Is Suicide Justifiable? According to Albert Camus, suicide was considered the fundamental issue for moral philosophy. Unlike other philosophers who had written on the subject and tried to find sufficient reasons behind it to put off facing the consequences of the absurd, Camus was interested in not only accepting, but also embracing absurdity while renouncing suicide. His philosophy is profoundly evident in one of his non-fiction works, The Myth of Sisyphus, which illuminates the ethics of suicide. Through Camus’ thoughts and writings, the concept of absurdity has influenced authors around the world and has left a great impression on their writings, such as Henrik Ibsen’s play, Rosmersholm, and poses the question whether suicide is in fact justifiable. In his philosophy, known as absurdism, Camus emphasizes that "There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide." The goal of this idea is to judge whether or not life is worth living in a meaningless world. Camus defines the notion of the absurd as something that expresses an essential disharmony in our existence. He emphasizes that this is product of a clash and "confrontation between our man and his own obscurity" (Camus, 494) . In other words, Camus explains that we are free agents in this life, and that we live by a sense of meaning and purpose, and under this acceptance, we feel at home. However, everyone, at some point in their life, has experienced the feeling of absurdity, whether its during moments of uncertainty or depression. This is when we are unable to find our values and realize that there is no purpose to do anything we do. This gives associates us with a feeling of exile, a feeling that we do not belong in this world if it lacks meaning. Without values in our lives, the world is meaningless, and without meaning, people feel lost and exiled and tend to take drastic measures. Camus introduces us to the two possible human responses to a meaningless world. They are suicide, and hope. In his essays and non-fiction works, Camus tries to find an alternate option to running away from the absurd, which so many people do to relieve themselves of that hopeless, empty feeling whether it be through suicide or hope. By committing "physical suicide," as Camus refers to it, we are proving that life is not worth living since it holds no meaning, and by finding hope in a meaningless world, also known as "philosophical suicide," is we are using blind faith to deny that fact that this world lacks meaning. Camus rejects both of these responses to the predicament of absurdity. He feels that physical suicide is an act of cowardliness and an "unfruitful truth." By giving up your life, you are giving in to the absurdity; he encourages us to not succumb to the meaninglessness. Camus also feels that philosophical suicide is just as bad as the previous. He believes that by finding faith and fake purpose and in a meaningless world, you you are completely destroying reason. Camus comes to the conclusion and verdict that suicide is not an option. He feels that suicide is a repudiation, and that it is necessary to die unreconciled and not of one's own free will, and that by dying, we are doing nothing but eluding the problem (Camus, 494). He believes that rather than surrendering to the absurd, we should learn to live with it, embrace it, and accept it fully. With suicide being it's central theme, The Myth of Sisyphus manifests this courageous response of living in union with absurdity. This fictional story is about Sisyphus, a figure of Greek mythology, who defied the gods and was condemned to a life of meaninglessness by having to repeat forever the task of pushing a boulder up a mountain. The catch is that every time he rolls the boulder to the top, it rolls back down again. In this myth, Camus presents Sisyphus as the absurd hero, he is a metaphor for all those lives spent working at long, hard, pointless jobs in factories and offices. Camus makes a point that this story is not tragic because Sisyphus has to do the same meaningless task over again, but because he is conscious of it. This is where the torture lies. Camus explains that like Sisyphus, "The workman of today works everyday in his life at the same tasks, and his fate is no less absurd. But it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes conscious" (Camus). Camus makes it a point to express his admiration of the hero's hour of consciousness. For it is at this point during his task that he becomes superior to his fate. It is when absurd man stops to contemplate his life and realizes that he has created his fate, that he become "the master of his days" (Camus, 494). When Sisyphus, or the absurd man realizes what his life has come to and the control he has over it and has realized the meaninglessness of it, he has successfully accepted absurdity and has learned to embrace it. By acknowledging the absurd, you have conquered it. For when you have done this, you have found dignity and you can live life fully, with a sense of mission. For instance, every time Sisyphus has to climb down the mountain to push the boulder back up again, he can drive himself to push it harder and faster next time, or do

it with a smile on his face. The same thing holds true for the absurd workers; every day they wake up they can go to work with a new goal, such as cutting more wood or meeting a certain quota, and they can push themselves to work even harder the next day or go into work with a great attitude. By waking up each day to face work or hardships, knowing you can't win, and doing it with determination and drive, you are facing absurdity with the traits of a true hero. Ultimately, the moral of the myth is that suicide is unjustifiable. Camus feels the only way to conquer absurdity is to continue living, with an awareness that your life is meaningless, and with a sense of drive and motivation. For it is the knowledge we have of our control over our own fate that gives us the encouragement to continue to do things. This is how we can acknowledge that life is meaningless without committing suicide, and this is how we can have values in a meaningless world. Henrik Ibsen's play, Rosmersholm, is a more modern piece of literature that is based around the act of suicide. Although three of the main characters in this play take their own lives, Camus would not justify this action or the reasons behind it. The premise of this play is built around Beate, Rosmer, and Rebekka and their secrets, lies, and hardships. These characters, are absurd characters. For example, Beate, the wife of Rosmer, was convinced by Rebekka that her husband impregnated her. This extreme circumstance left Beata in a state of crucial depression, and in a cry of desperation, she committed suicide. Rebekka, another absurd character, is faced with absurdity through leading Beata to her death, through her lies to Rosmer, and through hardships aroused by her father. A build up of all this tension left Rebekka in need of relieving herself of and negating her previous wrong doings through an act of suicide. At the end of the play, during the final scene between Rosmer and Rebekka, it is clear that her motives behind the suicide consists of making amends for her earlier sins. She asks her Rosmer, "Do you know anything that might free me in your eyes?" and later that "Whatever wrongs I have committed - it is proper that I atone for them" (Ibsen, 308). After reading this, it is quite evident that the reason for her suicide was self-punishment. Rosmer, on the other hand, has problems that branch farther than the death of his wife and the lies of Rebekka. For instance, he is never able to express his full feelings to the women he loves, and he is hesitant and lacks confidence in himself when it comes to politics. In the end, Rosmer decides to commit suicide on the idea that he will be able to escape all the pressure society has put on him, and finally be able to express his love for Rebekka by becoming one with her during their death; he says, "We follow each other, Rebecca. I, you---and you, me" (Ibsen, 310). According to his philosophy, I feel that Camus would reject every reason behind suicide that each of these characters use. All of them act in a cowardly manner and let depression, guilt, and pressure get the best of them. Rather than succumbing to the power of absurdity, they should have faced it courageously like Sisyphus had. Beate should have either found out the truth from her husband or moved on. Rebekka should have come to terms with all of her sins and accepted them, and instead of her punishment being suicide, she should have pushed herself to make up for them by performing a good deed each day. Rosmer should have gained some confidence in himself and taken a chance at politics. To continue living is the best, and most reasonable way to conquer absurdity. This is the significance behind Camus philosophy. We all encounter the absurd at some point in our life, and it is up to us to make just decisions determine our own fate.

Bibliography

Albert Camus, The Meaning of Life from The Myth of Sisyphus
Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus
Ibsen, Henrik. An Enemy of the People. The Wild Duck. Rosmersholm. New York: Oxford UP, 2009.