Nothingness simile
At the heart of existentialism is the idea of nothingness. This is something Sartre emphasizes in the following powerful simile:
“Nothingness lies coiled in the heart of being - like a worm.”
Carrying the weight of the world
Sartre uses a metaphor to describe the struggles of life, describing these struggles as being like carrying the "weight of the world":
“I must be without remorse or regrets as I am without excuse; for from the instant of my upsurge into being, I carry the weight of the world by myself alone without help."
"We are anguish"
The following metaphor describes humans as being anguish. This emphasizes the fact that to live is to suffer, according to Sartre:
“It is certain that we cannot escape anguish, for we are anguish.”
Time metaphor
Sartre uses a metaphor to describe how issues become easier to deal with as time passes:
“Time gnaws and wears away; it separates; it flies. And by virtue of separation - by separating man from his pain or from the object of his pain - time cures.”
Life is a useless passion
Sartre uses a short and succinct metaphor to describe the essence of life, saying that it is "a useless passion." This explains Sartre's view that life is essentially meaningless but also incredibly emotional.
