Volume 3, Issue 9, September 2022
Joe Giordano
Pages 38-43
French Connection
Is the honestly lived life always the best? What if it leads to a life of hardship and poverty? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, the narrator is transported to 1940’s Paris and is invited to have coffee with Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Paul Sartre, and Albert Camus. They discuss with her over coffee their ideas on the meaning and purpose of life, consistent with the opinions of the historical figures. Each comment they make ties into the decision the narrator is struggling with in her own time, if she should choose the college major she wants, disappointing her parents and creating a potential life of struggle, or should she attempt to construct a life of personal meaning and value? After a few minutes, she realizes the decision she must make.