by Mason Leaver
The Sunset Limited (Jones, 2011) presents a simple structure but great philosophical depth. The film is directed by Tommy Lee Jones, and is an adaptation of the stage play of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. The film takes place in a single room, and is one conversation between two men, referred to as Black and White, played by Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones respectively. The two men are sitting in Black’s kitchen, having a conversation about whether or not White should kill himself, but the conversation broadens to God, atheism, nihilism, and purpose. The discourse between Black and White is representative of a much larger dialogue in existential philosophy. Black can be seen as a representation of the views of Søren Kierkegaard, and White can be seen as representing a synthesis of the views of Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Albert Camus. The Sunset Limited is a discourse on the nature of existence that comes from existentialist philosophy, and the views expressed by Black and White can help us to have a greater understanding of what the purpose of life is and what it is to be human.
White and Black sitting at Black's kitchen table
“Happiness is contrary to the human condition”- White
White’s philosophy seems to be heavily influenced by the pessimist Arthur Schopenhauer. I’ve previously discussed Schopenhauer in my analysis of True Detective, but I’ll review briefly before moving on to analyzing White’s use of Schopenhauer’s philosophy. Schopenhauer was a German philosopher that focused on the philosophy of Pessimism. He believed that there was a tension between human Reason and human Will. Reason is our ability to do things like philosophy or logic, and it’s also what we use when we engage with art. White reflects this when he discusses how he values culture and art. However, Schopenhauer believed that the fundamental human problem was that our Reason was limited by our Will. Schopenhauer believed that our only direct access to the world as it is in itself is through the Will. Only through the Will can we know the world as it is in itself. And the Will is devoid of reason. The Will is the sum of all of our base instincts and urges- that hunger for satisfaction and pleasure that’s never filled. We are slaves to our Will, and at the end of the day we’re always left with our Will hungry for more. White also seems to believe in this idea. First, White says that he values art, literature, and culture, but that “the things I love are very frail. Very fragile. I didn't know that, I thought they were indestructible. They weren't…”. Here, White realizes that the Will robs us of the finer things in life. His values were frail- they couldn’t stand up to scrutiny. As such, White is never satisfied. White seems to consider satisfaction or fulfillment to be synonymous with happiness. But since the Will can never be satisfied, happiness is contrary to the human condition. This realization leads White to attempt to take his own life.
“Banish the fear of death from men's hearts and they would not live a day... If people could see the world for what it truly is, see their lives for what they truly are without dreams and illusions, I don't believe they could offer the first reason why they should not elect to die as soon as possible.”
- White
- White
Albert Camus famously said that “there is only one really serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Deciding whether or not life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question in philosophy. All other questions follow from that”. This also happens to be the central conflict of The Sunset Limited- should White kill himself? Historically, most philosophers have answered “no”. However, there are several philosophers that at least entertained the idea of suicide that White is clearly inspired by. Camus was an existentialist philosopher who is best known for describing life as “absurd.” Camus agrees with White’s initial analysis of life - it is a cruel place to live, and man can easily be driven to kill himself. Camus found our condition so horrible that it was almost funny, what he described as the Absurd. Camus thought that people choose to kill themselves because they “judge life is not worth living”. The challenge, then, was for Camus to find a way to judge his life to actually be worth living. Here, Camus introduced his idea of the Myth of Sisyphus, the Greek mythological figure who was forced to push a boulder to the top of a mountain for all eternity. Camus thought that our lives were like that of Sisyphus- we have a great weight of existential dread and pain (analogous to the boulder), which we must struggle through all our lives (pushing the boulder up the mountain). However, Camus said that “one must imagine Sisyphus happy”. Camus suggested that the meaning in our lives was in embracing the struggle, the Absurd, and in so doing we could generate meaning for ourselves.
However, not all existentialist philosophers were willing to disregard suicide. Nietzche seemed to be much more open to the idea. One of Nietzche’s core philosophies, which he unpacked thoroughly in The Gay Science, was that most philosophers reason out of weakness, rather than strength. Most people, Nietzsche claimed, are too weak to face the cold hard truths of life: that there is no purpose in the world, that the strong eat the weak, and that God is a delusion. Nietzsche advocated that philosophers ought to philosophize out of a place of strength- coming to terms with the way the world is, and embracing it to make the best life for yourself that you could. Here, Nietzsche suggests that suicide would be a weakness- the weak man’s way of escaping from the reality of the world. However, in his later work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, he spends some time discussing “voluntary death,” which he holds to actually be a great strength. To decide the time and method of one’s death was a decision that Nietzsche admired. Nietzsche had two conceptions of suicide: from weakness and from strength.
Is White’s attempt at suicide one from weakness or strength? Black and Nietzsche will agree that White’s desire for suicide comes from weakness. For Nietzsche, White’s desire to escape the cruelties of the world is an example of weakness. He would be strong if he was able to recognize the purposelessness of the world and continue to live despite it. For Black, White’s attempts at suicide come from a refusal to accept God’s love and an obsession with skepticism. White doesn’t desire to find the truth, instead, he is hellbent on doubting. As Black puts it, “a questioner wants the truth. A doubter wants to be told there ain't no such thing.” However, White disagrees with both of these men. He sees his desire for suicide as an act of strength, a denial of his biological programming. He thinks to desire death is to be seeing clearly. This is one of the fundamental points of White’s personal philosophy, and it is one area which creates a gulf between White and Black.
However, not all existentialist philosophers were willing to disregard suicide. Nietzche seemed to be much more open to the idea. One of Nietzche’s core philosophies, which he unpacked thoroughly in The Gay Science, was that most philosophers reason out of weakness, rather than strength. Most people, Nietzsche claimed, are too weak to face the cold hard truths of life: that there is no purpose in the world, that the strong eat the weak, and that God is a delusion. Nietzsche advocated that philosophers ought to philosophize out of a place of strength- coming to terms with the way the world is, and embracing it to make the best life for yourself that you could. Here, Nietzsche suggests that suicide would be a weakness- the weak man’s way of escaping from the reality of the world. However, in his later work, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, he spends some time discussing “voluntary death,” which he holds to actually be a great strength. To decide the time and method of one’s death was a decision that Nietzsche admired. Nietzsche had two conceptions of suicide: from weakness and from strength.
Is White’s attempt at suicide one from weakness or strength? Black and Nietzsche will agree that White’s desire for suicide comes from weakness. For Nietzsche, White’s desire to escape the cruelties of the world is an example of weakness. He would be strong if he was able to recognize the purposelessness of the world and continue to live despite it. For Black, White’s attempts at suicide come from a refusal to accept God’s love and an obsession with skepticism. White doesn’t desire to find the truth, instead, he is hellbent on doubting. As Black puts it, “a questioner wants the truth. A doubter wants to be told there ain't no such thing.” However, White disagrees with both of these men. He sees his desire for suicide as an act of strength, a denial of his biological programming. He thinks to desire death is to be seeing clearly. This is one of the fundamental points of White’s personal philosophy, and it is one area which creates a gulf between White and Black.
“If you don’t have any pain in your life, how do you know you’re happy? As compared to what?...
Sometimes faith might just be a case of not havin’ nothin’ else left.”- Black
Sometimes faith might just be a case of not havin’ nothin’ else left.”- Black
Black’s philosophy seems to be closely tied with the work of Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard was a Christian existentialist philosopher, well known for his work Fear and Trembling. However, Kierkegaard is not a “standard” Christian philosopher. He is known for facing existential dread head-on, and he often gives surprising accounts of what it means to be a person of faith in the world. Black seems to be a man heavily influenced by Kierkegaard’s thought, as he frequently recognizes how difficult living in the world can be. To understand the quote above and how it is influenced by Kierkegaard, we have to understand Kierkegaard’s idea of the Hero, and his Knight of Faith.
Kierkegaard claimed that if there was no God, one must embrace nihilism as White does. One would expect him to then go on and say “But there is hope, because God exists!” But Kierkegaard’s solution to the problem of nihilism is not so simple. He says that the solution to suffering is found in part by the fact that God fashioned the Hero, who is capable of greatness. For Kierkegaard, Greatness came from three categories (a trichotomy of trichotomies). There was love; of the self, of others, and of God. There was expectation; of the possible, the eternal, and the impossible. And there was striving; with the world, with oneself, and with God. Each of these trichotomies represent a three-tiered notion of Greatness. The Hero was one who could ascend each step, and conquer them all. And the Hero can only do this in a world which includes suffering and evil. Then, Poets, like Kierkegaard himself, could write of the great deeds of these Heroes, and in doing so we could generate meaning and purpose in the world, through this striving and praising. Black reflects a similar idea here- how would one know that they’re happy if they’ve never suffered? Black takes inspiration from Kierkegaard, asking how one’s life could be fulfilling if one had never strived to overcome an obstacle? He suggests that pain is actually necessary for our growth.
Kierkegaard had a similar three-tiered notion of people, or three ways to live one’s life. At the bottom of this trichotomy was the Philistine. The Philistine loves what’s pleasurable and Earthly. He loves food, drink, and entertainment. White could be seen as a Philistine, with his love of the arts and culture. Then, there is the Knight of Infinite Resignation. This is the man who gives up what he has in order to sacrifice it to God. The Knight of Infinite Resignation is like a monk, giving up everything to strive for Godliness. Kierkegaard thought this was good, but it led someone who attempted it into misery, and that there was a better way to live. So, there was the Knight of Faith. The Knight of Faith is the man who gives up everything for God, and having given it up, holds all the more tightly to it. Kierkegaard’s archetypal example was Abraham, who was able to sacrifice his son to God, but after God relinquished his request for Isaac’s life, Abraham was able to love his son even more deeply. Black seems to be another example of the Knight of Faith that Kierkegaard describes. He has no concern for his material possessions, and is willing to let addicts take whatever they like from his house, and he delights in simple pleasures. Black has given everything up (as he puts it, faith is “not havin’ nothin’ left”) and now is free to hold on to and love things all the more strongly. There is a paradox at the heart of this philosophy, but both Kiekegaard and Black are fully aware of this. It is both letting go and holding on simultaneously that allows Black to live a life free of attachment, yet at the same time deeply love and care about White and the addicts in his tenement, and still trust God when it seems no good has come about from helping the addicts, or when he appears to have failed to save White. It’s a paradox!
Kierkegaard claimed that if there was no God, one must embrace nihilism as White does. One would expect him to then go on and say “But there is hope, because God exists!” But Kierkegaard’s solution to the problem of nihilism is not so simple. He says that the solution to suffering is found in part by the fact that God fashioned the Hero, who is capable of greatness. For Kierkegaard, Greatness came from three categories (a trichotomy of trichotomies). There was love; of the self, of others, and of God. There was expectation; of the possible, the eternal, and the impossible. And there was striving; with the world, with oneself, and with God. Each of these trichotomies represent a three-tiered notion of Greatness. The Hero was one who could ascend each step, and conquer them all. And the Hero can only do this in a world which includes suffering and evil. Then, Poets, like Kierkegaard himself, could write of the great deeds of these Heroes, and in doing so we could generate meaning and purpose in the world, through this striving and praising. Black reflects a similar idea here- how would one know that they’re happy if they’ve never suffered? Black takes inspiration from Kierkegaard, asking how one’s life could be fulfilling if one had never strived to overcome an obstacle? He suggests that pain is actually necessary for our growth.
Kierkegaard had a similar three-tiered notion of people, or three ways to live one’s life. At the bottom of this trichotomy was the Philistine. The Philistine loves what’s pleasurable and Earthly. He loves food, drink, and entertainment. White could be seen as a Philistine, with his love of the arts and culture. Then, there is the Knight of Infinite Resignation. This is the man who gives up what he has in order to sacrifice it to God. The Knight of Infinite Resignation is like a monk, giving up everything to strive for Godliness. Kierkegaard thought this was good, but it led someone who attempted it into misery, and that there was a better way to live. So, there was the Knight of Faith. The Knight of Faith is the man who gives up everything for God, and having given it up, holds all the more tightly to it. Kierkegaard’s archetypal example was Abraham, who was able to sacrifice his son to God, but after God relinquished his request for Isaac’s life, Abraham was able to love his son even more deeply. Black seems to be another example of the Knight of Faith that Kierkegaard describes. He has no concern for his material possessions, and is willing to let addicts take whatever they like from his house, and he delights in simple pleasures. Black has given everything up (as he puts it, faith is “not havin’ nothin’ left”) and now is free to hold on to and love things all the more strongly. There is a paradox at the heart of this philosophy, but both Kiekegaard and Black are fully aware of this. It is both letting go and holding on simultaneously that allows Black to live a life free of attachment, yet at the same time deeply love and care about White and the addicts in his tenement, and still trust God when it seems no good has come about from helping the addicts, or when he appears to have failed to save White. It’s a paradox!
Black and White can be seen as representatives of the Existentialist movement. White represents the views of many atheistic existentialist philosophers, pulling from Schopenhauer (a predecessor and inspiration of the existentialist movement), Nietzsche, and Camus. These men focused on how it could be possible to have meaning in a meaningless world. Black can be seen as a representative of the theistic side of the existentialist school of thought, borrowing much of his thought from Kierkegaard. Cormac McCarthy has packed deep philosophical complexity into a short runtime. The Sunset Limited is a film that should be recognized for its philosophical and artistic merit, and it’s well worth giving it a watch.
Works Cited
“The Sunset Limited.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 12 Feb. 2011, www.imdb.com/title/tt1510938/.
Schopenhauer, Arthur, et al. The World as Will and Representation. Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus. Vintage International, 2018.
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Bibliotech Press, 2020.
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, et al. The Gay Science. Dover Publications, Inc., 2020.
Kierkegaard, Søren, et al. Fear and Trembling ; and, the Sickness unto Death. Princeton University Press, 2013.
Wicks, Robert. “Arthur Schopenhauer.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 11 May 2017, plato.stanford.edu/entries/schopenhauer/#Bib.
Schopenhauer, Arthur, et al. The World as Will and Representation. Cambridge University Press, 2020.
Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus. Vintage International, 2018.
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Bibliotech Press, 2020.
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, et al. The Gay Science. Dover Publications, Inc., 2020.
Kierkegaard, Søren, et al. Fear and Trembling ; and, the Sickness unto Death. Princeton University Press, 2013.
Wicks, Robert. “Arthur Schopenhauer.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 11 May 2017, plato.stanford.edu/entries/schopenhauer/#Bib.
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