Coping with ennui : the choice between suicide, passivity or a superman status : a study of Madame Bovary, The empty canvas and Waiting for Godot

Abstract

This thesis endeavours to provide a glimpse of a state that has been said by some to consume humanity- ennui. Humanity appears to be stifled by this inner burden, one that is interrupted occasionally by instances of exhilaration. Some acknowledge their inner turmoil while others resort to forms of distraction to attain the escape needed from the excessive consciousness of ennui. There seems to be three ways of coping with ennui. One can be passive towards this sensation and live a life continually escaping the consciousness of ennui or one can decide to commit suicide, an action that involves great effort since it requires one to act against the apathy ennui creates. The third option is that path towards a superman status, Nietzsche's philosophy to renounce the illusions surrounding the individual and find truth within one's inner self. The books which will be analyzed in relation to this subject are Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary, Alberto Moravia's The Empty Canvas and Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot. This thesis will attempt to explore the behaviour and thoughts of the protagonists of these works in the light of ennui and the three choices that seem to be available to humanity.