The happiness of Sisyphus

Albert Camus’ representation of Sisyphus is very interesting. He believes that Sisyphus is one of the happiest people in the underworld. In the beginning of his tale, Camus talks about how Sisyphus got into the underworld. Sisyphus then gets permission to leave from Pluto to go chastise his wife for being so bad. Upon arriving back to the real world he realizes that he loves it and doesn't want to go back. But soon after, Sisyphus is dragged back down to the underworld by Mercury. In the underworld a big stone, that he has to push up a hill, is waiting for him. His punishment is that he has to push this stone up the hill, only to watch it roll back down. To some this would be terrible, but to Sisyphus it is amazing. Camus believes that while rolling the stone up the hill, the stone has power over him. But when it rolls down the hill, Sisyphus has won, and he has become the master of his universe through the thinking he does while walking down the hill.

To me this was very interesting. When I first read this myth, you could clearly tell that it’s a punishment. Camus’ idea has shed a new light on the situation though. Yes, rolling a huge rock up a hill is still massive punishment, but when Sisyphus realizes this he becomes the master of his universe. This can be seen when Camus writes,”At each of those moments when he leaves the heights and gradually sinks toward the lairs of the gods, he is superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock.” When he becomes stronger than the rock, he becomes stronger than the underworld and the gods. This is an interesting way to look at it because in this world, it is the opposite.