The Myth Of Sisyphus Research Paper

Human beings are born everyday and when brought into this world, the only wish many parents have for them is to pursue their dreams and be themselves. This life can be absurd at times, but containing the absurdity and making life realistic is the ultimate goal. The world thrives off human existence as well as individuality. Human beings are taught to behave a certain way and are encouraged to stick to the status quo. By sticking to the status quo, they are to take on responsibility and accept what is expected of them. Existentialists push themselves to break the mold and find their own meaning in this absurd world. Existential philosophers created theories designed to help struggling, lost souls find a purpose for their own existence. French
Throughout, “The Myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camus, punishment was the main topic, “The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor” (Camus). Sisyphus pushed a rock up a hill to only have it roll back down to his feet and repeated this cycle to eternity. Although this punishment seems absurd, Sisyphus took pride and passion in his life, “He is, as much through his passions as through his torture. His scorn of the gods, his hatred of death, and his passion for life won him that unspeakable penalty in which the whole being is exerted toward accomplishing nothing. This is the price that must be paid for the passions of this earth” (Camus). Sisyphus knew he did wrong by disobeying the gods and continued his punishment in order to silence those who awarded such a punishment. In order to move forward with the punishment, “One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks” (Camus). Sisyphus gladly continued to push the rock up the mountain no matter how absurd it was, because he took responsibility. In the end, “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy” (Camus). Sisyphus accepted society’s expectation that when one does wrong, a punishment will come. He had no choice, so he took responsibility for his actions. Absurdity can bring a happy ending when those involved take action and understand the absurdity being