
Zid
"The Wall" is a collection of five existentialist short stories by Jean-Paul Sartre, first published in 1939, which address the absurdity of human existence, freedom, fear, death, and moral choice.
Sartre uses everyday situations and borderline circumstances to explore how man confronts his own freedom, responsibility, and meaninglessness.
The title story, "The Wall," follows three prisoners during the Spanish Civil War awaiting execution. Through psychological tension and the introspective thoughts of the narrator Pablo, Sartre explores how the realization of his inevitable death changes his perspective on life. In a moment of absolute helplessness, Pablo commits an ironic, absurd act that leads to an unexpected twist—showing freedom as the last inner power of man, even in the face of death.
In other stories, such as "Eróstratus" or "Intimacy," Sartre depicts characters struggling with alienation, the body, sexuality, and identity. The common thread in all the stories is the Sartrean view of existence—man is left to himself, without divine help, condemned to freedom and his own choices.
Sartre writes coldly, analytically, and mercilessly. "The Wall" is not just a literary work, but a philosophical illustration of his ideas from Being and Nothingness. The characters in the stories experience moments of crisis that confront them with their own authenticity or cowardice.
"The Wall" remains a seminal work of French existentialism and a powerful portrayal of man's inner struggle for meaning in a world without security.
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