What Are The Similarities Between Man On Wire And The Myth Of Sisyphus

Many parallels exist between “Man on Wire” and the life presented by Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus, but there are some distinct differences between the assertions of Camus and the actions of Philippe Petit. Camus found that we as humans usually act with some motive, whether that is appealing to God or to some goal set by social standards, to reach some unknown measure of success. To Camus, this constant appeal to some ulterior meaning becomes absurd when death is considered, because death is when we reach absolute nothingness. In his vision, humans would face our death and accept that it will happen eventually, and live without this constant appeal. This revolt will give life value, and will be what gives us freedom in life. Philippe Petit is
One day in a waiting room he saw a photo of the World Trade Center, which had not even been built yet, and knew that he had to walk a wire between the towers. By stepping out on that wire, he accepts the uncertainty of his life, and embraces the possibility of anything that may come as a result of his actions. Camus states “Being aware of one’s life, one’s revolt, one’s freedom, and to the maximum, is living, and to the maximum”. Petit himself is fully aware of how free choosing to act with no true reason has made him, and acts on this, and it is clear that this has made his life fulfilling. So much so that he does not care if he dies on the wire, because he has been able to achieve his dream and attain this freedom. Petit advocates “life should be lived on the edge of life… refuse to taper yourself to the rules”, which is absolutely in line with what Camus envisions. Camus believes that we have a choice in whether we follow the mundane routines that are typical to life, or if we choose to act without appeal. Petit embodies this sense of living beyond the routine and actively choosing to live with no consideration of the