AS Drama No Exit Society, Culture & History

No Exit is a play written Jean-Paul Sartre in the 1940s, specifically 1944. If Jean-Paul Sartres No Exit were to be described, a suitable phrase for it, in my opinion would be the perfect depiction of the afterlife in which three deceased characters are punished by being locked in a room together for eternity Sartre was primarily interested in several areas, and tried to consider each and every one of these when writing. He was specifically interested in nature of existence, freedom, responsibility and consciousness. The first performance of No Exit took place in May 1944 and was praised as being a phenomenon of modern theatre. Even as performances of this continue praise still floods in with many commenting on the abstract was in which Sartre has written. There are many possible influences on Sartres writing consisting of Historical, Cultural and Societal reasons. For example, the Spanish Civil War and the worldwide economic crisis dramatically instigated his writing. Just prior to the beginning his writing and throughout it, World War 2 was in its full swing. This must have had a damaging affect on Sartre at the time and being surrounded by and having contact with death could have had an influence on his play. In 1940, Germany occupied the majority of France perhaps shadowing the trapped feeling we experience throughout No Exit. The humiliation of defeat and suffering of war and occupation would also have had an influence on the way he wrote. The room in hello with three people who cant stand each other distinctly resembles what it must have felt like living is Paris during German occupation. The main emotions surrounding 1940 and the war, in France would have been of terror with the immense fighting. Sartre investigated freedom, self-deception and nature of time in the play, which helped fellow French men, and women cope with the ordeal of defeat in and during the war. In 1944, with the war still continuing and domination of France from Germany as its greatest, the time where Jews were forced to leave France for Auschwitz Concentration Camps whilst Jewish Nurseries were overran by Nazis. The Normandy Landings at this time would also have been and influential factor in the emotions experience through towns and villages being flooded with fear and anticipation. Cultural influences of his writing such as the diminishing French fashion industry lead to France the rise of Frances insignificance in a worldwide global market. A loss of French identity was something Sartre was not happy about and so wanted to re-instate this through his writing. The French language began to disperse as other countries contributed to the linguistic makeup of the country. New foodstuffs were also being introduced from other countries, as too was fashion. All of this lead to great poverty in France as an immense decrease in exports occurred. Through no exit, Sartre intended to display the array of emotions he and other experienced through such tough times, whilst also attempting to put France back on the map. I deeply believe he has achieved this.

George Hancorn