Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre

In Jean Paul Sartre 's novel Nausea , the origin of Roquentin 's nausea is shown to be the essence by which things are named and which acts as a fazade over the more genuine nature of their existence . Throughout his experience , Roquentin realizes that much of what is touted as important in life is really non-essential . In fact , he finds that the deepest mysteries are hidden by a more frivolous veneer of plurality , to which people give names based on their attributes . These plural objects he finds himself disgusted with - beginning with the

stone he held in his hand at his moment of epiphany . This nausea that is experienced by Roquentin is in direct contrast to individuality , because at root he believes that all comes down to existence . People and objects exist that is all that can and should be said about them . All their other attributes are merely decoys blinding people to the real truth about themselves and their world . Therefore , any individualism is a mere illusion , and further claims made by persons concerning ideologies are simply efforts at distracting oneself from the confounding mystery of existence

Roquentin 's nausea manifests itself as a reaction to the nominal nature of objects . This idea of naming objects (nouns ) is one that distracts the mind from the fact that the object is there , in existence , without any real explanation as to why it exists . Roquentin says , Everywhere now , there are objects like this glass of beer on the table there . When I see it , I feel like saying : `Enough (Sartre , 8 . In fact , this is the way his nausea reacts to all attributes of objects , including color taste , and other features by which people describe them . The apprehension of an object as a blue book ' for instance , explains away the existence of the object and prevents one from marveling at the fact that it exists at all . This kind of apprehension ' can occur most readily when a thing can be seen , and this explains why Roquentin 's nausea occurs only in the light . The light , according to the reasoning put forth by Roquentin , is where an object 's existence becomes obscured In the dark (or even in the mind of a subject who thinks of the object the subconscious is likely to think of the thing only in terms of its being there ' - that is , being in existence . However , in the light the senses are apt to pick up such things as shape , color , and text These peripheral things are mere distractions--frivolities that serve to concoct a reason for the things existence and to divert the mind from the profound fact of the thing

In the same way , Roquentin 's nausea rises against personalities of his and past eras , and this can be seen as a method of criticizing any tendency toward individualism . This can be seen as he views certain paintings and portraits of personalities . It can also be seen in his nauseated reaction to such persons as the...