The Myth of Sisyphus and the Psychology of Suicide: An Interpretative Approach

Abstract

This study explores the multiple interpretations of the myth of Sisyphus in literature and philosophy, focusing on Albert Camus's perspective. The myth, as depicted by classic authors such as Hesiod, Homer, and Dante, illustrates Sisyphus’s eternal punishment, where he is condemned to repeatedly push a rock up a mountain. Camus, however, uses the myth to reflect on the absurdity of the human condition, suggesting that despite its lack of meaning, life can be faced with courage and resilience. The analysis highlights the symbolic construction of the myth as a representation of the human struggle against purposelessness and unrewarded effort, central themes in Camus's philosophy of the absurd.