Essay Questions

What is the main satire in the autobiography ‘The Words’?

Sartre is orphaned when he was one year old, and he says that it was the greatest gift of his life. It is ironic for Sartre to say that being an orphan was a gift of his life. Readers at first fail to comprehend how orphanhood can be a gift in someone's life. Growing without parents is the greatest misfortune that happens in one's life. Sartre thinks that if his father were alive, he could have interfered with his talent and spoilt his future. Therefore, growing with his mother and grandmother gave him the freedom to choose his writing career without opposition.

How symbolic is the title ‘The Words?”

Sartre's desire to become a writer began when he was a young boy. Despite not knowing how to read, Sartre pretended that he could read comfortably. Sartre says that he could hold a book and only see the words without understanding their meaning. Consequently, 'The Words' symbolizes Sartre's future career of authorship. 'The Words' started embodying Sartre's spirit when he was still a young child, and people around him were astonished by his desire to read.

What is the central motif in the autobiography by Sartre?

Veracity emerges as the central motif in the entire autobiography by Sartre because his urge to be a writer began when he was still a young child. In his writings, Sartre truthfully talks about his childhood and how real-life events shaped his desire to be an author. Despite authorship giving Sartre options to choose from fiction and imaginative genres, he decides to write about his actual circumstances.