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.
Camus’ use of religion as a motif emphasises the absurdity of seeking solace in it, triggering Meursault’s heroism through his disbelief in God. Meursault refuses to fall under the absurd influence of religion. The magistrate “took out a silver crucifix which he brandished” in front of Meursault in hopes of evoking a religious birth in him. But Meursault understands that he “[is] the criminal” and no amount of repenting to God will free him from his death sentence (68). The magistrate’s views, differ, however. According to him, life revolves around God and “if he were ever to doubt it, his life would become meaningless” (69). Meursault argues that no amount of repenting and praying will save “the most wretched” individual from their ultimate fate: death (119). Meursault therefore deems it absurd and unrealistic to turn to religion for
Meursault is unwilling to accept religion and proclaims himself an atheist as he will not let religion hinder his belief that the world is
Eventually, the prosecutor completes his goal of condemning Meursault to death. Before dying, Meursault heavily reflect upon his life. Although never showing signs of faith towards any certain religion, he is accused of being the antichrist and is almost forced by the chaplain to rely on god during his last moments. The chaplain tells him “Every man I have known in your position has turned to Him” (116) At the beginning of the book when Madam Meursault is being buried, Meursault is told that she wanted a religious funeral even though Meursault never remembered her as religious. “While not atheist, Maman had never in her life given a thought to religion” (6).
Heroism is difficult to achieve in literature, but some readers get exposed to a handful of characters who exhibit Heroism in many different forms. What does it mean to be heroic? Heroism is shown through fiction as heroes killing the bad guys and using powers, but heroes can do all these things simply without the gimmicky controls. However, how can someone indeed be heroic in a real-life setting? Heroism is ultimately just doing something for others/the world.
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.
Camus interest in exploring “the nakedness of man faced with the absurd” was evident through the main character, Meursault as he took us through the phases
Camus outlines this argument in The Stranger through the nihilistic anti-hero Meursault. Throughout the novel, Meursault exhibits very little emotion, which only filters into the protagonist’s stream of consciousness when he expresses physical discomfort or social frustration. The detachment from the world around him makes him a case study for one’s personal quest to find his/her own purpose. Camus’s secular approach deviated from contemporary understanding and challenged the existentialist and religious ideologies that preceded
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.
In the Novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, the story Depicts the life of Meursault a man who lives a pretty normal life. In this essay I will be talking about Mr Salamano and his dog. I think that Salamano is a pretty interesting character because because his style is comparable to his dog. He has scabs on his face and talks to himself and his dog sometimes. The only friend that Salamano has is his dog and Meursault, but Meursault is friends with everyone.
In The Stranger, the crucifix appears to represent Christianity, a religion that Monsieur Meursault refuses to believe in or accept. Additionally, it represents rational beliefs that the magistrate attempts to thrust upon Meursault. He wants Meursault to accept God so that his sin will be forgiven. However, Meursault rejects the notion that his life have any significance or rational explanation.
Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a novel that takes place in the 1960’s within the walls of a mental institution. The main character, Chief, tells the story without speaking through a majority of the book. The Chief is not the hero of Kesey’s. A man by the name of McMurphy is the hero of the world crafted by Ken Kesey and his villain is a woman by the name of Miss. Ratched, or Big Nurse. Patrick McMurphy comes to the mental institution in order to get away from his life on a farm.
In The Stranger, Camus uses character Mersault to illustrate that life is an absurd and pointless by the reaction to his mother’s death, the interaction with his friends, the treatment with
(59) After long passages describing the painful violence of the sun, Camus’s transition into the murder is shockingly abrupt, provoking a sense of bewilderment at the unexpected randomness of the murder, conveying effectively the irrationality of Meursault’s murder of the man. However, during the trial, when Meursault reveals that he murdered the Arab only because of the sun, refusing to allow others impose their logical but false interpretations upon his life, “people laughed” (103) and even his own “lawyer threw up his hand” (103) as they are unable comprehend and accept such an irrational motivation. To protect themselves from this harsh reality of the universe, they can only fabricate and impose their own logical explanation for Meursault’s behavior. The prosecutor, for instance, is convinced Meursault murdered the man in cold blood, certain in the narrative he has constructed out of events completely unrelated to the murder, from Meursault’s “ignorance when asked Maman’s age” (99) to his association with a man of “doubtful morality” (99). In both cases, Meursault’s indifference for societal standards of morality has painted him as a man immoral and cold-hearted enough to premeditate the murder.
Following Kafka’s footsteps, Albert Camus highlights the scarcity of true liberation in his novel, The Stranger. Punished for his stolid attitude at Maman’s funeral, Meursault is found
As the French, absurdist philosopher Albert Camus once said, “Being different is not a bad thing. It means you are brave enough to be yourself.” That summed up with our topic, which is absurdity through human existence, a human being should tolerate the absurd condition of human existence. Albert Camus introduces Meursault the protagonist and narrator of the book The Stranger, who is a stranger through society eyes and the title point out his personality in the world of absurdity. Meursault is indifferent and alienates young man to others.
Father Paneloux is criticized by the other clergymen for consulting and working with a doctor, as they believe it is “illogical for a priest to call in a doctor” (Camus, 229). Due to this ridicule, Father Paneloux initially denies hospital care when he falls ill, however he soon “[submits] passively to the treatment given him” (Camus, 233). Had Father Paneloux shown unwavering belief in God, he would never have permitted himself to be treated. In this way, Camus shows a significant shift in Father Paneloux’s character. First introduced as a man holding the belief that God holds him above the wrongdoers of Oran, Father Paneloux is later presented by Camus as a man doubting God’s existence, helpless and unhelpful in the fight against the plague.