Significance Of Inez, Estelle, And Cradeau In No Exit

The symbolic significance of Inez, Estelle, and Cradeau in Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit

In his book Being and Nothingness, the 20th century french philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre classifies the world into three modes of being: being-for-others, being-in-itself, and being-for-itself. The first, being-for-others, is when the self exists as an object for others. They avoid becoming their own subject to avoid self-criticism because they prefer the false reality that others give them. The second, being-in-itself, is how inanimate objects exist- unconsciously and placed at the mercy of the circumstances in which they appear in. Lastly, being-for-itself, an existence which allows for true consciousness and free will. This type of being is able to
Her constant reliance on the perception of external objects to give her an identity ultimately reveals that she has no sense of self from within. We first encounter this with the immense effect of missing mirror on her. Estelle’s character is superficial and obsessed with outward appearance, a result of being inextricably linked to the gaze of others. Throughout her life she refused to define herself as who she was, instead defining herself by what she saw. Considering herself to be beautiful, she convinced herself that she was a lovely and refined women, despite the contrary. She used mirrors to reflect back to the her the image that she wants to see and not what was really there. By doing this, she lives in self-deception and embraces bad faith. However, that was her life before death, in Sartre’s hell, there are no mirrors. When she realizes that there are no mirrors in hell, she informs the others of her lack of self-identity, unashamedly stating “When I can’t see myself I begin to wonder if I really and truly exist,” (19). The absence of this object encourages Estelle to reject bad faith by forcing her to accept herself as she truly is and to face a true reflection of her character. However, she once more embraces bad faith when she lets Inez act as her new mirror. In this exchange, Inez describes what she sees aloud to Estelle who, in result, believes everything she says. By doing this,
From the outset of the play, Inez never deludes herself. Instead, she lives in the moment and accepts her fate. “Life begins on the other side of despair,” (16). Inez also never questions whether or not she deserves her punishment. As others deny their bad faith, she laughs and criticizes them: “Yes, we are all criminals […]—all three of us. We’re in hell, my pets; they never make mistakes,” (16). Inez foils Estelle who is reliant on others for self-image; she needs no external objects to give her meaning. She states, “I’m always conscious of myself in my mind. Painfully conscious,” (16). Self-awareness is what gives Inez control over her own