Simone de Beauvoir

Author: Gao Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-05-01
Features: Simone de Beauvoir's emotional world is rich and diverse. She achieved both exhilaration and enduring love, which enabled her to create timeless works. Through her intermittent encounters, I finally gained a glimpse of the woman I admire. Simone de Beauvoir, a woman unlike any other in the world, one who was utterly devoted to love. Through her lifelong love pact with Sartre, as understood by ordinary people, Sartre was surrounded by women, while Simone also had a few heartbroken lovers. Their unique declaration of love allowed two vibrant individuals to embrace an open and free sexual perspective, yet they remained acutely aware of each other's supreme status. This divine status enabled them to resist countless external temptations and ultimately return to the spiritual and physical connection between them. Perhaps this unique approach fully awakened their desire and curiosity to interpret life. Their relationship went beyond ordinary romantic love, delving into a deeper level of understanding, achieving a state of "none other than you, yet also you."
On Simone de Beauvoir, gentleness, openness, resilience, and intelligence converged—no wonder Sartre believed she possessed the essential qualities he sought in a woman. It is therefore understandable that despite Sartre's deep involvement with other women at times, none could compare to his relationship with Simone. On the other hand, she was also one of France's most outstanding contemporary women, her talent rivaling that of Sartre. What remains baffling is how two brilliant geniuses, when brought together, did not compromise their beliefs for the sake of convention. Instead, they remained close friends and lifelong companions in their struggles. They could openly share their new affections but remained steadfast in their devotion to their old loves, leaving others to wonder how they balanced and reconciled their complex relationships. The men and women around them eventually left, unable to endure the pain of long-distance love or the hopelessness of unfulfilled romance.
Of course, Simone and Sartre were no different from ordinary people. When they stepped outside the bounds of convention to pursue passionate love, they too burned with new affections but ultimately remained bound by their love pact. Thus, in exploring the emotional journey of Simone and Sartre, the answer is unequivocally clear: the genius of novelty and the faith in their initial vow. Only in genuine fusion could they build an unbreakable fortress of love—absolute loyalty to each other and relative freedom. It is this extraordinary nature that made their love lives so legendary and thought-provoking, crafting a love myth unlike any other in history.
If we were to apply the Chinese "zodiac theory," I would guess Simone was a Snake, destined for a passionate love. She completed so many diverse and influential works in her lifetime: novels, essays, philosophical papers, sociological surveys, and more. Financially, she remained independent, completely unattached to men. She traveled the world, indulging in the finest sights and tastes life had to offer. In this regard, I was suddenly reminded of the late Sanmao. She too wrote much and traveled far, but the only difference was that Sanmao was a weary night owl starved for love, while Simone was a girl weaving dreams in Sartre's timeless love, even as she entered menopause in her forties. Yet, young men still flocked to her.
As women who loved freedom, Simone was luckier than Sanmao. With Sartre, she found the security every woman craves, while Sanmao remained at most a spiritual wanderer. It follows that a talented woman who is emotionally rich but only a passerby in love would live a life as solitary and heavy as the one depicted by Zhang Jie. Men can clearly distinguish between sex, love, and marriage, but as Simone said: "When a woman falls, she is destined to be enslaved." This seems to echo the feeling I experienced in my novel a few years ago: a woman's world is no larger than a bed. Given that women are born without tails, they can only endure and submit.
Simone's emotional world was rich and diverse. She achieved both exhilaration and enduring love, which enabled her to create timeless works. What thrilled me was not their fifty-year love story but their intellectual rivalry, mutual complementarity, and growing in understanding life's joys, as well as the collision and attraction of true love, making them true giants in the eyes of future generations. They did not despair after parting ways; instead, each separation was an opportunity to reignite their passion. When they converged in time and space, they were utterly unrestrained. Through this, Simone braved war zones during World War II to meet Sartre, demonstrating a woman's boundless courage—a testament to her willingness to give her all to love. In this sense, women are braver and stronger than men.
When I gently closed Simone de Beauvoir's biography, I felt as though I had glimpsed the gallery of a deeply devoted woman's love. In every relationship, she did not weep or plead to marry her beloved, nor did she remain faithful for life—even when Sartre proposed, she remained steadfast. Such composure required extraordinary resolve. How could she not have been overwhelmed when rejecting the proposal of a man she deeply loved, who had promised her eternal devotion and soul connection? Who would say she didn’t worry about aging and being abandoned by Sartre?
True love is not a one-time event in life. But history has answered all these questions. Simone may have transcended convention, understanding that true love can only happen once. Her calmness and serenity were what captivated Sartre, enabling them to achieve a state of "none other than you, yet also you"—a self that was both separate and united, bound together for eternity. Thus, only a woman as extraordinary as Simone could match Sartre, for she was the only one. The women around Sartre—Teresa, Olga, and Hélène—would ultimately fade into oblivion. The unwavering love interest of Sartre remained Simone—the woman he cherished above all else. Such a woman was no longer just human but divine.
Once transformed from human to divine, after enduring countless heart-wrenching transformations, she learned to look upon the world with kindness. By being kind to herself, she became tolerant of all around her. Suddenly, Simone’s life reflected an ancient truth: without adversity, wisdom cannot be gained. No wonder that along the path of growth, one often achieves enlightenment only after suffering. The enlightenment of a genius lies in having experienced pain once, ensuring they never repeat the same mistake.
In Simone’s world, interpreting her personal life, though time has passed, I can only intuitively perceive her brilliance and radiance as a woman. I believe that as a woman, I can at least learn from her emotional journey the pursuit of spiritual fulfillment and the indulgence of desire—a true quest for happiness. Her greatness does not simply lie in her unique relationship with Sartre—neither as his wife nor his lover, yet both. As they cherished each other as the eternal unique ones, they were never without beautiful temptations around them. What is truly difficult to understand is how they stood on opposite ends of the emotional scale, playing their own games, yet their pursuits ultimately gave way to their endless dedication to their careers. Without a doubt, they regarded each other as the indispensable one in both love and life.
In their choices of multiple partners, both physical and emotional, they did not lose themselves to beautiful encounters but held each other close, sharing warmth. They were truly soulmates. Thus, they lived a life beyond the ordinary. Because of this, I believe they were able to inspire and support each other, becoming the ultimate readers of each other’s works. More importantly, they were honest and open, bound together for a lifetime without a single contract. Their freedom gave their love a dizzying glow. In other words, within the limits of their freedom, they indulged in life but never forgot to be gentle with each other. Because of Sartre, Simone was born; because of Simone, Sartre’s stature was elevated. If anyone else had been in their place, it would have been just another ordinary, conventional story. Otherwise, they would have been trapped in the tedious cycle of "not you, not me."