'Existentialism in Literature Essay\r'

'existentialism in literature is a movement or tendency that emphasizes individual existence, granting immunity, and choice. While existential philosophy was never an organized literary movement, the tenets of this philosophy have influenced some(prenominal) diverse sources around the institution and readers can obtain existential elements in their fiction. Americans writers like William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck s frequently existential elements in their writing. Perhaps the some large(p) theme in existentialist writing is that of choice.\r\n tender being’s primary distinction, in the view of most existentialists, is the freedom to select. Because we atomic number 18 free to choose our feature paths, existentialists have argued, we mustiness(prenominal) accept the risk and right of following our commitments wherever they lead. American writers Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson often wrote about these concepts. Existentialism is no t dark. It is not depressing. Existentialism is about bearing. Existentialists believe in livingâ€and in repugning for life.\r\nThe politics of existentialist writers around the world varies widely, alone each seeks the most individual freedom for people within a society. Despite cover this wide range of philosophical, religious, and political ideologies, the underlying concepts of existentialism argon constant: ? Mankind has free pull up stakes ? Life is a series of choices ? Few decisions be without any negative consequences ? Some events and occurrences are ill-advised or absurd, without explanation. ? If hotshot and only(a) makes a decision, he or she must follow through.\r\nSo existentialism, broadly defined, is a set of philosophical systems concerned with free will, choice, and private responsibility. Because we make choices based on our experiences, beliefs, and biases, those choices are grotesque to usâ€and made without an intention form of honor. thither are no â€Å"universal” guidelines for most decisions, existentialists believe. nonetheless trusting science is often a â€Å" leap out of faith. ” The existentialists conclude that gentleman choice is subjective, because individuals finally must make their declare choices without help from such outside(a) standards as laws, ethical rules, or traditions.\r\nBecause individuals make their own choices, they are free; but because they freely choose, they are completely responsible for their choices. The existentialists emphasize that freedom is ineluctably accompanied by responsibility. Furthermore, since individuals are forced to choose for themselves, they have their freedomâ€and therefore their responsibility†pressure upon them. They are â€Å"condemned to be free. ” Many existentialist writers extend the importance of passionate individual action in deciding questions of both personal deterrent exampleity and truth.\r\n personalised experience an d acting on one’s own convictions are essential in arriving at the truth. 17th-century French philosopher and existentialist Blaise Pascal saw human existence in terms of paradoxes. He believed that â€Å"We issue truth, not barely by reason, but in like manner by the heart. ” And as many existentialists, he acknowledges that â€Å"It is the fight alone that pleases us, not the victory. ” The modern motto that the expedition is more important than the final destination applies to this idea.\r\ndanish pastry philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, who was the first writer to call himself existential, reacted against traditional thoughts by insisting that the highest good for the individual is to find his or her own unique vocation. As he wrote in his journal, â€Å"I must find a truth that is true for me . . . the idea for which I can make it or die. ” Existentialists have argued that no objective, rational solid ground can be found for moral decisions. The 19th-century German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche contended that the individual using free will must decide which situations are to compute as moral situations.\r\nHe believed that â€Å"There are no facts, only interpretations. ” . . . and he is famous for this well know adage:â€Å"That which does not kill me, makes me stronger. ” The 19th-century Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky is probably the most well-known existentialist literary figure. In his word of honor Notes from the Underground the alienated anti-hero questions experiences in life that are unpredictable and sometimes self-destructive.\r\nFrench writer, Jean capital of Minnesota Sartre wrote that man can will nothing unless he has first understood that he must count on no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the center of his infinite responsibilities, without help, with no other(a) aim than the one he sets himself, with no other destiny than the one he forges for himself on t his earth.\r\nThere is no last meaning or purpose inherent in human life; in this sense life is absurd. We are forlorn, abandoned in the world to seek after ourselves completely. The only foundation for values is human freedom, and that there can be no external or objective justification for the values anyone chooses to adopt.\r\n” When the Swedish Academy granted the Nobel Prize in belles-lettres to Sartre for his work which, they recognized as â€Å"rich in ideas and filled with the spirit of freedom and the quest for truth, [that] has exerted a far-reaching influence on our age,” Sartre made it known that he did not wish to accept the prize. In a public announcement, in1964, Sartre expressed his regret that his refusal of the prize had given(p) rise to a scandal, and he wished it to be known that his refusal was not meant to slight the Swedish Academy but was rather based on personal and objective reasons.\r\nSartre pointed out that due to his conception of the writer’s task he had always declined official honors so this act was not unprecedented. He had similarly refused other awards offered to him. He stated that a writer’s acceptance of such an honor would be to subsume his personal commitments with the awarding institution, and that, above all, a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution.\r\n'