The childhood of a boss

The childhood of a boss is a short story written in 1938 by Jean-Paul Sartre .

In “The Childhood of a Boss”, Sartre describes the development of the main character “Lucien Fleurier”, the son of a factory owner who is being prepared for his later role as boss. Sartre uses this to illustrate a number of ideas that only bring his later philosophical work to full clarity.

Lucien Fleurier experienced the first uncertainty in the search for himself in early childhood. Since he is a very beautiful child with blond curls, the adults sometimes joke that he is a little girl. So the fear rises in him that they might suddenly declare him a girl. A few years later, after being called a show-off by his cousin, he concretely asks himself the question of his existence .

" Who am I? I look at the desk, I look at the notebook. My name is Lucien Fleurier, but that's just a name. I show off. I am not showing off. I don't know, there is no point. [...] "

Eventually he comes to the conclusion that he does not exist, that nothing and no one exists. The reference of his philosophy teacher to Descartes' “ Cogito ergo sum ” does not convince him, he even thinks of suicide in order to arouse other people and also to make them understand that they do not exist. Only his friendship with Berliac, a new student in his class, dissuaded him from this idea. He introduces him to psychoanalysis , whereby Lucien comes to the view that " the real Lucien [...] was buried deep in the unconscious " and one had to " ponder over him " " without ever being able to see him [...] ."

Finally, Berliac introduces him to his adult friend Bergére, with whom Lucien also talks about psychoanalysis, but who seduces him into a homosexual adventure. On the basis of this experience, Lucien turns away from psychoanalysis and is thrown back again on his old question of who he is. In this situation he lets himself be influenced again by a student in his class. Lemordant, a militant anti-Semite, advertises him for a campaign with the argument " You are French, you have the right to speak your mind ."

Lucien later joins the radical right-wing Camelots. This makes Lucien's transformation from an insecure child who is looking for the essence of himself into a stable man and future boss perfect.

" Where I was looking for myself," he thought, "I couldn't find myself." [...] 'First principle', Lucien said to himself, 'don't try to look inside yourself; there is no more dangerous mistake. ' The real Lucien - he knew that now - one had to look for in the eyes of the others, in the timid obedience of Pierrette and Guigard, [two children of his father's workers] in the hopeful expectation of all these beings who grew up and matured for him [... ]. "

In this narrative, some elements of Sartre's philosophy are very clearly recognizable. For example the search for one's own being, which is not to be searched for, but to be created. Lucien, who cannot stand this uncertainty, solves his identity problem by adopting the fascist ideology . He suppresses his doubts by beating a Jew half to death. This is what Sartre calls insincerity ; Lucien longs for the rigidity of stones and wants to prefer them to the human condition of which he is afraid. He no longer asks himself the question of who he is, but defines himself through his fixed rights, which he has been given from birth (the right to express his opinion, later to command his workers). The story closes with Lucien looking at himself in a window pane.

" But the disc just threw back a stubborn, pretty little face that wasn't terrible enough: 'I'm going to grow a mustache' "

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The childhood of a boss Rowohlt-Verlag Tb, 11th edition, ISBN 3499155176