Work · Jean-Paul Sartre
Dirty Hands
Hugo is ordered to assassinate a communist leader whose strategy appears to betray revolutionary purity. Retrospective narration unsettles the act's motives.
Understanding the text
Seven scenes in a fictional country examine commitment, compromise and political violence.
Key points
- 01
Purity
Rejecting all compromise can preserve self-image at the expense of effectiveness.
- 02
Motives
Conviction, rivalry and circumstances mingle rather than providing one transparent cause.
- 03
History
A changed party line retrospectively alters an act's official meaning.
How to read it
Compare Hugo and Hoederer without assuming either simply represents Sartre's own position.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗