Sisyphus Analysis

Critical Precis on “Sisyphus
    "The Myth of Sisyphus" is an essay written by Albert Camus that describes his reaction to the myth. According to Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a mortal who was condemned by the gods to continuously push a stone up a hill, and then watch it fall back down from the top, forever. This punishment was the result of tricking the gods into letting him enjoy nature on Earth, and escape from remaining in the underworld. Along with explaining the myth, Camus expresses his reaction towards it. The author’s main claim is that the ideas of happiness and absurdity are connected to each other. Camus believes that an individual can only be truly happy when they have accepted their fate for what it is. Furthermore, he explains that by abandoning hope of a better life, an individual will be happy because their fate won’t seem as bad if there is nothing to look forward to. This theory is related to the Greek myth because Camus states that Sisyphus was actually happy with his punishment. His reasoning is that Sisyphus is conscious of his fate each time the stone falls back down, but is never disappointed because he has accepted his fate, and doesn’t dream of a better life. Camus’ main claim also involves labeling Sisyphus as a “absurd man”. He calls him this because before his punishment, he believed in living life to its fullest. However, this causes him to eventually be condemned to push the stone, and thus, accomplish nothing in life. Camus is stating that it is impossible to live life to its fullest, and that

if you want to be happy, your life must be revolved around doing the same activity every day. Although Camus thoroughly explains his reaction towards the myth, some of his beliefs are debatable. While happiness and absurdity are partially related, true happiness is different for every individual. Camus believes happiness comes when you don’t hope for a better life anymore, however, it can actually come when a dream is achieved. An...