An Analysis of the Character of Sisyphus in The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Essay

Sisyphus is the absurd hero. This man, sentenced to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain and then watching its descent, is the essence of the absurd hero according to Camus. In retelling the Myth of Sisyphus, Camus is able to create an extremely powerful image with imaginative force, which sums up in an emotional sense the body of the discussion. We are told that Sisyphus is the absurd hero "as much through his passions as through his torture. His scorn of the gods, his hatred of death, and his passion for life won him that unspeakable penalty in which the whole being is exerted toward accomplishing nothing. (p.120). Sisyphus is conscious of his dilemma, and in that lays his tragedy. For if, during the moments of descent, he nourished the hope that he would yet succeed, then his labor would lose its torment. Nevertheless, Sisyphus is clearly conscious of the extent of his misery. It is this logical recognition of his destiny that transforms his torment into his victory. It has to be a victory for as Camus says I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain! One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy. (p.123). Sisyphus' life and torment are turned into victory by concentrating on his freedom, his refusal to hope, and his knowledge of the absurdity of his situation. It matters little for what reason he continues to struggle so long as he continues on this absurd path and not venture on to the path of dreaming or wishing. The ideas...

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