Thirdly the fact that there is no switches to turn the light off and that they live “without eyelids” locks them into not being able to escape from their past through their dreams or as such. This means that they have to participate in the seeing everything to do with them that goes on earth and in hell. Thereby the characters will torture themselves by seeing the present on each other on earth and uncovering of their true selves in hell will lead to them being tortured due to this. This is conveyed through Garcin who presents himself as someone who p194 “ran a pacifist newspaper”. He constructs a respectable and courageous image of himself, an image which he wants others to believe in. When he is uncovered that he is “a coward” by his friends back on earth, p217 “A thousand of men are proclaiming that I’m a coward; but what do numbers matter?” He tries to disown this unacceptable aspect of himself by falsifying it.
Justin Barauskas
P216 Garcin: There they are, slumped in their chairs, sucking at their cigars. Bored they look. Half-asleep. They’re thinking: “Garcin’s a coward.” But only vaguely, dreamily. In six months time they’ll be saying: “Cowardly as that skunk Garcin.”
Garcin searches for self-affirmation through the others, tries to remake his past in bad faith by claiming that his intentions should no be measure by what he has done. He is tortured by self doubt and he wants Inez and Estelle to enlighten him to what he wants to believe. This is shown when he tries to say that he ran away from war due to his good intensions of pacifism rather than being a coward.
P214 Estelle: Where were you trying to go?
Garcin: To Mexico. I meant to launch a pacifist newspaper down there.
The main point of how this existentialist problem is displayed throughout the play is I believe through the reaction of others. It is through the reaction of others that they learn that Garcin has “no face left” and especially that Estelle is attractive, through Inez.
P198 Estelle: Are you sure it looks alright?
Inez: You’re lovely, Estelle.
P199 Estelle: Are you really attracted by me
Inez: Very much indeed.
It is through the reaction of others that you learn that you are pretty, ugly, nice or horrible. It is through the objectifying “look” of the other that you gain illusion of your real identity and your facticity of your body.
Moreover, through the reaction of others I believe this leads to a deeper problem, accepting other peoples’ judgement. By accepting other peoples judgement through their reactions or comments this lets the person have power over you. And in the play of “Huis Clos” this can be seen on a big scale. The main point of how they are tortured is through each other judgement because the three characters all accept others’ judgement and this lets them have power over each other. This problem is strongly displayed through the fact that there are no mirrors or any kind of “glass” in hell. This lets “the human dignity” arise out of the characters and gives Inez power over Estelle as she acts as her “lark-mirror”.
P198 Inez: Hullo, what’s that – that nasty read spot at the bottom of your cheek? A pimple?
Estelle: A pimple? Oh how simply foul! Where?
Justin Barauskas
Inez: There. . . you know the way they catch larks – with lark-mirror? I’m your lark mirror my dear and you can’t escape me…There isn’t a pimple there isn’t trace of one. Suppose the mirror started telling lies
As her alive mirror Inez has the power to give Estelle any appearance she likes. Estelle can never be sure because there are no mirrors. Inez tries to aim to have complete control over Estelle as she is attracted to her. The existentialist view on this would be that you should reject all external authority and therefore if that was the case there would be no torture between the characters.
In a nutshell, Sartre in “Huis Clos” tries to mostly explore on the existential view of rejecting all external authority, the cause of a build up to this problem and the way of solving it by the characters. This is the cause of reaction to others and self-affirmation. As this problem is solved it is realised that the real torture is other people and that concept of it is hell. Sartre tries to demonstrate through his dramatic personae Garcin, Inez and Estelle the search for their self identity and their inescapable freedom of choice. Saying that Garcin, Estelle and Inez are not a coward, lesbian or nymphomaniac the same way as they are a female, male, blond or brunette. They are afraid of change due to their freedom of choice and the are afraid because the position where they are at present before change is firm.
