In this assignment, you will write an essay exploring the theme of the “absurd†in either Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich or Bergman’s The Seventh Seal. Use what you have learned in lecture and in the readings (especially Camus) to develop your ideas.
Your paper should focus on the following themes and questions:
(1) Why, according to Camus, is life “absurd� Why do the existentialists think that questions about absurdity arise when we “take atheism seriously�
(2) What similarities can be found between the characters in Death of Ivan Ilyich or The Seventh Seal and Camus’ “Sisyphus�
(3) Does the author/filmmaker suggest any particular response to life’s “absurdity� Do any of the characters seem to represent the “absurd hero�
(4) What do you think the author/filmmaker is trying to say about the meaning of life? Can you find any criticism/disagreement with existentialist views on life’s absurdity?