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Jean-Paul Sartre by Gisèle Freund, 1968
Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself.
Existentialism Is a Humanism, Jean-Paul Sartre, 1946
Jean-Paul Sartre & Existentialism
Jean-Paul Sartre & Existentialism
Jean-Paul Sartre was a French philosopher and author best known for leading the existentialist movement in the 20th century. Several of his works and plays emphasize the "raw hostility of human toward human" and his belief in man's social responsibility (Britannica).
Existentialism argues that there is no inherent meaning in one's life; thus, one must take control of their life and create meaning and purpose: "existence is particular" (Britannica). The only given of human existence is that "we are forced to choose what we will become" and are then defined by our choices and actions (Warburton).
The First Principle of Existentialism
"What do we mean by saying that existence precedes essence? We mean that man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world - and defines himself afterwards. If man as the existentialist sees him is not definable, it is because to begin with he is nothing. He will not be anything until later, and then he will be what he makes of himself. Thus, there is no human nature, because there is no God to have a conception of it. Man simply is. Not that he is simply what he conceives himself to be, but he is what he wills, and as he conceives himself after already existing – as he wills to be after that leap towards existence. Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. That is the first principle of existentialism."
Existentialism Is a Humanism, Jean-Paul Sartre, 1946
No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre
No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre
Summary: This play follows three characters–Garcin, Inez, and Estelle–after they have been taken to Hell by a Valet. Instead of the physical torture they were expecting, the three are tortured by each other’s presence and the perception they have of themselves and the others, thus creating the saying, “Hell is other people.” The room they have been trapped in for eternity lacks any mirror or reflective surface, and the three struggle to define themselves through the gaze of others. The three are only able to accept their circumstances after they reveal themselves through their discussions of what they did in their lives to end up in Hell.
LAST EXIT: No Exit was written and performed during the World War II German occupation of Paris. With this in mind, Sartre explores throughout the play what it means to take ownership of oneself and the freedom within that, a direct counter to the fascist rule he was under. In a similar notion, Playwright Lonnquist approached writing LAST EXIT with the current political climate of the United States in mind. While researching, Lonnquist was inspired by how the reflections between historical plays and today's world can help an audience discuss and face conflict in the present. As a result, No Exit's concepts of personal responsibility, self-awareness, and perception are reflected throughout LAST EXIT.
Resources
Desan, Wilfrid. "Jean-Paul Sartre". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Paul-Sartre. Accessed 23 October 2025.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. “Existentialism Is a Humanism.” Translated by Philip Mairet, Marxists Internet Archive, Meridian Publishing Company, 1946, www.marxists.org/reference/archive/sartre/works/exist/sartre.htm.
Warburton, Nigel. “A Student’s Guide to Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existentialism and Humanism.” Philosophy Now: A Magazine of Ideas, philosophynow.org/issues/15/A_students_guide_to_Jean-Paul_Sartres_Existentialism_and_Humanism. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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