The Myth of Sisyphus is an essay on the absurd. It is a part of Camus’ cycle of the absurd, which came before his cycle of revolt, along with the novel The Stranger and the plays Caligula and The Misunderstanding.
The Myth of Sisyphus suggests that suicide becomes a consideration when man realises the absurdity of the world, which is to say that existence is devoid of all meaning. According to Camus, although it would not solve the problem, suicide would put an end to man’s struggle with the world. It is precisely in the meaninglessness of the world that the meaning of our existence can be found.
Sisyphus, the Greek mythological hero condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain which constantly rolls back down again, is the very image of the human condition for Camus. According to the writer, man must face this destiny with dignity, because he can live happily in the absurd if he does so in full conscience of it.