the way it is only about sixty pages long so that is definitely a bonus!). I genuinely believe that when this play is read carefully with an open mind, the reader can learn very important things about their own life.
I would absolutely love to read this book, and no not just because it has 60 pages. I think the message Satre's book conveys is very applicable to our lives. We may never know how greatly we influence each other because how does one weigh friendship. Furthermore, we don't even know how our actions can change the lives of someone we may not even be friends with. It is difficult to express exactly how we are all linked to one another, but as emotions and human connections have grown deeper over time, our influence and the complexity of our interactions have only continued along the same trend.
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