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his punishment. The idea of Sisyphus being happy with his condemned existence is strengthened by the presumption that he is still laboring to push the rock up the hill. Camus describes this continuance as Sisyphus's victory over the gods. Sisyphus lived his life as he desired, regardless of anyone, or any god, such that he is now content to spite all whom strive to penalize him for it by ceaselessly raising his rock to the top of the mountain. With every raise of the rock, Sisyphus enforces his victory-he puts his life's reward on display, and he shows that he was and still is his own master. Thence, Camus depicts Sisyphus as a hero who won his own fate.
In summary, Albert Camus depicts Sisyphus as a hero, but he describes him explicitly as an "absurd hero"(381). This comes from the conquest won by Sisyphus: his own fate. Since everyone has one from birth, it seems absurd that anyone should have to win his or her own fate; however, the difference lies in how one arrives at the end of his or her own life. Rather than laying back and letting life pass him by, Sisyphus took control over his own life, and did what he wanted to do at every moment. Thus, by ignoring whether Sisyphus's actions were either right or wrong, Camus portrays Sisyphus as a noble character who will not be broken by anyone other than himself.
Works Cited:
Camus, Albert. "Myth of Sisyphus," 75 Readings Plus. Ed. Santi Buscemi,
Charlotte Smith. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 1998: 380-382.
Marker's (Prof. Lance Callahan) comments:
A. Excellent work, and an excellent semester. All the best.
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