Religious Studies 1022A/B Chapter 6: The Meaning of Life
14 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
The myth of sisyphus involves betraying divine secrets to mortals and being condemned by the gods to roll a stone to the top of a hill, which immediately rolled back down - this pattern continued forever. This is an example of meaningless - something that is never redeemed even by death. Nothing ever results from what he is doing. Some people thought it symbolized the rising and setting of the sun or crashing waves in the ocean upon the shore. Another interpretation is that it symbolizes our struggle and spirit for determination whenever we feel discouraged. The stone is so large that he cannot get to the top, leading to an existence without meaning - nothing comes of the process which is the element of myth. The fact that they come to nothing means it has no meaning. Another perspective could be that the gods placed an impulsive drive in him to roll stones.
