weirdo freak

“How can we find meaning in an inherently absurd, meaningless world?” This is the question that Existentialist philosophers grappled with ever since it was founded in the late 19th century by Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. Absurdism was one of the largest movements to come out of existentialism, and with it came a dilemma. How does one cope with a world we are thrown into without our consent, with a name we did not choose, a body we didn't choose, in a place we didn't choose with horrible absurd events being thrown at us with absolutely no preparation for them? This is essentially the foundation of terror for the inhabitants of the digital circus. All of them were thrown into a world with no say of their own and are forced to face unwanted, usually dangerous adventures each day completely against their will. Everything about the circus is completely absurd. The cartoonish designs, the wacky names, the horrible and ridiculous adventures, for god sake it's called a CIRCUS for a reason! But, philosophically, it completely mirrors the real world. “How can we find meaning in stagnant life”, this is the question asked by both gooseworx, and existentialists! How can we find meaning in a world we've been thrust into without our consent? How can we find meaning in a world where we have to face challenge after challenge with no way out but death? Especially by  episode 8, this is the dilemma the characters are discussing. At the beginning of e8 we find the main bunch sitting with each other, discussing what they've discovered, and coming to terms with the fact that they might not escape, and that escape simply might not be possible. The interaction that draws my attention from an existentialist viewpoint is the one between Zooble and Gangle, when Zooble remarks “I wanted to leave a mark”, in which Gangle replies, “you left a mark on my life.” And that at its core, is what existentialism is about. In a world you don't want to be in, in a body and name you didn't get to choose, in a place that feels like absolute hell, you can still find meaning and you can still find happiness. Despite everything, Zooble and Gangle found eachother and left marks on eachothers lives. Jax found Ribbit, Kaufmo and eventually Pomni. Ragatha and Pomni became friends, the group bonded and grew to trust each other and despite everything, survived by finding happiness within each other. THAT'S what existentialism is about! It's being able to come to terms with the horrific absurdity of the world, and despite everything, find happiness, find meaning, and leave your mark. There IS meaning in stagnant life. There IS meaning in the absurd. You just have to take it upon yourself to find it. 

What does it mean to life in good faith? This is another question asked by existentialism that TADC actually DOES address. Bad faith is the self-deception that one is not truly free, often by adopting rigid social identity or claiming one is forced by circumstances. Conversely, living in "good faith" requires acknowledging one's radical freedom, accepting total responsibility, and acting authentically in a meaningless world. When looking at a character who is a good example of bad faith, we can obviously point towards Jax. Jax is ENTIRELY inauthentic as a character. He's deceitful, cruel, insecure, hides his true self, refuses to face the consequences of his actions, and hurts others simply for the entertainment of it. Because of this, he finds himself lonely, even more insecure, and close to abstracting due to the mental torment he’s put himself through. Sartre's biggest bone to pick with bad faith was objectification of the self via overemphasization of our facticity. Jax DIRECTLY does this through his archetype spiel. He doesn't regard himself or anyone else as agents with true free will, instead confining himself to an “archetype”, a social identity he must abide by in order to survive, stripping himself of free will and ultimately objectifying himself. Living in good faith means accepting that we are free, responsible, and that our future is unwritten, avoiding the temptation to define ourselves as static beings, something Jax attempts to do. 

TADC also heavily mirrors Sartre's famous play “No Exit”, an existentialist work with profound thematic similarities to the circus. In No Exit, three deceased characters are trapped in a single room of hell for eternity. Soon they find that their torment isnt only from physical torture, but from being perpetually judged by each other, leading to the famous line, "Hell is other people". Sartre’s famous line from the 1944 play highlights that being trapped with others who constantly judge and provoke us is hell. In the digital circus, Pomni and the other characters are trapped together, with their interpersonal frictions and Caine’s psychological manipulation causing mental anguish. The end of No Exit culminates in the characters realizing they have the option to leave, the door mysteriously opening, but all of them instead decide to stay, realizing they are incapable of breaking free from their mutual dependence and judgment. Garcin finds he cannot leave while Inez thinks he is a coward; Estelle refuses to leave because she needs Garcin to validate her existence. They realize there are no mirrors, and their "selves" only exist in the eyes of the others. Despite the obvious parallels between TADCs plotline and No Exits, this also seems to be a partial bedrock for Jax’s ideology in episode 7, when he decides to trap everyone rather than let them escape back into the real world. Jaxs’ identity has grown dependent on the others, the person hes made himself into can only exist if others are observing it, not knowing who he would be without having the others to bounce off of, not knowing who he would be once he returned to the real world, instead opting to be stuck in a hell in which he understands how to operate and which he needs in order to sustain the identity he's created for himself.