No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre

The hell of the gaze or the mask of lost authenticity “Hell is other people.” This mythical metaphor by Jean-Paul Sartre has transcended the philosophical realm to enrich everyday language. Taken from No Exit (1944), a resounding play by the existentialist philosopher, it transcends the apparent banality of our interactions to reveal a disturbing truth: the gaze of others squarely shapes our inner freedom and can condition our entire relationship with ourselves. “Hell is other people” is a play that, at first glance, is imbued with pessimism. It suggests that human relationships are an inevitable source of suffering. It also implies a dense reflection on identity and freedom in the face of the gaze of others. Far from condemning human relationships, Sartre explores the tensions between what we show (the persona), what we hide (the shadow), and what we aspire to become (the self). Thus, from ancient philosophers to contemporary writers, and through the analysis of current political upheavals in the world, the mask remains a powerful metaphor for our inner struggle. Masks and psychological confinement mechanisms have always haunted human thought, revealing a universal and timeless problem. The Persona Through the Ages The mask is a universal metaphor that spans eras, cultures, and generations, symbolizing the need for adaptation in the face of social expectations. This idea, explored by Plato in The Allegory of the Cave, illustrates the illusion of perceptions and intellectual imprisonment. Closer to home, in Haiti, Frankétienne, this creative genius, this exceptionally gifted artist, engaged in the same exploration led by the Greek philosopher. In Dezafi, a monumental novel of Creole literature, Frankétienne describes a society enslaved by an oppressive system. In the spiral of his metaphorical writing, the author draws us into an oppressive universe representing psychological confinement through the image of zombies. Zombies, as revenants, are victims of voodoo spells. The enchanted spirit, the irresistible, malevolent force breaks the person. “The Ego will no longer be master in its own house,” to parody Sigmund Freud. In No Exit, a symbolic play of existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre deepens this theme by showing how the gaze of others becomes an inner prison, preventing any authentic freedom. Already, in my novel “La Transe des Masques” (published by Éditions C 3, in 2024), unlike Jean Paul Sartre whom I had not yet fully explored in my research, I then proposed a slightly more liberating vision. For me, social masks, far from being mere prisons, can also and above all become tools of liberation insofar as the individual becomes aware of their existence. The mask becomes an alibi, a pretext, or even a means to achieve true inner authenticity. The metaphor of this object in our culture refers to the transformation of our natural appearance. In this sense, this operation by which one transforms oneself cannot be a dead-end confinement, where the gaze of others condemns to alienation and prevents all inner freedom. Thus, from ancient philosophers to contemporary writers, and through the analysis of current political upheavals in the world, the mask remains a powerful metaphor for our inner struggle, oscillating between social adaptation and the quest for personal freedom. The Illusion of the Social Mask For Sartre, man is free through his actions, but this freedom constantly clashes with the evaluation of others. To conform to social expectations, everyone wears a persona, a mask shaped by the norms and roles that society imposes on us. In No Exit, three (3) characters are confined in a room, a hell without flames, where the torture is absolutely psychological. Each becomes both victim and tormentor, trapped in turn by the intrusive gaze of the other. Their true identity only fades behind imposed roles. If we take Estelle Rigault, for example, she perfectly embodies the superficiality of the social mask: a refined socialite. Estelle is constantly hidden behind a facade of perfection, desperately seeking the approval of others while refusing to confront her past faults. However, beyond this visible social mask lies a deeper dimension: the shadow. The Shadow: What We Refuse to Be Beyond the visible mask lies the shadow: that repressed part of our being where our fears, desires, and deep frustrations reside. To ignore this shadow is to risk projecting one's own flaws onto others, thereby exacerbating social tensions. “You are nothing but your life,” says Inès Serrano. This line reveals the role of Inès Serrano, lucid and merciless, who becomes the mirror of others' repressed truths. A former postal worker, an avowed manipulator, she embodies the shadow of each, relentlessly revealing what others prefer to ignore. She forces her companions to confront their deepest contradictions. But this brutal confrontation with the shadow only makes sense if it leads to a more intimate quest: that of authenticity. The Quest for the Authentic Self For Sartre, true freedom lies in the acceptance of all facets of our being. It is a delicate balance between our desire to be recognized and the need to remain true to oneself. “I am what I want to be. I am what I have decided to be,” asserts Joseph Garcin. The character of Garcin, a former journalist consumed by doubt, desperately tries to convince himself of his own courage. He embodies the conflict between the persona (the image of the hero he wants to project) and his shadow (the fear of being seen as a coward). This inner struggle perfectly illustrates the difficulty of achieving an authentic self. A Contemporary Resonance: Digital Masks This struggle, which already seemed insoluble in Sartre's closed universe, takes on a new dimension in the era of social networks, where the gaze of others reaches its peak. Each publication becomes an act of staging, a digital mask carefully crafted to garner likes and comments. This digital theater (in quotes) exacerbates the fracture between the authentic self and the projected persona. Staging, a common currency of our daily lives, contributes to further distancing the individual from their true essence. Freeing Oneself from the Gaze of Others “Hell is other people” is not a condemnation of human relationships, but rather a call to awareness of the influence of the external gaze on our identity. Freeing oneself from this burden does not mean rejecting others, but finding a balance between personal affirmation and social recognition. It is essential to remember that No Exit is an existentialist play in one (1) single act, where three (3) characters, Garcin, Estelle, and Inès, can be interpreted as representations of the persona, the shadow, and the self. In this closed hell, the absence of physical and psychological escape serves as a dramatic device to explore inner damnation, dependence on the gaze of others, and the impossibility of authenticity. In light of these reflections, it appears that Sartre's work, though rooted in its time, continues to fuel a debate that remains relevant today. Ultimately, can one ever truly free oneself from the gaze of others, or must one simply learn to live with it, without losing oneself…? Ultimately, enduring the gaze of others, escaping the toxicity of this gaze which conveys the expression of a consciousness that would want to freeze us in an image, requires inner strength to flourish in the direction we ourselves give to our lives. Marnatha I. Ternier