Editing The Myth of Sisyphus (section)

===Chapter 4: The Myth of Sisyphus===
[[Image:Punishment sisyph.jpg|thumb|right|230px|alt= Painting of Sisyphus by Titian |''Sisyphus'' by [[Titian]], 1549]]
In the last chapter, Camus outlines the legend of [[Sisyphus]] who defied the gods and put Death in chains so that no human needed to die. When Death was eventually liberated and it came time for Sisyphus himself to die, he concocted a deceit which let him escape from the [[underworld]]. After finally capturing Sisyphus, the gods decided that his punishment would last for all eternity. He would have to push a rock up a mountain; upon reaching the top, the rock would roll down again, leaving Sisyphus to start over. Camus sees Sisyphus as the absurd hero who lives life to the fullest, hates death, and is condemned to a meaningless task.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Myth of Sisyphus |url=https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/sisyphus/summary/ |website=Sparknotes |access-date=9 December 2019}}</ref>

Camus presents Sisyphus's ceaseless and pointless toil as a [[metaphor]] for modern lives spent working at futile jobs in factories and offices. "The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is tragic only at the rare moments when it becomes [[conscious]]."

Camus is interested in Sisyphus's thoughts when marching down the mountain, to start anew. After the stone falls back down the mountain Camus states that "It is during that return, that pause, that Sisyphus interests me. A face that toils so close to stones is already stone itself! I see that man going back down with a heavy yet measured step toward the torment of which he will never know the end." This is the truly tragic moment when the hero becomes conscious of his wretched condition. He does not have hope, but "there is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn." Acknowledging the truth will conquer it; Sisyphus, just like the absurd man, continues pushing. Camus claims that when Sisyphus acknowledges the futility of his task and the certainty of his fate, he is freed to realize the absurdity of his situation and to reach a state of contented acceptance.  With a nod to the similarly cursed [[Greek hero]] [[Oedipus]], Camus concludes that "all is well," continuing "one must imagine Sisyphus happy."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Myth of Sisyphus |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Myth-of-Sisyphus |website=Britannica |access-date=9 December 2019}}</ref>