May 2024 Paper 2: Sample Response 2 (Q1)
Question: Discuss how two works you have studied portray the concept of death
Death will eventually come for everyone. Perhaps, the certainty about death might
be what unites a multi-cultural world, where beliefs and truths differ. Although the event is
certain, there’s an ongoing debate regarding what comes after one’s death. While some
argue there’s an afterlife, others say it is over as your physical existence is gone. This debate
is depicted in “Harvest,” a 1997 play by Manjula Padmanabhan and in “No Exit,” a 1944 play
written by existentialist author Jean-Paul Sartre. In “Harvest,” Padmanabhan explores the
concept of death through the loss of the human body, as the powerful Global North
harvests the organs of Indian individuals in exchange for better quality of life in a futuristic
and dystopian Bombay. “No Exit” narrates the story of Garcia, Estelle and Inez, three
strangers locked in a room for eternity after dying on Earth. In both plays, the authors
explore their own understanding of death, motivated by their sociopolitical and philosophy
reasons. Although, the plays differ on how they convey death, they both explore the
following: how death is expected, how characters may see death as a way out, and how
characters are fearful of death and want to fight it.
First, the concept of death is presented differently by Padmanabhan and Sartre given
their personal understanding of death. In “Harvest,” death is portrayed as the loss of the
human body and the loss of an authentic identity. For example, after Jeetu is wrongly taken
by Interplanta Services to donate his organs, he comes back to his family and changes
completely. Before, in a conversation with Jaya, he had affirmed he “won’t be owned” by
Interplanta Services, refusing to join Om’s Faustian pact and to return home. After he is
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taken, however, he changes his views and beliefs and starts calling Ginni, the person
responsible for getting his eyes, an “angel.” Through this contradiction, Padmanabhan
reveals her fears of a future where powerful North American companies, represented by
Interplanta Services, will exploit and completely change the values and beliefs of the poor
Global South. Jeetu represents this contradiction as he values his freedom at the start of the
play. But somehow succumbed to the loss of Ginni. By losing his genuine identity and his
physical body, Padmanabhan argues that they are both equally dangerous and epitomize
her views on death. Alternatively, Sartre represents his existentialist views in “No Exit,”
arguing that existence precedes essence. While Padmanabhan might affirm, through
“Harvest,” that the loss of essence is a major threat to life, Sartre argues the opposite in his
play, stating that existence’s end represents death. In “No Exit,” all the characters (Garcia,
Estelle, and Inez) are already dead and meet in a replication of hell. Although Sartre himself
does not believe in hell’s existence (or heaven), he plays with the general imagination of the
time, that people go to hell if they do bad things on Earth, to reinforce his point that we are
powerless after we die. First, he introduces characters’ expectations about hell and death,
as Garcia first asks the Valet where the “torture chamber” is, representing the fears many
have about hell. In response, the Valet says that many who “have never set foot here” ask
those “silly questions,” possibly representing Sartre’s views on death and in the afterlife.
Thus, through his play, Sartre aims at demonstrating people’s views on death according to
his existentialist beliefs, depicting hell in an unusual way (a room with three couches and a
bronze ornament) and reinforcing his point that, once dead, there’s nothing one can do.
Finally, both Sartre and Padmanabhan influenced by their sociopolitical context, present
different views on what death means and its implications.
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Although the depiction of death is different in “Harvest” and “No Exit,” both authors
explore how characters see death as a way out of difficult situations. In “Harvest,”
Padmanabhan uses the character of Jaya to make a point about how, sometimes, powerless
characters may assert their agency by deciding to end their life. As the conflict with Virgil
reaches its climax, given that the antagonist wants Jaya to offer her body to him so that they
can have children, Jaya speaks up for the first time in the play and threatens to kill herself if
he doesn’t meet her in person. Her powerful statement “I win if you lose” referring to how
her death would signify Virgil’s loss and her victory, showcases Padmanabhan’s portrayal of
death as freedom. While somehow radical, she argues that death can offer comfort to a
character who has lost her entire family to Interplanta Services, ultimately epitomizing her
freedom from external coercion and freedom to exert her own agency. Similarly, Sartre
explores the idea of finding freedom in death in “No Exit.” However, while Padmanabhan
shows that freedom can be found in one’s decision to end their life, Sartre portrays this the
other way around, arguing that characters can find freedom in causing death of others. For
example, the character of Estelle is depicted as a self-centred person who can’t “bear the
idea” of someone expecting something from her, as she asserts her agency by doing “just
the opposite.” This is illustrated as she gets pregnant from her secret lover and murders the
baby after she’s born, which also leads to the suicide of her lover. This can be interpreted as
a way of achieving freedom, which differs from Padmanabhan’s portrayal of death in
“Harvest.” Therefore, it can be said that both plays explore the aspect of death as a way of
achieving freedom, but differ on the aspect of death as a way of achieving freedom and
differ on the agents and implications. While Padmanabhan focuses on how one’s decision to
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die reveals a way of being free, Sartre’s depiction is regarding how one finds freedom in
deliberately causing harm and the death of the other.
Both Sartre and Padmanabhan explore death as an unwanted event, reflecting the
anxieties of the characters facing the end of their lives. In “Harvest,” Padmanabhan explores
this aspect of death through Virgil/Ginni, a rich person who does not want to die and
therefore harvests the organs of the Prakash family to pursue eternal life. Virgil’s
determination to live forever is exemplified as he asserts his dominance against Jaya and
claims she “can’t hope to win” against him, given that he has all the necessary means to win
this dispute and achieve eternal life. This shows Padmanabhan’s concern over the possibility
of a future where organ harvesting will be somehow legal and widely practiced, especially as
it harms the Global South. Thus, the author shows how careful humankind needs to be with
the development of new technologies, as the success of one part of the world, through the
greedy pursuit of eternal life, can mean the loss of identity and exploitation of the Global
South. Thus, “Harvest” offers contemporary discussions over the development of artificial
intelligence, for example, and the possible threats and widening of inequalities this could
cause. Death, therefore, is shown as both unwanted by some with the means to avoid it and
expected by those who can’t fight global hegemonies of power. In contrast, Sartre states
that, although one might be physically dead, they still exist in people’s memories. Garcia,
obsessed with the fact his co-workers constantly talk about him, grapples with the idea of
being forever remembered as a “coward” for attempting to escape the war. First, it is
interesting to think how, although Garcia is dead, not existing physically, he still exists in
people’s mind. In comparison to “Harvest,” it can be said that the consumption of one’s
body by Interplanta Services represents the end somehow, given that people are seen
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simply as a commodity. In “No Exit,” although Garcia is remembered for negative reasons,
he persists to exist after death. In “Harvest,” Virgil takes control over Jeetu’s body and,
although Jeetu’s physical body lives, he is not there anymore. The juxtaposition between
these two plays offers an opportunity to think about how death is perceived differently by
different people, as the plays debate with each other regarding where to draw the line
between being alive or dead. Moreover, Sartre employs some irony in depicting Garcia, as
he escapes not to fight “the war” but ends up being shot “12 times” as a punishment.
Perhaps Sartre is affirming it is impossible to escape one’s fate, represented by death,
offering an existentialist perspective that motivates the viewer to enjoy life the fullest as,
after we die there is no exit.
“Harvest” and “No Exit” offer a nuanced conceptualization of death, evolving this
concept around the plays. Death, perhaps the only thing one can be sure of in life, is
presented as a way of achieving freedom and as an unwanted event everyone tries to avoid.
Although presented differently in “Harvest” and “No Exit,” through the loss of identity and
the end of things, respectively, death is portrayed in a way that reflects the anxieties and
views of both authors. Death is unwanted, a weapon, and the ultimate anxiety that might
affect all cultures. Both Sartre and Padmanabhan offer relevant and contemporary insights
about death that drives the viewer to value their freedom, genuine identity, and live life to
the fullest. Once gone, life is done.
Word count: 1542
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