Nausea

What is the connection between Bouville and Le Havre? Is Le Havre simple set-dressing for Nausea or is there a more substantial purpose in using it as a basis for Bouville? Research and connect Le Havre to the details about Bouville given throughout the novel. Pay particular attention to the socioeconomic layout of the city and its economy in relation to Bouville.

How does time and the dating of diary entries function within Nausea? How might Antoine’s use of dating and marking his entries via time reflect his changing mental state and thoughts about the world?

What role do women play in Antoine’s life? How does this role relate to the novel’s main themes of existentialist philosophy?

How does Antoine’s sense of adventure relate to Anny’s ideas of perfect moments? Are the two the same or are they different altogether?

What does music mean to Antoine? How does the jazz song he listens to in the Railwaymen’s Rendezvous relate to his struggles with existence?

If Antoine is incapable of objectively portraying Rollebon, what might Sartre be arguing about our conceptions of history? What are the broader complications of Antoine’s ideas about the past?

Why does Antoine believe that the elite of Bouville have a right to exist? What do rights and privilege mean when Antoine frames existence as contingent and not a right?

Analyze a scene where Antoine goes into great detail about the movements and appearances of other people’s bodies (such as the scene with the Self-Taught Man at the end). What is the purpose of such minute attention to detail? Why does Antoine use overtly grotesque or sexual imagery to relate the actions and appearances of other people?