with one another in so tiny a space And whether here, or in the little span of human life, this terrible activity produces a comic effect.
107
By saying this, Schopenhauer strives to put forth the notion that life is nothing but a chance mistake.
A religious perspective will counter Schopenhauer’s arguments by claiming that the good deeds you do on Earth will be remembered when you try to get to heaven, and humans
have the opportunity to live in heaven or another kind of otherworldly existence based on how they live their lives on Earth. However, noir literary and film works prefer to view the
world from Schopenhauer’s perspective. In a noir world, characters generally do not take solace in religion. The world is viewed in a pessimistic manner, which becomes a
characterization of the noir world. Film noir characters are easily influenced by or dependent on others as well as vulnerable to their desires, irrationalities, and wiles. This is seen with
Walter Neff in Double Indemnity as he is easily infatuated with Phyllis Dietrichson and does whatever she wants with the hope of possessing her but to no avail. In The Postman Always
Rings Twice, Frank Chambers can gain solace in religion at the end of the story only after confessing to his crimes. However, Frank does not regret killing Nick Smith; he is more
concerned with receiving absolution from God for not being guilty of murdering Cora Smith as a result of the car accident. As long as the priest understands he did not play an intentional
role in Cora’s death, Nick is willing to go to the gas chamber for her murder. Legally Frank is guilty of the death of Cora, but spiritually is guilty for the death of Nick.
2.9.3 Friedrich Nietzsche and Nihilism
Nihilism is a philosophical doctrine that suggests the negation of one or more reputedly meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the
form of existential nihilism, which argues that life is without objective meaning,
107
Ibid, p.22.
purpose, or intrinsic value. Moral nihilists assert that morality does not inherently exist, and that any established moral values are abstractly contrived.
108
Therefore, in a nihilistic society, there is a general feeling of despair and uselessness to go on living after a person realizes the society in which he lives lacks norms, rules, and
laws. This sentiment is also prevalent in numerous noir pictures, including the WWII era. When Nietzsche claimed “God is Dead”, he does not think that God has suddenly
died but rather that God is made by people for certain purposes and in a modern technological age has less importance. As in the definition of nihilism, Nietzsche is not just thinking about
God but all things that are considered meaningful to people like truth, justice, and love do not really have significance anymore. When relating these aspects with morality, there is no
longer a certain moral code as people act and believe as they wish. Connected with the belief of various scholars that noir cannot be a genre because it
covers various genres and changes throughout the years based on various social trends, Nietzsche’s perspective on flux metaphysics can be applied different from Plato’s position
that all things are stationary and can fit into categories in examining how noir is better classified as a mood or style. The reason for this is that things are always in motion and
changing over time. Nietzsche believes there is not a constant self or object that is separate from certain actions. He confirms this by saying, “There is no such substratum; there is no
‘being’ behind doing, effecting, becoming; ‘the doer’ is merely a fiction added to the deed – the deed is everything.”
109
He basically means that in an ever-changing world, people are what they do. Nietzsche claims there is no such thing as a constant self; all things are in a
continual movement and change.
108
http:www.iep.utm.edunihilism . “Nihilism”. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Accessed on
December 28
th
, 2014. Web.
109
Nietzsche, Friedrich. On the Genealogy of Morality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997, p.45.
We enter a realm of crude fetishism when we summon before consciousness the basic presuppositions of the metaphysics of language, in plain talk, the presuppositions of
reason. Everywhere it sees a doer and doing; it believes in will as the cause; it believes in the ego, in the ego as being, in the ego as substance, and it projects this
faith in the ego-substance upon all things – only thereby does it first create the concept of ‘thing’. Everywhere ‘being’ is projected by thought, pushed underneath, as
the cause; the concept of being follows and is a derivative of the concept of ego.
110
Even though Nietzsche claims that things cannot be truly defined, by looking at his perspective in terms of noir, perhaps broad generalizations can be made during specific
periods to find common themes or moods that can group particular literary works or films as noir.
One of Nietzsche’s most interesting quotations is that “God is Dead”.
111
When he says this, he is being critical of Christianity as well as the metaphysical system. The metaphysical
system relates to the constants of objects in the world like Plato believed. Meanwhile, Nietzsche is critical of Christianity because of its perspective of God and heaven as always
being the same. The world around us is always changing, so the physical items and otherworldly things must also be in a fluctuating state, according to Nietzsche. He thinks that
traditional religious beliefs and metaphysical beliefs are counter to a modern society. In the 19
th
century, there were many scientific and technological developments that made Nietzsche consider traditional religious and metaphysical beliefs as being outdated. He would consider
that as being even more applicable during the WWII era or in today’s society. As science and technology is continuously replacing the need for outdated religious beliefs, people
eventually lose their faith in God. Nietzsche thinks science can explain otherworldly things. Nietzsche considers that as people gain a greater understanding of science, they will not need
their religious convictions any longer and will not believe in a traditional metaphysical world.
110
Ibid, p.45.
111
Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Madmen, from The Gay Science, from The Portable Nietzsche. New York: Penguin Books, 1982, p.181.
Therefore, the old value system and beliefs will be replaced with a modern outlook on life that turns to science and technology instead of religion.
When this happens, it will have a kind of catastrophic effect. People will not realize why they exist and not have a value system or ethical principles, thus making it difficult to
care about good or bad and right or wrong. People who live Christian lives understand how they have to act to lead righteous lives by following Bible teachings. When people lose their
moral anchor, they will drift away and become lost souls without a clear purpose for living. This will make people become alienated, confused, and unstable, as their reason for living
becomes pointless and the world is full of chaos. This concept is what is seen as happening in noir literary works and films. These negative attributes are the result of living in a God-less
society where individuals do not have moral convictions to guide them to lead honorable or pious lives. This, in turn, can lead to an existentialist perspective. Noir films of the 1940s can
be viewed as being existentialist in nature because the WWII society was in flux between traditional and modern values. As there was a technological boom due to the war effort and
people started to have their faiths questioned due to all the death and uncertainty of the period, it was reflected through noir films. The transcendental values of colonial times were
put in a precarious position with all the chaos and upheaval that ensued during and after WWII. As people’s perception of the world around them began to change as they realized
nothing is constant or stable in life, it led to this sentiment being portrayed in noir films. People could change the world according to their own whims and needs without the
interference of God. People began to have more importance than religion as their value system and meaning to live became challenged.
By considering noir as being a response to a God-less society, it aids in showing how the common elements of noir novels and film productions like nihilism, pessimism,
alienation, lack of morality, confusion, harshness, bleakness, and other typical noir characteristics can be related to an existential perspective like that espoused by Nietzsche.
When Nietzsche talks about the death of God, it does not only entail religion or morality but also an upheaval in the order of things, meaning in living, and meaning in the outside world.
Traditional American values hold the American spirit, God, and advancements in high regard. Noir actually shuts down all these beliefs through an existential perspective to convey
fear, distrust, and anxiety in a changing world where traditional values may not hold as much stock or significance as they used to have like in the face of modernization, changing gender
roles, wartime adjustments, Communism, the atomic age, the nuclear age, terrorism, etc.. When societal incidents arise and put people’s traditional values into question, it can give rise
to an existential mindset, like that found in noir films of the mid-20
th
century. Nihilism is related to a loss of value and meaning in one’s life. When Nietzsche made
his famous statement that “God is Dead”, he was referring to the notion that Christianity as a guiding force or foundation was gone and there was nothing to substitute it. After people
started to lose faith in their religious convictions because of all the scientific advancements, they believed that man could overcome nature and circumstances alone without the help of a
higher power or an otherworldly being. As people lost their spiritual values and moral code, all that was left was nihilism. This perspective is also present in the WWII era, as depicted
through noir films, as the characters cannot find true meaning in their lives. The characters seem to be lost in a labyrinth with no way to find a hidden door to escape.
Nihilism occurs when a society’s previously highly held values lose their significance. In Nietzsche’s analysis of nihilism, he is not claiming that all values no longer hold
significance but that a modern way of thinking related to science and technology has planted the seeds for a nihilistic thinking pattern. In the preface to The Will to Power, Nietzsche
conveys, “What I relate here is the history of the next two centuries. I describe what is coming, what can no longer come differently: the advent of nihilism. This future speaks even
now in a hundred signs, this destiny announces itself everywhere.”
112
Nietzsche is basically prophesying what the state of the world will be like as science and technology gain a stronger
foothold in society. The next century after this was written, then, his conception of nihilism is a prominent mood of noir films, which confirms that Nietzsche’s belief that modernity can
lead to nihilism is true. Nietzsche claims that the highest values of Western society are based on and refer to a Christian morality viewpoint of living. All fields of study like politics,
economics, science, art, history, and philosophy have referred to a metaphysical perspective worldview that has God in control of everything. Therefore, Nietzsche’s “God is Dead”
expression revolves around the loss of all higher values. So not only is belief in the existence of God for Christianity in jeopardy but also for all other metaphysical explanations of life.
Nietzsche believes modern society’s search for truth undermines its faith in God. For example, when it was previously found that man and the Earth are not at the center of the
universe, it raised doubts in various people’s minds about the significance of God. Next, when Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory gained wide acceptance it questioned the need
for God as a creator of all things. As a result, when a scientific worldview is given prominence, it threatens a religious worldview in a modern society.
In the 19
th
century, most Europeans still believed in God, but even those scholars and artists who claimed to be atheists still followed Christian moral values in how they conducted
their daily lives. Nietzsche believed that not only a belief in God should cease to exist but also all Christian values. Therefore, the death of God is related to the death of all
metaphysical beliefs, proof that metaphysical beliefs cannot be supported, and argument that
112
Nietzsche, Friedrich, The Will to Power, from The Portable Nietzsche. New York: Penguin Books, 1982, p.2.
there is no other world heaven, Plato’s metaphysical conception, etc.. When all of these factors are in sync, then the values of society will hold no more worth like morality. This
transformation is what is often seen in a noir world as the protagonist characters are often amoral do not care about right or wrong or immoral corrupt, wicked, self-indulgent.
In the Gay Science found in The Portable Nietzsche 1977, edited by Walter Kaufmann, Nietzsche makes a claim that “God is dead And we have killed him How can
we console ourselves, the murderers of all murderers The holiest and mightiest thing the world has ever possessed has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood from
us? With what water could we clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what holy games will we have to invent for ourselves?” This is an important philosophical belief of
Nietzsche that has had various interpretations over the years in its relation to Christianity. Some people have believed that it refers to breaking down the concept outside of Christianity
and then reinventing it, while others think it is related to a new Christ, like in Nietzsche’s work The Antichrist 2000. However, here I will look at it from an atheist perspective in its
relation to the characters and storyline of the film noir under examination. In The Antichrist, Nietzsche also makes various claims against Christianity. A few of
the many claims he makes opposed to the religion of Christianity are such as “You should put on gloves before taking up the New Testament. The presence of so much uncleanliness
almost forces you to.”
113
Another such idea is “The Christian idea of God, God as a God of the sick, God as Spider, God as spirit, is one of the most corrupt conceptions of God the
world has ever seen, God as declared aversion to life, to nature, to the will to life God as the formula for every slander against ‘the here and now’, for every lie about the ‘beyond’ God
113
Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Antichrist. Amherst: Prometheus Books, 2000, p.46.
as the deification of nothingness, the canonization of the will to nothingness”
114
In his Laws against Christianity in The Antichrist, he also states, “The words ‘God’, ‘savior’, ‘redeemer’,
‘saint’ should be used as terms of abuse, to signify criminals.” Another similar sentiment is, “I call Christianity the one great curse, the one great innermost corruption, the one great
instinct of revenge that does not consider any method to be poisonous, secret, subterranean, petty enough. I call it the one immortal blot on humanity.”
115
Many other such statements are made within The Antichrist regarding Christianity, God, and the institution of religion.
Nietzsche is opposed to Christianity and theology in general. He exhibits a kind of cultural and theological nihilism that is also expressed in film noir. Nietzsche devalues the
highest values of Western culture through nihilism. Nietzsche wants to show that modern thinking has produced the seeds for devaluation. He considers modern society to have a
sickness in it. In his concept of nihilism, the main points are that there is a radical repudiation of value, meaning, and desirability; the highest values devaluate themselves; and man moves
from the center towards X to overcome nihilism. His view of nihilism can be best seen as being opposed to Plato’s concept of metaphysics. Nietzsche considers heaven and Plato’s
metaphysical forms as not being something that is superior to the world we live. He says we should not condemn or devalue the world in which we live. Nietzsche believes if you put
your faith in a metaphysical world it is nihilistic because it considers the current world as being inferior to the metaphysical one; it devalues our lives compared to the otherworld. He
thinks that religion and philosophy all revolve around a metaphysical view of the world where God is the controller and creator of a structured world. Nietzsche is opposed to this, as
he thinks of the world as being in flux, ever-changing.
114
Ibid, p.18.
115
Ibid, p.62.
In relation to a true world, Nietzsche is opposed to the concept of a metaphysical construct of a ‘true world’. He considers a true world as being religious nihilism. He does
not see a cosmic order, a network of rules and laws, or an underlying reality. Nietzsche rejects the interrelation of science, philosophy, and morality. Instead, he believes that an
untruth is what really allows us to live. He thinks that everything created in the world is by human creation. The world is chaotic and dynamic, not static and without a kind of
permanent order. Nietzsche also does not believe that humanity progresses towards some kind of a goal. This is against the idea of Marx or others during the Enlightenment period.
In The Will to Power, Nietzsche states “becoming aims at nothing and achieves nothing”.
116
He does not believe that humankind progresses from one century to the next or builds upon something. He thinks people have lost their faith in the true world. This
loss of faith is connected with the “death of God”. When the true world is abolished, then all the values with it are also abolished. This results in a state of weakness and despair.
Only total nihilism can result in purging decadence and restore strength and vitality to a Western culture. This stage of nihilism between partial and total and its relation with the
“death of God” can be seen in the characters of film noir.
116
Nietzsche, Friedrich, The Will to Power, from The Portable Nietzsche. New York: Penguin Books, 1982, p.12.
105
CHAPTER III AMERICAN FILM NOIR AS AN EXTENSION OF EXISTENTIALISM
