Jean-Paul Sartre’s Nausea: A Fictional Journey through Existential Phenomenology
Al Mursalin Samrat[1]
[1] Assistant Professor, Dept. of English, Ishakha International University, Bangladesh. Email: samrat_emp@yahoo.com
Abstract
Jean-Paul Sartre’s Nausea is a profound narrative that bridges phenomenology and existentialism, offering a meticulous exploration of human freedom and the construction of meaning. This paper examines how Sartre uses Antoine Roquentin’s existential crises to challenge conventional notions of essence and existence. Influenced by Edmund Husserl’s ideas, Sartre critiques the human tendency to impose subjective order on an otherwise indifferent reality. Through Roquentin’s visceral encounters with objects stripped of their labels, the novel reveals the unsettling absurdity and contingency of existence. The analysis underscores Sartre’s belief in the necessity of authentic choice and personal responsibility, culminating in Roquentin’s commitment to writing as an act of creative freedom. By juxtaposing Nausea with Kafka’s The Trial and Camus’s The Outsider, the discussion highlights Sartre’s distinctive optimism—emphasizing renewal and individual agency over despair. Unlike its counterparts, Nausea navigates existential themes not through external conflicts but through internal confrontations with consciousness and perception, marking it as a unique contribution to existentialist literature.
Keywords: Nausea, existentialism, Sartre, phenomenology