Many things can be said about Albert Camus' works, from his early association with existentialism and nihilism (which he later rejected) to his philosophically based writings. Camus was also the second youngest recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature (1957), a feat that appropriately recognized his "important literary production, which with clear-sighted earnestness illuminates the problems of the human conscience in our times." Camus is most recognized for his novel, The Stranger, his play, Caligula and his essay, The Myth of Sisyphus.
Literary Plot Overview of The Myth of Sisyphus
From an entirely literary standpoint, the plot of The Myth of Sisyphus is very straightforward. The character of Sisyphus is often referred to as the absurd hero who faces a lifetime of punishment by enduring a hopeless struggle.
Because of his scorn for the gods and his hatred of death, Sisyphus is condemned to eternal punishment, which consists of the constant and never ending task of rolling a rock up to the top of a mountain, only to have it roll back down each time he reaches the peak. The gods believed that this punishment was properly suited for Sisyphus because an eternity of pointless work is the worst imaginable fate.
The Myth of Sisyphus as Philosophical Interpretation
Camus begins The Myth of Sisyphus by claiming that humanity will only find the meaning of life by having faith in God, otherwise life is rendered meaningless. Therefore, if life is meaningless, does this argument support one's decision to commit suicide? Camus further poses the question that either we take a leap of faith, commit suicide or accept life as it is and live in a world with no purpose.
Hence, the absurd character of Sisyphus spends his eternity performing a task devoid of all meaning. However, Camus focuses on Sisyphus' state of mind during each half of his task. When he is pushing the rock uphill, he is facing the struggles and difficulties of life that we all endure. When the rock is rolling downhill, he is aware of the uselessness of his task and the inevitably useless struggle that will lead him nowhere.
The myth can be read as a tale of hopelessness, with Sisyphus toiling away with his meaningless task for all of eternity. It is important to realize that Camus intends for the theme of hope vs. hopelessness to be a key conflict in this essay. He is implying that as long as a person retains some degree of hope, they will never be satisfied because it suggests that there is more to their life than what they currently have. However, only when a person can see and accept their lot in life for what it is, can they ever truly achieve happiness and fulfillment.
Camus ends his essay by imploring the reader to "imagine Sisyphus happy", which boils down to the reader assuming that Sisyphus was fully aware of his fate and chose to accept his life as it was. Thus, while suicide was an option, it was not the right one.
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