Download Jeanie Yang Mrs. Getchell Honors English 12

Jeanie Yang
Mrs. Getchell
Honors English 12-2nd hour
03 Jan 2016
The Myth of Sisyphus
What exactly is Existentialism? One might simply say that it is to exist. But however, it is
much more than just existing. Existentialism, in accurate terms, is a philosophy with finding
one’s self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. Sisyphus
in the myth of Sisyphus is a great example of Existentialism, or as some would say, the absurd
man. Existentialists believe that a person should be forced to choose and be responsible without
the help of laws, ethical rules, or traditions, which Sisyphus demonstrates all of these
characteristics. He is the ultimate Existentialist hero because he defied the Gods, represents
every man. And condemned under society’s self-imposed laws and rules.
Some may argue that it is outrageous that anyone would consider Sisyphus to be a “hero”
because why should breaking the rules make someone a hero? Anyone can do that. Yes, that is
absolutely correct. He did, in fact, defy the Gods, and more than once. But he enjoys breaking
the rules. He defies the Gods over and over in order to be happy. It is kind of like a paradox. He
can only be happy if he is happy. Just like when Camus said “One always finds one’s burden
again”. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the Gods and raises the rocks (232).
He is saying that he does not want to live the futile life, which is why he goes and breaks the
rules and he has fun doing it. Of course, Sisyphus knows that his decisions are not without
consequences, but even so, he still continues to defy the Gods again and again.
As well as Sisyphus defied the Gods, his consequences after that represent an average
man. In the Myth of Sisyphus, “The Gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock
to the top of the mountain, where the stone would fall back of its weight” (Camus 229). His
unspeakable penalty is that his whole being is exerted toward accomplishing nothing. He now
represents the average man, because we, as human beings are absurd. Our actions everyday are
futile and repetitive without any meaning at all except to thinking how we will be treated after
death. Our actions are equivalent to Sisyphus’s boulder that he is condemned to because of his
fate. We too, have the same fate that our everyday motions are the same without meaning. But
however, Sisyphus finds meaning in rolling the boulder everyday from day to night. He accepts
and embraces his fate, which would be the opposite of what the Gods would expect him to do.
He realizes that his motion are meaningless and it is the moment that he realizes this that makes
him a hero. He accepts the rock as merely a chore and not as a punishment because he is happy
while he does it. Sisyphus to “superior to his fate, realizing that he is bigger than the rock”.
An Existentialist hero, like Sisyphus, lives under society’s self-imposed rules and laws.
When he was ceaselessly subjected to rolling the boulder until eternity, this is a representation of
a major Existentialist concept; that society is unnatural and it’s traditional religious and secular
rules are arbitrary. There are many things that are not rational. But Sisyphus uses his free human
will to live in this world. His life choices lead him to his consequences, which ultimately makes
him of the greatest Existentialist heroes to ever live. Rules are arbitrary because “to the celestial
thunderbolts, he preferred the benediction of water. He was punished for this in the underworld”
(Camus 229).
In conclusion, one has greatly grasped that Sisyphus is an Existentialist hero. He knows
that human life is not completely satisfying because of all of the pain and the sorrow, just like
human beings. But we, as human beings must be able to realize that life is futile and that the
moment that we realize this fact, one can truly be happy. The hour of consciousness is the hour
of realization.