A Reflection on Jean Paul Sartre's Nausea

Jean Paul Sartre – Nausea Reflection Most tend not to question, confront, or analyze the meaning of their own existence; rather they shy away from it. Within the writing of Jean Paul Sarte – Nausea the protagonist, Antoine Roquentin declares “I exist” and feels the freedom to do so. However with that stance he must also take responsibility to declare his freedom. He comes to this conclusion by his occupation as a historian to research the late Marquis Rollebon, a political French aristocrat who became an image Roquentin used to justify his existence. Roquentin had been using Marquis to hide from his own existence. Upon abandoning his historical research, Roquentin transparently looks at the change of objects. He cannot see the essence within, only objects making up a whole devoid of meaning. Physicality grows on him in a way that it hides the truth of an objects existence. His “nausea” roots in his perception and how his imagination interprets the external world. Roquentin confronts the bare existence of things by looking through their essence. It stems from the moments when he realizes he is creating an essence of an object and tries to see through its existence. Color is just an idea which blinds the truth of its meaning. Objects and people become a mask to the nothingness they exist in. Perhaps living alone has prevented connection to the external world. R’s disgust of objects, his reflection, his past are all linked with the present so how does he not believe there is meaning between them? The solitude seems to spark the belief that only he exists. His consciousness becomes transparent and soon he realizes that consciousness is aware of existence but existence is nothingness. As any other, human beings should feel confident to exist. Live a life of action and embrace the responsibility to act. Use the power of your decisions. Survive nausea as Roquentin did by acting responsibly and writing a novel to cure the ambiguity of his existence.