Individuality In The Stranger

Absurdity as proven through Individuality

How is “Individuality” depicted in the work you have studied and what is its significance?

Individuality. Individuality is what makes each person unique and separates each singularity from the billions of others who occupy this world. A person’s individuality gives introspect as to who they are and what they stand for to those who look upon them from the outside. It is through a person’s individuality, constructed by the morals, experiences, preferences, and knowledge they have gained, that they derive their own meaning to life. In The Stranger, written by Albert Camus, Camus explores differences in individuality and provides a link between the idea of individuality and the concept of absurdism through

Early in The Stranger, readers are introduced to Marie, the love interest of protagonist Meursault, and are given an insight as to the type of person she is and how her individuality affects her perspective on life. In The Stranger,Camus writes, “That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to. Then she wanted to know if I loved her. I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t love her. ‘So why marry me, then?’ she said. I explained to her that it didn’t really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married. Besides, she was the one who was doing the asking and all I was saying was yes. The she pointed out that marriage was a serious thing. I said, ‘No.’ She stopped talking for a minute and looked at me without saying anything. Then she spoke. She just wanted to know if I would have accepted the same proposal from another woman, with whom I was involved in the same way. I said, ‘Sure.’ Then she said she wondered if she loved me, and there was no way I could know about that” (41-42). Marie is quite contrary to Meursault although not completely a polar opposite. Marie, unlike Meursault, searches for superficial meanings in life and relies heavily on attributing actions,

From the moment that the chaplain is introduced, a sharp contrast between Meursault and him can be made and it becomes blatant that the chaplain is a polar opposite to Meursault. Through the chaplain’s own individuality and character, it becomes plainly obvious as to the meaning the chaplain has asserted to life. In The Stranger, Camus writes, “But suddenly he raised his head and looked straight at me. ‘ Why have you refused to see me?’ he asked. I said that I didn’t believe in God. He wanted to know if I was sure and I said that I didn’t see any reason to ask myself that question: it seemed unimportant. [...] ‘Yes, my son,’ he said, putting his hand on my shoulder, ‘I am on your side. But you have no way of knowing it, because your heart is blind. I shall pray for you’” (116-120). The chaplain is very religious and so religion has played a large role in shaping his identity and development as a person thus giving him his own individuality quite different from the other characters of the novel. Due to the chaplain being religious, his meaning to life is to try and please God in order to get to heaven. Through this concept of religion, the chaplain uses religion as a way to escape consequence and reality and give meaning to an inherently meaningless life. This can be further seen in instances such as when Camus writes, “ According to him [the chaplain], human justice was nothing and divine