Chaiyartet 1

Nicholas Chaiyartet

Professor Cody Grey

ENG 5 Section 5

3 March 2017

Simone de Beauvoir

Born on January 9, 1908 in the city of Paris, Simone de Beauvoir is a famous French

writer, philosopher, and feminist known for her unique lifestyle and series of books on feminism

and the patriarchy. In her childhood, she was very pious and originally wanted to be a nun when

she grew up. But in her teen years, she had a change of faith and declared herself an atheist.

Instead of becoming a nun, she instead went to Sorbonne University to get an education and

become a teacher. There she met Jean-Paul Sartre, who would form a romantic partnership with.

Jean-Paul suggested that they get married, but Simone surprisingly declined and suggested that

they kept their relationship open so that they could see other people (Menand). Though they did

see other people, this agreement resulted in a long lasting bond between the two that lasted for as

long as they lived.

During the advent of World War 2, Sartre had been drafted into the French army while de

Beauvoir was a teacher of philosophy and literature. When Germany conquered and occupied

France, Sartre was captured and luckily dismissed back into civilian life while de Beauvoir was

dismissed from her occupation as a teacher due to accusations of debauchery with her students

(Biography.com). As a result of de Beauvoirs loss of a teaching license, she took to beginning

her literary career instead. Both had also contributed in the French resistance movement during

the occupation of France.

 Chaiyartet 2

Over the course of Simone de Beauvoirs life, she released many books including She

Came to Stay in 1943, Adieu: Farewell to Sartre in 1981, and her most famous work: The

Second Sex published in 1949.

Simone de Beauvoirs first major book, She Came to Stay, is an examination of

existential ideals through the example of the love triangle she had with Sartre and a woman

named Olga Kosakiewicz during the 1930s. As Beauvoir and Sartre agreed, they would keep an

open relationship in which they could see others. This agreement was completely mutual and was

not bound by any sort of laws. Despite this, Beauvoir still kept feelings of jealousy. With the

publication of this book, their two became minor celebrities in reaction to the intensity of their

sexual freedom to be with others. Beauvoir and Sartre initially took part in their sexual conquests

together, but shortly after World War II, sexual jealousy and independency resulted in them

temporarily separating to have their own affairs, beginning in 1945 where Sartre goes to the

United States to seduce a Frenchwoman (Menand).

It was during this time The Second Sex critiqued the state of women as second-class

citizens in a patriarchal society, and delivers commentary on the positions and professions that

women fill in a society. The book was met with great controversy as critics tried to deem the

topic of the book as pornographic. The controversy goes so far as to result in the Vatican placing

it on their list of banned books, dissuading Catholics from reading this book. Despite this, the

book continued still sold tens of thousands of copies in the first few weeks of its publishing in

Europe. For the first English translation of the French-written book, the translation was very poor

and very heavily diluted or inverted the meaning of Beauvoirs work. A faithful English

translation wouldnt be available until the year 2009; 60 years after the books first publication.
 Chaiyartet 3

In the History segment of The Second Sex, Beauvoir recounts the formations of

settlements and farming from nomadic tribes and the roles of women before and after the

creation of civilizations. She attempts to examine the social standing and situation of women in

civilizations and seems to come to a claim here:

To say that woman was the Other is to say that a relationship of reciprocity between the

sexes did not exist: whether Earth, Mother, or Goddess, she was never a peer for man; her

power asserted itself beyond human rule: she was thus outside of this rule. Society has

always been male; political power has always been in mens hands. Political authority,

or simply social authority, always belongs to men, Lvi-Strauss affirms at the end

of his study of primitive societies. (Beauvoir, 105)

When Beauvoir refers to the Other, she refers to the concept of female fertility and

reproduction, and that it has been basically separated from the concepts of law and order no

matter what region or culture it comes from. Beauvoir takes and develops upon the theses of

many other researchers and writers and applies them to her own work, including Lvi-Strauss

who was an anthropologist. Throughout The Second Sex, Beauvoir seems to have a tone that

seems to imply that the inferiority of women to men is a constant, but does acknowledge that

work alone and guarantee her freedom (Beauvoir, 813) in which a woman takes care of herself

instead of marrying to and living under the rules of a man. Another one of the many topics that

Beauvoir focuses on is the existence of the concept of pure women in contrast to the existence

of prostitutes and whores, maintaining that prostitutes are scapegoats for other women to make

them seem more pure (Beauvoir, 680). Despite the topic, The Second Sex doesnt particularly

contain a call to action for women to follow, and largely acts much like a documentary or

encyclopedia that walks one through the history of women. Through this, The Second Sex does
 Chaiyartet 4

pave a background regarding the social placement of women in society for which others can

develop their own theses on.

Following the publication of The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir then became an icon

of feminism during the 1950s and onward. She participated in rallies, lectures, and generally

fueled the new feminist movement for equal rights in the workplace and as individuals. In

addition, Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre still heeded their open relationship and came back to

visit and talk to each other in cafes (Girdner). While their sexual interest in each other and in

general had diminished over the years as they grew older, the two still remained together as

soulmates unbound by any sort of law or formal contract; an agreement entirely comprised of

trust that lasted for about fifty years. Simone de Beauvoir continued publishing books on various

matters. But when Sartre died on April 15, 1980; Simone de Beauvoir published another book

dedicated to him titled: Adieux: Farewell to Sartre. It was comprised of the last ten years of

Sartres life as Simone de Beauvoir came to know him and his various accomplishments as a

fellow writer and philosopher. Much of the conversations shown in the book showed the two

reminiscing on their sexual tendencies in the past and how blunt but consenting they were in

their conversations (Gale Virtual Reference Library). In just five more years, Simone de

Beauvoir also passed away on April 14, 1986. She and Jean-Paul Sartre were both buried in

Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris; where the two share a grave and a headstone together.

Simone de Beauvoirs works were the culmination of her entire life and the experiences

shes had throughout. Starting with her religious conservative upbringing and her spiritual crisis

that marked the beginnings of her eventual career as an existential philosopher. Then came her

meeting with Jean-Paul Sartre and the start of their infamous relationship of sexual freedom and

trust. While the relationship came with emotional difficulties at times, the two managed to
 Chaiyartet 5

maintain their bond until the end of their lives. These emotional struggles gave Beauvoir the

experience to write and release her most famous work, The Second Sex. Simone de Beauvoirs

alternative lifestyle drew the attention of many eyes, and along with the publication of The

Second Sex, let her become a large focal point in the womens rights movement of the 1950s.

As I researched Simone de Beauvoir, I initially felt that she was an old character of a time that
passed, but I realize that shes extremely relevant to the political scene today. She lived an eye-
catching life full of pleasure and nuances between social conduct, ignoring the basic struggles of
work and toil for the much more complex difficulties of existing in a society. In reference to the
relatively recent LGBT movement, I wonder what she would think of transgender people. One of
her most famous quotes from The Second Sex is One is not born, but rather becomes, woman.
No biological, psychic, or economic destiny defines the figure that the human female takes on in
society. (de Beauvoir, 330) While the subject of transgender people was not very well known in
those times, this quote feels very relevant today. If such a philosophical leader was still alive
today, it would be very interesting to see her react to these changing of times.
 Chaiyartet 6

Works Cited

Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex. New York: Vintage Books 1989, c1952. Print.

Girdner, Ashlee. Jean Paul Sartre & Simone De Beauvoir: An Existential Love Affair.

Bonjour Paris, 21 May 2015, bonjourparis.com/memoirs/jean-paul-sartre-simone-de-

beauvoir-existential-lo/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2017.

Menand, Louis. Stand By Your Man The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 11 Sept. 2014,

www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/09/26/stand-by-your-man. Accessed 10 Mar. 2017.

Simone De Beauvoir. Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 29 Apr. 2016,

www.biography.com/people/simone-de-beauvoir-9269063. Accessed 10 Mar. 2017.

Simone de Beauvoir. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 4, Gale, 2004, pp. 440-441.

Gale Virtual Reference Library, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?

p=GVRL&sw=w&u=csus_main&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE

%7CCX3404701697&asid=0b0735a6d1ef7df089095748e33a55b8. Accessed 10 Mar.

2017.