The Myth of Sysyphus

All is well – Albert Camus

Camus is interested in Sisyphus’ thoughts when marching down the mountain, to start anew.

“This is the truly tragic moment, when the hero becomes conscious of his wretched condition. He does not have hope, but “[t]here is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn.” Acknowledging the truth will conquer it; Sisyphus, just like the absurd man, keeps pushing. Camus claims that when Sisyphus acknowledges the futility of his task and the certainty of his fate, he is freed to realize the absurdity of his situation and to reach a state of contented acceptance.

With a nod to the similarly cursed Greek hero Oedipus, Camus concludes that

“all is well,” indeed, that “[o]ne must imagine Sisyphus happy.”

The Myths of Sisyphus – Albert Camus