Jess's Sisyphian happiness

Humberto 2021-12-16 08:01:12

I didn't fully understand it at first. Ignorant. It was only after reading some film reviews that I fully understood it. Then I think this movie is too awesome. The structure of the story is ingenious, the circular structure is extreme, and it is very successful to learn from the legend of Sisyphus.

It seems that many people are discussing the deal between Jess and Reaper (taxi driver). I think there is no deal. At the very beginning, Jess just told the god of death that he wanted to go to the dock to have a look. The god of death agreed, on the condition that she had to come back. Jess agreed, but regretted it again and boarded the boat and went out to sea with his friends. So Death decided to punish her. Grim Reaper designed a game that cannot be cleared. Jess then fell into an eternal cycle. She killed her beloved and friends time and time again, and experienced the death of her son again and again.

The structure of the story I understand is this:

1. Jess treated his son roughly. In order to drive out of the sea, she and her son were killed in a car accident. When Jess's soul passed away, he passed the pier. Thinking of the sea agreement with a friend, Jess asked Death to let her go to the dock to have a look. Reaper agreed. Jess promised to come back soon. But then I regretted it. She decided not to return to Death, but to go to sea with her friends. The god of death was furious. Decided to punish Jess.

2. Grim Reaper designed a game. The punishment began. Jess slept for a while, losing most of his memory, only a vague psychological sensation (these death gods can't control it). The ship encountered a storm. Time stands still. The ghost ship appeared. A group of people boarded the ghost ship. Reaper convinced Jess that only by killing everyone can everyone leave the ghost ship and be rescued. So in the end Jess really slaughtered. And the game is more than that. It also allowed Jess to be killed by himself in various ways, then returned home, saw how rudely he was to his son, and then was killed by himself again. In the end, Jess and his son died in a car accident again.

3. The game of death is to make Jess infinitely loop "amnesia-storm-ghost ship-kill-be killed-go home-save son-be killed-have a car accident-son and himself died-go to the dock-regret-go to sea-amnesia ". Let Jess, who broke his promise, re-taste the pain of killing his beloved and friends and losing his son again and again. Reaper not only made Jess's lover and friends be killed by Jess, but also made Jess killed by himself. He also made her son die because of her again, and made her bear the guilt that he couldn't escape because of his son's death again and again.

But Death couldn't control all of Jess's thoughts after all. The Jess we saw, after her unconscious first experience, I think her second and every subsequent time (in the movie) is with memories (there is a storm-ghost ship-killing-being killed- Going home-saving my son-being killed-having a car accident-my son and myself are both dead) Those who take the initiative to go to the dock again are conscious, not the first time they are ignorant. She walked onto the dock again to save her friends, and to go through all these processes to see her son again to save her son. She has Sisyphian happiness.

According to Greek legend, Sisyphus was punished for pushing the boulder up the mountain in vain for failing to fulfill his promise to the god of death, and then the boulder would inevitably roll down the mountain. But Camus said Sisyphus was happy. why? After the stone is pushed up the mountain, it must roll down. Sisyph has no choice but to push the stone up the mountain again. How absurd. But Camus said that Sisyph knew this absurdity and still had no resentment, no hesitation, and hopelessness to push the stone up the mountain again to fight against the doomed fate. Pushing the stone up the mountain knowing that it will fail is itself a resistance to absurdity. Facing the absurdity squarely and resisting the absurdity can be falsely known as happiness and victory. So Camus said Sisyphus was happy. Doctor Rieux in "The Plague" is also happy.

In this film, Jess reappears at the dock every time, ready to fight for his friends and son. She didn't know that her reappearance on the dock was part of the game (absurdity), but she stood there again for purposes other than the game (absurdity). This in itself is a resistance to the game (absurdity). So she has Sisyphus-style happiness.

It's just a pity that Death also has this trick of amnesia. All Jess's memories are re-established after amnesia, she only remembers one reincarnation. She didn't know that everything she faced was a game. She doesn't know that she has gone through many reincarnations and will reincarnate forever. This is a closed loop. Every time she comes to the pier with hope, goes to sea, and sleeps (this is also a part of the game), all her previous memories are lost, and then she falls into the trap of death again. Repeatedly, never pass the customs. But every time she stood on the dock again, we saw the happiness of Jess Sisyphus again.

I wish Jess happiness!

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Extended Reading

Triangle quotes

  • Driver: Are you alright?

    Jess: Who are you?

    Driver: I'm just a driver... No point trying to save the boy, there's nothing anyone can do to bring him back. So... Can I give you a ride?

    Jess: Yes. Take me to the harbor.

  • Driver: [wakes Jess up] Hey. I'll leave the meter running. You will come back, won't you?

    Jess: Yes. I promise.