Sartre's No Exit: Is Garcin's wife a good model? -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 15:07:27 04/20/08 Sun
Author: Hwaet!
Subject: Sartre's No Exit: Is Garcin's wife a good model?

So Garcin in Jean-Paul Sartre�s No Exit is a real jerk: sleeping with a mistress in his own home while his wife is home, and having his wife serve him and his mistress morning coffee? Garcin describes his wife as a victim, and himself as well-loved:

G: That woman was born a martyr, you know; a victim by vocation. . . . My wife slept upstairs; she must have heard�everything. She was an early riser and, as I and the girl stayed in bed late, she served us our morning coffee.

Inez: You brute!

G: Yes, a brute, if you like. But a well-beloved brute.

Garcin�s wife is a loving victim, although I do have to wonder at the nature of her victimage. Is this a role model for self-offering? She �never cried, never uttered a word of reproach.� Neither does Jesus, except to Peter for cutting off the guard�s ear, from Gethsemane to the crucifixion. He does, though, reproach the Pharisees repeatedly in his three years of ministry. We also have examples of martyrs (Thomas More comes to mind) who went willingly but not quietly. Which way is better? Which is holier? Is the ethic entirely situational?

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

Re: Sartre's No Exit: Is Garcin's wife a good model? -- Caitlin, 19:25:42 04/20/08 Sun
- Re: Sartre's No Exit: Is Garcin's wife a good model? -- CS Holden, 17:39:59 04/21/08 Mon
  - Re: Sartre's No Exit: Is Garcin's wife a good model? -- Katelyn R., 08:30:14 04/25/08 Fri
  - Re: Sartre's No Exit: Is Garcin's wife a good model? -- Caitlin, 18:23:03 04/26/08 Sat