A Critical Essay on

Albert Camus’ "The Myth of Sisyphus"

By Amy L. Chaves

Jan.20, 2001

The Context:

          The collection of stories published as The Myth of Sisyphus in 1942 was the second of The Absurds. The work has been cited by critics as refined and carefully crafted. The collection stands as more literature than philosophy. Camus spent at least five years writing and editing the work. The polish is clear with the first sentence:

"There is only one really serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide."

According to Camus, suicide was a sign that one lacked the strength to face "nothing." Life is an adventure without final meaning, but still worth experiencing. Since there is nothing else, life should be lived to its fullest and derive meaning from human existence. For Camus, people were what gave life meaning. However, in the moments following the realization that one will, one's descendants will die... in fact, earth will die, one senses a deep anxiety. And, as an atheist, Camus doubted meaning beyond this life.

"A world which can be explained, even through bad reasoning, is a familiar one. On the other hand, in a world suddenly devoid of illusion and light, man feels like a stranger."

Isolated from any logic, without an easy explanation for why one exists, there is what some call "existential angst." While Camus did not use the phrase, it adequately describes the sensation. Even existentialists of faith struggle with creation, wondering why humanity exists when a Creator would not need mankind. Merely wanting to create something seems like a curious reason to create life. So, even for those of faith, the initial creation is puzzling.

How does one exist without any given purpose or meaning? How does one develop meaning? The Myth of Sisyphus addresses this directly in the retelling of the famous tale. Considering the plight of Sisyphus, condemned to roll a stone up a mountain knowing the stone will roll down yet again, it is easy to declare his existence absurd and without hope. It would be easy to believe Sisyphus might prefer death... but in Camus' myth, he does not.

"Living the absurd… means a total lack of hope (which is not the same as despair), a permanent reflection (which is not the same as renunciation), and a conscious dissatisfaction (which is not the same as juvenile anxiety)."

For Camus, Sisyphus is the ultimate absurd hero. He was sentenced for the crime of loving life too much; he defied the gods and fought death. The gods thought they found a perfect form of torture for Sisyphus. He would constantly hope for success, that the stone would remain at the top of the mountain. This, the gods thought, would forever frustrate him.

Yet, defying the gods again, Sisyphus is without hope. He abandons any illusion that he might succeed at the assigned task. Once he does this, Camus considers him a hero. Sisyphus begins to view his ability to do the task again and again -- to endure the punishment -- a form of victory.

"The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. We have to imagine Sisyphus happy."

The Critique:

          I have often wondered if Camus might have been the most honest of all the Existentialist philosophers with his pronouncements that “Life is absurd.”  On the one hand, it is true that most of the events in our life seem to defy any logical explanation: earthquakes that come without warning, which cost untold loss of lives and properties, not to mention suffering; warring nations killing more innocents than the enemies; the death of a loved one who, only yesterday, was brimming with life and excitement over dreams of the future; the collapse of a marital relationship which started with too much love and tenderness between the couple; and the scenario that each of us will grow old and eventually die. Nothing lasts.  Everything is temporary.  How can there be meaning in life and in the world?

        If one is happy now, there is no reason to gloat over this.  The happiness of today is the sadness of tomorrow.  The success of today is the failure tomorrow.  There is no certainty in life.  We could be here today, gone tomorrow. 

Suicide is not the answer according to Camus.  It is cowardice.  It is a form of weakness in not being able to face the reality that there is really “nothing,” this absurdity that characterizes human existence.  The best way to confront absurdity is to face it, embrace it, and live it.  

But is life really absurd, as Camus wants us to think of it?

I don't  think so.  On the one hand, life is bursting with meaning.  One must however train one's mind, one's heart, one's attitude, and one's spirit to perceive it.  Meaning, and not only absurdity, is all around us.  It is found in the splendor of nature--the trees, the mountains, the lakes, and the waterfalls, to name a few.  All of nature speaks to us in its own song.  Meaning is also seen in the birth of a child--the miracle of its tiny fingers, its first smile, and its first words.  It is observed in the love of a man and a woman, in the intensity of their passion, in the glow of their faces as they face tomorrow, and in their ability for believing and acting in the promise of "forever".

I am not denying that a lot about human existence is abundant in pain, suffering, misery and angst.  But it is precisely because of all of these that man is pressed for meaning.  According to Victor Frankl, if one has a "why" to live for, he could live with almost any "how".  It is therefore necessary to look for meaning and to live with meaning.  One cannot just be a passive existent, curled in a crustacean-like existence, like Godot waiting for God.  One has to invent meaning when there is none, when everything seems to be ominous.  The stars are brightest when it is darkest.  And so it is with the human situation.  When pain and suffering enclose us, it is the best time to look even just for a tiny fragment of meaning.  To be able to do this is analogous to lighting one candle in the dark.  

Camus argues that one, like the tragic hero Sisyphus, has to endure the punishment of the gods which is to exist in an absurd world.  I argue on the other hand that the world can only be absurd if we want it to be.  What determines meaning or the lack of it, is how we look at the reality in question.  It is always easier to surrender to fate, easier to blame others of our plight and pain, easier to wallow in palpable pain.  I argue that self-pity is the anti-thesis of meaning.  Pity yourself and you will feel very small.  Pity yourself more and your self-worth is put to question.  Eventually self-pity diminishes what is beautiful, dignified and noble in a person.  What is left after self-pity?  Nothing except a heap of diminutive garbage which was once a person.

Does life have meaning?  The answer to this question does not depend on circumstance or in one's position in life.  A rich man maybe so despondent that he may be driven to insanity or suicide.  Yet a poor man maybe so happy that his laughter may reverberate in the walls of his house long after he is gone.  The answer to the quest of meaning lies in one's attitude.

There's an anecdote about two prisoners: one an optimist, the other a pessimist.  Both have been occupying a tiny prison cell with one small window.  One day, the pessimist went to the only window in their cell, looked down and complained about how dirty and ugly their prison surrounding is.  The optimist went to the same window, looked up and remarked cheerfully how lovely the tress look as they shimmer in the sunlight, accentuated by the  blueness of the sky.  The next day, the two of them went for a walk in the prison grounds.  They chanced upon some exquisite roses in a corner.  The pessimist grumbled about how pitiful the roses are with their thorns.  The optimist happily pointed out that roses won't be roses unless they have thorns.

The search for meaning in human existence does not begin outside and ends inside of man.  It starts inside and ends outside.  Meaning cannot be forced upon nor simply imagined.  It is not dependent on the availability of external resources.  It must be allowed to grow within the person, nourished with positive, self-redeeming attitudes.  It must wrap his whole being such that he thinks, feels, and acts with meaning.  The outside world can only glitter once the inner world of the person sparkles with the belief that "all is well" in his world.

Meaning is thus an attitude, a state of mind.  It is contingent with  one's mindset.  It is our thoughts that ultimately determine whether life is worth living for or not.