Analysis of The Portrayal of The Protagonist in Jean-Paul Sartre's Nausea and Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'Notes From Underground' Through Existentialism.
ABSTRACT
Skripsi ini berisi analisis terhadap dua buah novel, yaitu Notes from
Underground karya Fyodor Dostoevsky dari Rusia dan Nausea karangan penulis
berkebangsaan Perancis, Jean-Paul Sartre. Analisis yang dilakukan berfokus pada
penggambaran sifat-sifat dari tokoh utama kedua novel tersebut dengan menggunakan
teori eksistensialisme.
Kedua tokoh utama dari dua novel tersebut sama-sama mempertanyakan dan
mempermasalahkan alasan dan arti dari keberadaan segala hal di dunia, terutama
hidup mereka sendiri. Mereka sama-sama berpendapat bahwa kehidupan tidak
ditentukan oleh norma dan hukum yang berlaku di masyarakat, melainkan didapat
sendiri oleh masing-masing individu secara pribadi.
Di akhir cerita, kedua tokoh ini akhirnya mampu mendapatkan jawaban dari
pertanyaan diri mereka sendiri sehubungan dengan eksistensi mereka, walaupun
dengan cara yang berbeda. Satu karakter memutuskan untuk berkarya sebagai seorang
penulis agar keberadaannya berarti, sementara yang lain memilih untuk tidak
melakukan apa-apa terhadap hidupnya. Perbedaan ini semakin menguatkan teori
eksistensialisme yang memang mengedepankan individualitas dalam keberadaan
seorang manusia.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... ........... i
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... ........... ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ..................................................................... ...........
Statement of the Problem .................................................................... ...........
Purpose of the Study ............................................................................ ...........
Method of Research ............................................................................ ...........
Organization of the Thesis ................................................................... ...........
1
3
4
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAYAL OF THE
PROTAGONIST IN DOSTOEVSKY'S NOTES FROM
UNDERGROUND .............................................................................. ........... 5
CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAYALOF THE
PROTAGONIST IN SARTRE'S NAUSEA ..................................... .......... 16
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ........................................................... .......... 30
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... .......... 34
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Notes from Underground ................................................. .......... 36
Synopsis of Nausea .............................................................................. .......... 37
Biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky ....................................................... .......... 38
Biography of Jean-Paul Sartre ............................................................. .......... 39
i
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Existentialism is a branch of philosophy that has a broad term. There are
several scholars who have devised their own theory regarding it. Generally,
existentialism believes that human being should make their own meaning in life.
Existentialism tries to express the very act of existing, namely how an individual
perceives the society he lives in and how freedom, decision and responsibility
affect the outcome of an individual's thoughts about his life. An individual must
then first exist before he can label himself as a being or, in other words, define
himself (Macquarrie 3). One of the scholars who have devised a theory of
existentialism is Jean-Paul Sartre; he believes that existence precedes essence.
Sartre's theory that existence precedes essence is essentially a concept
proposing that a human being has no inherent identity or value that he can identify
with and that he is responsible to search for and give himself an identity. A
personality is built not by a previously designed model or a precise purpose. It is
1
Maranatha Christian University
human beings that surge up the world and then defines himself afterwards because
he will be what he makes of himself (Macquarrie 3).
Besides his theory that existence precedes essence, Sartre has also devised
a theory regarding the freedom of human being, which he calls bad faith. It is the
habit that people have of deceiving themselves into thinking that they do not have
the freedom to make choices for fear of the potential consequences of making
choices (Burton). The bad faith then further reinforces the previous theory that
men are to give their own meaning, or essence, to their existence.
There are several writers that have created works of literature dealing with
existentialism. Two of them are Fyodor Dostoevsky and Jean-Paul Sartre himself.
Dostoevsky is not contemporaneous with Sartre. Dostoevsky was a Russian who
lived in the 1800s whilst Sartre was a French man who was born in early 1900s.
They are almost a hundred years apart, but they are linked by the same concept.
Dostoevsky has been regarded as the first writer to propose a significant
existentialist theme in his novel, Notes from Underground, even far before
Existentialism is widely accepted as a branch of philosophy in public. Whereas
Sartre is the one who explicitly forms a theory regarding existentialism, which he
has inserted in his novel (Radke). Both of them have contributed to the world of
literature, through the form of novels that include existentialism as the main
theme.
I am interested in analysing two novels using Sartre's theory of
existentialism. One is written by Sartre, entitled Nausea and the other is by
Dostoevsky, entitled Notes from Underground. Both of them have similar
protagonists who are confused with the reason for their existence. The act of
2
Maranatha Christian University
confusion upon the choices and the consequences that one needs to bear after one
has made one's choice are all found in both novels.
Existentialism focuses largely on how an individual acts in freedom. It is
also concerned with how an individual’s choices affect him at the time of his life.
That is why I have chosen to analyse the portrayal of each of the protagonists of
the two novels. Wiehardt states that a protagonist is “the main charcter of a story,
novel, drama and other literary works, that the reader or audience empathizes
with” (Wiehardt). Some protagonists also exhibit some flaws, which indicate that
the protagonists are round characters (Wiehardt). Based on the definition provided
by Wiehardt, I am of the opinion that the portrayal of a character can yield much
more direct proofs and understanding towards the character's existence since the
portrayal of a character generally involves many characteristics, especially
because the character analysed is usually a round character.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
There are three main problems that I will attempt to answer through my
analysis. They are as follows:
1. How are the protagonists portrayed in the novels?
2. How are the portrayals of protagonists connected to existentialism?
3. What are the purposes of the authors in portraying the protagonists?
3
Maranatha Christian University
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purposes of the analysis are as follows:
1. to show how the protagonists are portrayed in the novel.
2. to show how the portrayals connect with existentialism.
3. to show the purposes of the authors in portraying the protagonists.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
In this thesis, I will use Existentialism to analyse Fyodor Dostoevsky's
Notes from Underground and Jean-Paul Sartre's Nausea. First, I read Dostoevsky's
Notes from Underground and Sartre's Nausea. Second, I analysed the portrayal of
the protagonists of each of the two novels, using Sartre's theory of existentialism.
Finally, I draw the conclusion based on the analysis of the two novels.
ORGANIZATION OF THESIS
I will present my thesis in four chapters, preceded by Acknowledgements,
Table of Contents, and Abstract. Chapter One is Introduction, which consists of
Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study, Method
of Research and Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two contains the analysis of
Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground. Chapter Three is the analysis of Sartre's
Nausea. Chapter Four is Conclusion, followed by Bibliography and Appendices.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
Based on the analyses of Notes from Underground and Nausea in the
previous chapters, I will now provide a number of conclusions. As I have stated
from the beginning, the purpose of the analysis is to show how the authors portray
a protagonist whose characteristics connect with existentialism. The protagonists
are characters that searches for the meaning of their existence.
In Notes from Underground, we follow the story that appears as the
Underground Man rambles about his inertia, the society he lives in and his
relationships with the people around him. He starts with the explanation of his
outlook on life, which causes him to stay inert. In the next section of the novel, we
begin to see his erratic behavior and how he constantly changes from one state of
mind to another, which causes him to develop a fickle characteristic. In the last
part we see how after several failed attempts at maintaining and establishing good
30
Maranatha Christian University
relationships with the people he meets, the Underground Man finally decides to go
back to his earlier state of staying in his room. The novel ends with the remark
from the Underground Man that human beings are beginning to feel more and
more content with the condition of the people at that time and have begun to lose
their independent will. He returns to his dark corner of his room, which he calls
‘the Underground’, showing himself to be a static character. The Underground
Man is fully aware that human beings are to stay independent and that they must
act according to their own volition. However, because the Underground Man is so
conscious about his reason for living, he cannot settle on one decision about his
life. This traps him in an endless search for primary reason to act, making him
inert. His fickle characteristic also reinforces his inertia.
In Nausea, we follow Roquentin’s search for the true meaning behind the
existence of himself and of the objects around him. Every time Roquentin
encounters existence that he cannot comprehend, he is stricken by a feeling of
disgust and nausea. The nausea will then push him further into anxiety, as he
searches for the meaning behind existence. He eventually loses hope of continuing
his life when he finds no more reason to continue the book he is writing.
Roquentin will eventually comes into terms with the fact that existence has no
meaning from the start and that it is Roquentin himself that needs to put meaning
in his own existence. This leads him to find purpose and hope to continue his life,
stating that he will begin to write a book that future generations will remember
him for. It shows how Roquentin is depicted as a dynamic character as he
undergoes a change from losing hope to finding a new one.
31
Maranatha Christian University
It is also apparent that the two novels share some similarities. First, both
novels uphold the existential theme where the protagonists are concerned with the
meaning of their existence. Fyodor Dostoevsky is almost a century apart from
Jean-Paul Sartre, but he has already established an existentialism theme in Notes
from Underground. Existentialism has not yet been officially recognized by the
public, yet both novels contain similar existential theme.
The second similarity is that the two novels also features protagonists who
are both at odds with the society they live in. The Underground Man in Notes
from Underground disagrees and even despises the people of his time, who seems
to live in conformity with the norms and systems within the social sphere of
Russia at that time. The Underground Man thinks that human beings should live
according to their own volition. Roquentin, the protagonist in Nausea, feels
confused as to how the people in the town he resides in seem to be completely
oblivious with the existence of all the things around them.
However, the two novels also share a striking difference. The most
apparent difference comes from the fate of the protagonists. In Notes from
Underground, the Underground Man does not undergo a change as he ends up
returning to his dark corner of his room despite having a fickle characteristic. His
frequent changing of thoughts does not help him to change his outlook on life. He
finds that there is no use in fighting for an independent meaning of his existence
and remarks that men are slowly agreeing to and being more and more content
with their current condition. According to the Underground Man, men are living
their life in accordance with the laws of nature and not according to their
independent idea. The Underground Man chooses to do nothing, stays inert and
32
Maranatha Christian University
ends up being portrayed as a static character. In Nausea though, Roquentin breaks
free from his despondency and anxiety. He comes to the conclusion that existence
is inherently without meaning and that he himself needs to find his own meaning
for existence. He decides to write a novel that will be remembered by people. He
becomes a certain and spirited person in living his life. Roquentin’s change from
losing hope to finding a new one proves him to be a dynamic character. He
chooses to break free from his confusion and reaches an understanding of the real
meaning of existing.
To conclude my analysis, the two protagonists show us that existence is
inherently without any meaning and that it is up to one’s own effort, which is free
from the limitations of societal norms and systems, to create a meaning for their
existence. It is also comes down to one’s own choice to live life of action and give
meaning to one’s own life or to stay still and make no choices at all.
In my opinion, Nausea is the better novel in comparison with Notes from
Underground. The conflicts presented in Nausea is much more personal and seem
to concern only Roquentin himself and the nauseous feeling he feels. This makes
his characterisation easier to follow when compared with the Underground Man’s
seemingly rambling line of thoughts in Notes from Underground.
33
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Notes from Underground. Trans. Jessie Coulson. London:
Penguin Books Ltd, 1972. Print.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. Nausea. Trans. Robert Baldick. London: Penguin Books Ltd,
1963. Print.
References:
“Anxious”, Def. 1. Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 17
Sept. 2014.
Blunden, Andy. “Existentialism is Humanism”. Marxists. 1998. Web. 15 Oct.
2014.
Burton, Neel. “Jean-Paul Sartre on Bad Faith”. Psychology Today, Hide and Seek.
20 March 2012. Web. 9 Aug. 2014.
"Certain.", Def. 1. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. Web. 09
Dec. 2014.
“Despondent”. Wiktionary. n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
34
Maranatha Christian University
"Fickle." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Fifth
Edition. 2014. Houghton Mifflin Company. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
“Fyodor Dostoevsky”. Wikipedia. 29 November 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
“Fyodor Dostoevsky – Biography”. The European Graduate School. European
Graduate School EGS. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
"Inert." K Dictionaries. 2013. K Dictionaries Ltd and partners. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
"Jean-Paul Sartre - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web.
11 Dec. 2014.
"Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web.
11 Dec. 2014.
Macquarrie, John. Existentialism. Baltimore: Pelican Books. 1973. Print.
Radke, Nathan. “Sartre & Peanuts”. Philosophy Now. Philosophy Now. 2004.
Web. 11 Sept. 2014.
"Spirited" Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary. 2010. 2010
K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc.
Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
Wiehardt, Ginny. “Protagonist”. About.com. n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2014.
35
Maranatha Christian University
Skripsi ini berisi analisis terhadap dua buah novel, yaitu Notes from
Underground karya Fyodor Dostoevsky dari Rusia dan Nausea karangan penulis
berkebangsaan Perancis, Jean-Paul Sartre. Analisis yang dilakukan berfokus pada
penggambaran sifat-sifat dari tokoh utama kedua novel tersebut dengan menggunakan
teori eksistensialisme.
Kedua tokoh utama dari dua novel tersebut sama-sama mempertanyakan dan
mempermasalahkan alasan dan arti dari keberadaan segala hal di dunia, terutama
hidup mereka sendiri. Mereka sama-sama berpendapat bahwa kehidupan tidak
ditentukan oleh norma dan hukum yang berlaku di masyarakat, melainkan didapat
sendiri oleh masing-masing individu secara pribadi.
Di akhir cerita, kedua tokoh ini akhirnya mampu mendapatkan jawaban dari
pertanyaan diri mereka sendiri sehubungan dengan eksistensi mereka, walaupun
dengan cara yang berbeda. Satu karakter memutuskan untuk berkarya sebagai seorang
penulis agar keberadaannya berarti, sementara yang lain memilih untuk tidak
melakukan apa-apa terhadap hidupnya. Perbedaan ini semakin menguatkan teori
eksistensialisme yang memang mengedepankan individualitas dalam keberadaan
seorang manusia.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... ........... i
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................... ........... ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ..................................................................... ...........
Statement of the Problem .................................................................... ...........
Purpose of the Study ............................................................................ ...........
Method of Research ............................................................................ ...........
Organization of the Thesis ................................................................... ...........
1
3
4
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAYAL OF THE
PROTAGONIST IN DOSTOEVSKY'S NOTES FROM
UNDERGROUND .............................................................................. ........... 5
CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF THE PORTRAYALOF THE
PROTAGONIST IN SARTRE'S NAUSEA ..................................... .......... 16
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ........................................................... .......... 30
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................... .......... 34
APPENDICES
Synopsis of Notes from Underground ................................................. .......... 36
Synopsis of Nausea .............................................................................. .......... 37
Biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky ....................................................... .......... 38
Biography of Jean-Paul Sartre ............................................................. .......... 39
i
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Existentialism is a branch of philosophy that has a broad term. There are
several scholars who have devised their own theory regarding it. Generally,
existentialism believes that human being should make their own meaning in life.
Existentialism tries to express the very act of existing, namely how an individual
perceives the society he lives in and how freedom, decision and responsibility
affect the outcome of an individual's thoughts about his life. An individual must
then first exist before he can label himself as a being or, in other words, define
himself (Macquarrie 3). One of the scholars who have devised a theory of
existentialism is Jean-Paul Sartre; he believes that existence precedes essence.
Sartre's theory that existence precedes essence is essentially a concept
proposing that a human being has no inherent identity or value that he can identify
with and that he is responsible to search for and give himself an identity. A
personality is built not by a previously designed model or a precise purpose. It is
1
Maranatha Christian University
human beings that surge up the world and then defines himself afterwards because
he will be what he makes of himself (Macquarrie 3).
Besides his theory that existence precedes essence, Sartre has also devised
a theory regarding the freedom of human being, which he calls bad faith. It is the
habit that people have of deceiving themselves into thinking that they do not have
the freedom to make choices for fear of the potential consequences of making
choices (Burton). The bad faith then further reinforces the previous theory that
men are to give their own meaning, or essence, to their existence.
There are several writers that have created works of literature dealing with
existentialism. Two of them are Fyodor Dostoevsky and Jean-Paul Sartre himself.
Dostoevsky is not contemporaneous with Sartre. Dostoevsky was a Russian who
lived in the 1800s whilst Sartre was a French man who was born in early 1900s.
They are almost a hundred years apart, but they are linked by the same concept.
Dostoevsky has been regarded as the first writer to propose a significant
existentialist theme in his novel, Notes from Underground, even far before
Existentialism is widely accepted as a branch of philosophy in public. Whereas
Sartre is the one who explicitly forms a theory regarding existentialism, which he
has inserted in his novel (Radke). Both of them have contributed to the world of
literature, through the form of novels that include existentialism as the main
theme.
I am interested in analysing two novels using Sartre's theory of
existentialism. One is written by Sartre, entitled Nausea and the other is by
Dostoevsky, entitled Notes from Underground. Both of them have similar
protagonists who are confused with the reason for their existence. The act of
2
Maranatha Christian University
confusion upon the choices and the consequences that one needs to bear after one
has made one's choice are all found in both novels.
Existentialism focuses largely on how an individual acts in freedom. It is
also concerned with how an individual’s choices affect him at the time of his life.
That is why I have chosen to analyse the portrayal of each of the protagonists of
the two novels. Wiehardt states that a protagonist is “the main charcter of a story,
novel, drama and other literary works, that the reader or audience empathizes
with” (Wiehardt). Some protagonists also exhibit some flaws, which indicate that
the protagonists are round characters (Wiehardt). Based on the definition provided
by Wiehardt, I am of the opinion that the portrayal of a character can yield much
more direct proofs and understanding towards the character's existence since the
portrayal of a character generally involves many characteristics, especially
because the character analysed is usually a round character.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
There are three main problems that I will attempt to answer through my
analysis. They are as follows:
1. How are the protagonists portrayed in the novels?
2. How are the portrayals of protagonists connected to existentialism?
3. What are the purposes of the authors in portraying the protagonists?
3
Maranatha Christian University
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purposes of the analysis are as follows:
1. to show how the protagonists are portrayed in the novel.
2. to show how the portrayals connect with existentialism.
3. to show the purposes of the authors in portraying the protagonists.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
In this thesis, I will use Existentialism to analyse Fyodor Dostoevsky's
Notes from Underground and Jean-Paul Sartre's Nausea. First, I read Dostoevsky's
Notes from Underground and Sartre's Nausea. Second, I analysed the portrayal of
the protagonists of each of the two novels, using Sartre's theory of existentialism.
Finally, I draw the conclusion based on the analysis of the two novels.
ORGANIZATION OF THESIS
I will present my thesis in four chapters, preceded by Acknowledgements,
Table of Contents, and Abstract. Chapter One is Introduction, which consists of
Background of the Study, Statement of the Problem, Purpose of the Study, Method
of Research and Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two contains the analysis of
Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground. Chapter Three is the analysis of Sartre's
Nausea. Chapter Four is Conclusion, followed by Bibliography and Appendices.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
Based on the analyses of Notes from Underground and Nausea in the
previous chapters, I will now provide a number of conclusions. As I have stated
from the beginning, the purpose of the analysis is to show how the authors portray
a protagonist whose characteristics connect with existentialism. The protagonists
are characters that searches for the meaning of their existence.
In Notes from Underground, we follow the story that appears as the
Underground Man rambles about his inertia, the society he lives in and his
relationships with the people around him. He starts with the explanation of his
outlook on life, which causes him to stay inert. In the next section of the novel, we
begin to see his erratic behavior and how he constantly changes from one state of
mind to another, which causes him to develop a fickle characteristic. In the last
part we see how after several failed attempts at maintaining and establishing good
30
Maranatha Christian University
relationships with the people he meets, the Underground Man finally decides to go
back to his earlier state of staying in his room. The novel ends with the remark
from the Underground Man that human beings are beginning to feel more and
more content with the condition of the people at that time and have begun to lose
their independent will. He returns to his dark corner of his room, which he calls
‘the Underground’, showing himself to be a static character. The Underground
Man is fully aware that human beings are to stay independent and that they must
act according to their own volition. However, because the Underground Man is so
conscious about his reason for living, he cannot settle on one decision about his
life. This traps him in an endless search for primary reason to act, making him
inert. His fickle characteristic also reinforces his inertia.
In Nausea, we follow Roquentin’s search for the true meaning behind the
existence of himself and of the objects around him. Every time Roquentin
encounters existence that he cannot comprehend, he is stricken by a feeling of
disgust and nausea. The nausea will then push him further into anxiety, as he
searches for the meaning behind existence. He eventually loses hope of continuing
his life when he finds no more reason to continue the book he is writing.
Roquentin will eventually comes into terms with the fact that existence has no
meaning from the start and that it is Roquentin himself that needs to put meaning
in his own existence. This leads him to find purpose and hope to continue his life,
stating that he will begin to write a book that future generations will remember
him for. It shows how Roquentin is depicted as a dynamic character as he
undergoes a change from losing hope to finding a new one.
31
Maranatha Christian University
It is also apparent that the two novels share some similarities. First, both
novels uphold the existential theme where the protagonists are concerned with the
meaning of their existence. Fyodor Dostoevsky is almost a century apart from
Jean-Paul Sartre, but he has already established an existentialism theme in Notes
from Underground. Existentialism has not yet been officially recognized by the
public, yet both novels contain similar existential theme.
The second similarity is that the two novels also features protagonists who
are both at odds with the society they live in. The Underground Man in Notes
from Underground disagrees and even despises the people of his time, who seems
to live in conformity with the norms and systems within the social sphere of
Russia at that time. The Underground Man thinks that human beings should live
according to their own volition. Roquentin, the protagonist in Nausea, feels
confused as to how the people in the town he resides in seem to be completely
oblivious with the existence of all the things around them.
However, the two novels also share a striking difference. The most
apparent difference comes from the fate of the protagonists. In Notes from
Underground, the Underground Man does not undergo a change as he ends up
returning to his dark corner of his room despite having a fickle characteristic. His
frequent changing of thoughts does not help him to change his outlook on life. He
finds that there is no use in fighting for an independent meaning of his existence
and remarks that men are slowly agreeing to and being more and more content
with their current condition. According to the Underground Man, men are living
their life in accordance with the laws of nature and not according to their
independent idea. The Underground Man chooses to do nothing, stays inert and
32
Maranatha Christian University
ends up being portrayed as a static character. In Nausea though, Roquentin breaks
free from his despondency and anxiety. He comes to the conclusion that existence
is inherently without meaning and that he himself needs to find his own meaning
for existence. He decides to write a novel that will be remembered by people. He
becomes a certain and spirited person in living his life. Roquentin’s change from
losing hope to finding a new one proves him to be a dynamic character. He
chooses to break free from his confusion and reaches an understanding of the real
meaning of existing.
To conclude my analysis, the two protagonists show us that existence is
inherently without any meaning and that it is up to one’s own effort, which is free
from the limitations of societal norms and systems, to create a meaning for their
existence. It is also comes down to one’s own choice to live life of action and give
meaning to one’s own life or to stay still and make no choices at all.
In my opinion, Nausea is the better novel in comparison with Notes from
Underground. The conflicts presented in Nausea is much more personal and seem
to concern only Roquentin himself and the nauseous feeling he feels. This makes
his characterisation easier to follow when compared with the Underground Man’s
seemingly rambling line of thoughts in Notes from Underground.
33
Maranatha Christian University
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Notes from Underground. Trans. Jessie Coulson. London:
Penguin Books Ltd, 1972. Print.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. Nausea. Trans. Robert Baldick. London: Penguin Books Ltd,
1963. Print.
References:
“Anxious”, Def. 1. Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 17
Sept. 2014.
Blunden, Andy. “Existentialism is Humanism”. Marxists. 1998. Web. 15 Oct.
2014.
Burton, Neel. “Jean-Paul Sartre on Bad Faith”. Psychology Today, Hide and Seek.
20 March 2012. Web. 9 Aug. 2014.
"Certain.", Def. 1. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. Web. 09
Dec. 2014.
“Despondent”. Wiktionary. n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.
34
Maranatha Christian University
"Fickle." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Fifth
Edition. 2014. Houghton Mifflin Company. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
“Fyodor Dostoevsky”. Wikipedia. 29 November 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
“Fyodor Dostoevsky – Biography”. The European Graduate School. European
Graduate School EGS. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
"Inert." K Dictionaries. 2013. K Dictionaries Ltd and partners. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
"Jean-Paul Sartre - Biographical". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web.
11 Dec. 2014.
"Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web.
11 Dec. 2014.
Macquarrie, John. Existentialism. Baltimore: Pelican Books. 1973. Print.
Radke, Nathan. “Sartre & Peanuts”. Philosophy Now. Philosophy Now. 2004.
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