Nausea By Sartre

Roquentin stares at a root until the word “root” dissolves. He sees only a black, knotted, rubbery mass with a texture like boiled leather. He feels its existence —warm, insect-like, breathing—and he is horrified because he cannot reduce it to a concept. The Nausea is the revolt of the real against the rational.

Roquentin begins to experience "the Nausea" in waves. It starts with a pebble on the beach, then a fork, then his own reflection. He realizes that objects have an "existence" that is heavy, tactile, and completely independent of the names or functions we give them. What is "The Nausea"? nausea by sartre

Sartre's writing (and the English translations, particularly by Lloyd Alexander) is precise, visceral, and hypnotic. He can make a description of a street corner feel like a horror scene. Roquentin stares at a root until the word