A society contained to a set of principles punishes the non-conformers this is what sociology calls social control; when conformity is rewarded, and non-conformity is punished. This is represented in Albert Camus ' The Stranger aptly named as Meursault the main character doesn 't abide by general societal norms and rather than getting convicted for the murder he did commit he feels he is sentenced because of not loving his mother as society expects and, in a way, he is. Through Meursault 's actions of killing the unnamed Arab, helping Raymond, not grieving his mother, and having no true wants but basic primal necessities the reader can consider him immoral or evil from his violence; however, with the full presentation of his character which the reader experiences, as Meursault is the narrator, when he is imprisoned the reader reacts more sympathetically than they would if they had been one of the jury members.
The author of The Stranger, Albert Camus, used unprecedented craft in order to develop the characters as well as the plot. In The Stranger, there were several portions of the author’s craft such as symbolism, motifs, figurative language, juxtapositions, diction and Meursault’s characterization in which developed throughout the work, more in the last passage, that contributed to the reader’s interpretation of the work. Although these explicit fragments of the author’s craft were utilized throughout the work, within the last passage, they were essentially employed for the reader to be competent to further assimilate the significance these literary devices throughout the work.
Holden Caulfield has a Nihilist view on the world where he lives in the beginning of the novel but later develops a more ethical view. In the beginning of the novel, Holden believes that the world is out to get him, so he alienates himself for protection Holden brings forth his hunting hat as a method for protection, “‘This is a people shooting hat,’ I said. ‘I shoot people in this hat.’” (Salinger, 22) Holden’s hunting hat is the strongest symbol in the novel. It gives Holden protection from people who could be potentially harmful to him. Whenever he is afraid or anxious he regresses and puts on his hunting hat for comfort. This anxiety is triggered by memories from his past. The world has stepped on him and beat him down, so now he uses
2. Summary: Meursault, a shipping clerk living in Algiers, receives news of his mother's death. After hearing about the death of his mother, he travels to the nursing home that that he put her in after no longer being able to financially provide for the both of them. Unlike the traditional response to death by grieving for the deceased, Meursault continues on with his daily tasks as if his mother had never died. During a trip with Raymond and Marie, Meursault shoots the Arab, the brother of the mistress that cheated on Raymond, and is imprisoned. Meursault is eventually convicted and sentenced to death because of his inability to conform to the societal expectations of French Algeria in the 1940’s.
The Stranger, written by Albert Camus, It follows the story of our tragic hero, Meursault, shortly after his mother dies through the events that lead to him being sentenced to death. Camus uses the motif of weather to express Meursault’s emotions. The Stranger shows how even when a person does not explicitly express emotion they are shown in some way. How emotions are expressed is a window to a person's personality. I will first discuss how Meursault appears emotionless, than how Camus uses the motif of weather to express Meursault’s emotions for him and lastly what impact this makes.
The Stranger is a novel written by Albert Camus and was published in 1942. It follows the story of Meursault, an indifferent French Algerian, and his actions leading to his eventual death. Camus, a French philosopher, author, and journalist most notably renowned for his philosophy of absurdism, distributes a recurring theme of existentialism and absurdism throughout the novel, and heavily does so in passages that serve the most significance to the story. One of the most important passages within the novel is when Meursault repeatedly defies the chaplain in the cell. It serves as a pinnacle for the entire story, and grants readers a look into the main characters state of mind. In this passage, Meursault comes to a dramatic realization of who he is through an existential epiphany, and with thorough analysis the overall significance of the passage to the story is revealed.
Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a human being without malicious intent. In the book The Stranger by Albert Camus, the main character is accused of murdering a man on the beach and sentenced to death by guillotine. A more fitting verdict for this crime would be manslaughter, due to lack of malicious forethought. Meursault, the main character, shows sociopathic tendencies throughout the book. He also goes to the beach where he murders the man without knowing the man would be there. The Arab who Meursault shot had already slashed Meursault’s friend with his knife and during the second encounter, the Arab took his knife out again, so Meursault fired at him. To completely understand why Meursault is not guilty of murder, one must understand
With only a cursory glance, it seems impossible to answer. To properly understand this question, it is first important to ascertain what “matter” means. Arguably, what matters is subjective to each person. There is no absolute definition and thus, value in itself is reliant upon the individual. It is an age old question, however, it has a multitude of different variables. Through the novel The Stranger, author Albert Camus writes with existentialist undertones to analyze the value of human life.
What if life contributed to no meaning and the only point which matters is the existence happening during the present? To make things worse, as humans live, they breath, but as they die a salvation is received to their soul, and their existence is over. The Stranger by Albert Camus illustrates that the human soul exists in the world physically, therefore the presence or absence does not contribute to any particular event in life. Through, this thought the novel introduces Meursault, who alienates himself from society. He lacks concern for social conventions and is deprived of the physical bounding from people around him. Through the use of diction and symbolism; Camus reveals Meursault’s is apathetic towards his bonding with others and unable
Ryan Pomeroy Billy Goehrig Disc. @10 on Friday Absurdity in Actuality Everything you can comprehend is nothingness compared to infinity. How has the human race come to handle such a truth? Passing hopes, dreams, and desires look nothing more than absurd moments in time. A mere blink in the eyes of existence. How
At the beginning of the book Meursault showed lack of feeling at Maman’s funeral, drinks coffee and smokes next to his mother’s coffin, which shows disrespect to his mother. Psychological reasons for him showing no remorse is the he is a sociopath. Behaviors of sociopath include antisocial attitudes and behaviors
There are multiple conflicts between the individual and their corresponding society. As an example, Meursault, from The Stranger, is set apart from society for his actions. He has a bland conscience, little to no emotion about his environment, and has odd reasonings for his judgement. Meursault is an unconventional character and lives with a melancholy cloud above his head. Meursault 's psyche is different from that of society. He has nihilist outlooks and lack of sentiment, especially towards death and marriage, all serving as a challenge to society 's accepted values. Unlike the others around him, Meursault does not take emotion into consideration when making decisions, rather he relies purely on logic. He is
To even come close to ascertaining some meaning of what a purposeful life may be, one must determine what is important to them. In Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, the main character Meursault, experiences what the text identifies as a problem. It argues that Meursault's problem lies in his
In The Stranger by Albert Camus, the protagonist Meursault represents Camus’ atheistic existentialist mindset by depicting emotional and psychological detachment from the world. Not only does Meursault symbolizes Camus’ atheistic existentialist beliefs, he also exemplifies Camus’ argument that “nothing matters.” Meursault’s display of apathy towards societal standards such as his indifference to his mother’s death, his deviant behavior in his relationships with Marie, Solomon, and Raymond, and his immoral action of killing the Arab highlight Camus’ atheist existentialist perspective.
In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, the author’s absurdist views of life are reflected through the main character Meursault. The reader follows Meursault from his mother’s funeral to his own death, as he exerts his indifference to the world around him. Camus’s employment of motifs represent Meursault’s consciousness of absurdity in a world where everything fails to retain meaning. Nevertheless, humans still seek value in their lives from surrealalities; absurdities that are incapable of immortalising humans. The motifs of religion, judgement, and death inspire Meursault’s heroism through his sincerity and rejection of these absurd social norms.