La difficulte des relations avec autrui.

Abstract

This thesis is an indepth study of a theme: "The difficult rapport with the 'other'" as demonstrated by the three characters in Huis clos (No Exit), a philosophical play by Jean-Paul Sartre, the greatest French writer of our time. The introduction gives an outline of the play and what should be expected in the main body of the thesis. The name Sartre strikes a note whenever the philosophy of modern existentialism comes to mind this is only mentioned lightly here. The chapters examine all possible attitudes put up by each of the three characters (locked up in hell according to their past lives) in a relentless attempt to knot a relationship with one of the other two. These efforts are endlessly rendered fruitless by the presence of the third person. This study at each instance compares these attitudes to the realities of life itself, i.e., our actual relationship with one another. Like the three characters, there is nothing one can do about the situation because it stems from our very existence. The last part shows that if Sartre did so well in his portrayal of this "true to life situation", it is because of his personal experience with the experimental "trIo" he tried out three times in his lifetime without success. The "trio" is the most impossible form of human relationship.