“Nausea” is a Study of An Individual Trying to Understand His Relationship with the Phenomena Around Him. Discuss.
Nausea is a notable literary work by Jean-Paul Sartre. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Nausea.
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Nausea is a study of an individual trying to understand his relationship with the phenomena around him. Discuss. [2017]
“Nausea” (1938) by Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) is a powerful study of an individual trying to understand his relationship with the world around him. Through Antoine Roquentin, Sartre explores the human effort to find meaning in a meaningless universe. Roquentin’s strange feelings toward objects and people reveal the gap between man and reality. His struggle shows how awareness of existence leads to confusion, loneliness, and finally, understanding. The novel becomes a philosophical journey of man facing the raw truth of existence.
Awareness of Things: Roquentin’s realization begins with his contact with simple things. He feels disgust toward everyday objects like stones, paper, and beer glasses. He says,
“The Nausea is not inside me: I feel it out there in the wall.”
This means he feels the weight of existence in everything around him. The ordinary things lose their names and shapes. Sartre shows that Roquentin’s experience is not madness but awakening. It is the start of his attempt to know reality as it truly is.
Search for Meaning: Roquentin tries to understand his life through work and reason. He studies the Marquis de Rollebon. He hopes to find meaning in history. But he fails. He says,
“I no longer existed in myself, but in him; I ate for him, breathed for him.”
His work becomes a way to escape himself. When he realizes this, he gives up the project. Sartre shows that man cannot depend on the past or others to define himself. Meaning must come from within.
Loneliness and Separation: As Roquentin becomes more aware, he feels isolated from people. He writes,
“I am alone in the midst of these happy, reasonable voices.”
He sees others living blindly without thought. He cannot join them because he sees life’s emptiness. His loneliness grows as he understands that existence is notUnlock this study guide now