No Exit
is Garcin a coward? why or why not?
from the book NO NO EXIT
from the book NO NO EXIT
Cowardice
Garcin's greatest fear is fear itself, to borrow the cliché. That is to say, he is tormented by the idea that he may be a coward. Ironically, in the play's beginning, he seems quite the opposite of a coward: he strolls into the drawing room with his chin held high and casually asks where the torture instruments are, as if it were all a game. Gradually, as the play wears on, he loses his defenses; he is stripped bare, so to speak, and reveals his insecurities. The question, however, remains: is Garcin a coward? Was his attempt to flee to Mexico a cowardly act? Sartre, who publicly opposed many a war, certainly might have sympathized with Garcin's pacifist leanings. However, we are left wondering to what extent Garcin's political and moral convictions mask a deeper weakness? And why, exactly, did Garcin choose to flee rather than to expound on his principles at home, where they might have made a difference?