Existentialism And Absurdism In The Stranger, By Albert Camus
In his novel The Stranger, Albert Camus creates an emotionally incapable, narcissistic, and, at times, sociopathic character named Meursault to explore and expose his philosophies of Existentialism and Absurdism. Throughout the story Meursault follows a philosophical arc that, while somewhat extreme - from unemotional and passive to detached and reckless to self-reflective - both criticizes the dependent nature of human existence and shows the journey through the absurd that is our world. In the onset of The Stranger, following his mother’s death, Meursault acts with close to utter indifference and detachment. While the rest of “maman’s”(9) loved ones express their overwhelming grief, Meursault remains unphased and, at times, annoyed at their …show more content…
Scanning through his past several years, he returns to his mother’s death and analyzes her choice to seek a lover at the end of her life. While before he thought it was strange and even somewhat aggravating, he realizes now, being so close to death, that people will enter a desperate search for meaning when their time left is fleeting. But at the same time, he reasons potentially as a coping mechanism, there is no difference whether he dies by execution later that day or in 40 years because he will be dying all the same. Together, these two realizations, though somewhat contradictory, create his bridge to Existentialism. By establishing these two points, he can allow himself to, “open up to the gentle indifference of the world - finding it so much like himself”(122), and apply whatever meaning he wants to life in order to make it as rich and enjoyable as desired, rather than drifting along as a pitiful being waiting for some greater power to guide him along. Essentially, though he still remains behind bars and is awaiting his execution, he is more free than ever before because he has allowed himself to be so. By choosing what he assigns meaning to, he manages to have complete control over an uncontrollable existence and if things don’t work out the way he hoped, then f**k it; he had no
Click here to unlock this and over one million essays
Show MoreMeursault Quotes
671 Words | 3 PagesThe battle for existence is what drives Meursault to connect more to the physical world. In The Stranger by Albert Camus, there’s a young, detached man named Meursault living in French Algiers. At the beginning of the novel, Meursault receives a telegram, which informs him of his mother’s death. He acts calm during and after the funeral and frolics around with his girlfriend, Marie. While on the beach with his friends, they are suddenly confronted by Arabs and get into a fight.
Meursault's Apathy
1542 Words | 7 PagesA character’s personality and attitude greatly affects others’ perceptions of himself, and thus affects events that occur in the novel. In The Stranger, Albert Camus alienates Meursault and thus influences later events through his characterization. The protagonist does not feel much grief or mourning when his mother passes away. He remains detached from everyone else and pays them little mind. Also, he considers relationships with other people quite worthless, including those with his mother and lover.
Isolation In Hamlet
697 Words | 3 PagesDue to Hamlet’s actions, he lacks meaningful relationships and alienates all that could have saved him and would have pulled him from his insanity. Meursault in Albert Camus’ The Stranger shares a similar predicament. Meursault is an incredibly isolated individual, separating himself from his lover, Marie, his small circle of friends, his mother, and eventually, society and human reason itself. By building his isolation, Meursault creates a lonely life with little purpose.
Jane Addams In The Stranger
430 Words | 2 PagesAccording to Jane Addams “The essence of immorality is the tendency to make an exception of myself”. In The Stranger by Albert Camus, he examines the immortality of man; therefore social constructs are unreliable. Social constructs are changed when Meursault does not cry at his mom’s funeral, when he shows no sign of affection when Marie asked him to marry her, and when he has no remorse for killing the Arab. Thus, Camus examines in the novel, The Stranger, what happens to society and the people within it when people do not care.
The Stranger Research Paper
336 Words | 2 PagesIntroduction: In the novel The stranger, written by Albert Camus Meursault kills a man, “The Arab” in act of self defense. After Meursault is put to trial, his lawyer becomes more focused on Meursault's attitude and believes. When meursault mother died, he had a very unemotional attitude, which causes problems later on in his trail. He is later sentence to the death penalty.
David Levithan's Society: Conformity And Individualism In Society
836 Words | 4 PagesWe live on to watch our children grow up, and when that task is accomplished, then death can come and take us. That mundane type of life is definitely not one that “A” lives; in David Levithan’s Every Day. In A’s life, he can never stay in one body too long, which causes him to not be able to hold on to anything, except for when he meets the love of his life. Though his life is quite ordinary, A shows how conforming to certain
Non-Conformity In Albert Camus's The Stranger
1319 Words | 6 PagesA 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. From the beginning of The Stranger, the reader understands Meursault is a complex character. The very first line of the book is, "Maman died today.
Diction In The Stranger
932 Words | 4 PagesWhat 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.
The Stranger Character Analysis
1437 Words | 6 PagesThe Stranger by Albert Camus follows the daily life of Meursault, a French-Algerian that embodies Camus’ philosophical views of absurdum. Meursault’s life is a simple one; at first glance, he is like any other working, middle class man. However, through the first person narration, we gain insight into his unconventional thought process. He does not place value on anything, including, possessions, love and ambition. Nevertheless, he is content with his life.
Extended Metaphor In The Stranger
1241 Words | 5 PagesThe Stranger written by Albert Camus, gives the reader an insight in the life of Meursault and his family and friends, but also has a hidden moral behind it. In “The Stranger”, Camus uses metaphor to describe the relationship between Meursault and his mother. The assumptions people make has a chance of being right or wrong, but Camus uses Salamano and his dog as an extended metaphor to show that even though everyone believed that Meursault did not care about his mother, he in fact he did care about his mother, and it was the same situation with Salamano and his dog. Meursault had an estranged relationship with his mother. They did not have that tender mother-son relationship, because when they lived together they hardly had any communication between them, living completely separate lives while still living in the same house.
Jean Paul Sartre Research Paper
1866 Words | 8 PagesThis is a typical existentialist rejection of generalisation about human beings and human lives. He express that our existence precedes our essence; we have to create our own essence. He acknowledges that there are biological factors that contribute to our existence for example our need for food, metabolism and sexual impulses. The most basic thing we can say about human being is that we are radically free, to be anything except to not be free. “
Meursault's Emotions In The Stranger, By Albert Camus
724 Words | 3 PagesThe 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.
Meursault's 'Beyond The Populace In The Stranger'
2432 Words | 10 PagesBeyond the Populace 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.
The Themes Of Death In Meursault's The Stranger
1232 Words | 5 PagesThe themes of death explored using absurdism in The Stranger is shown with a general disregard for death by Meursault and the strange way he sees life based on these existentialist views. The Stranger is a perfect example of an existentialist novel that was written for that time period, as during this time around the area of France and Europe there was an existentialist movement that Albert Camus, the author, was involved in.
Nihilism In The Stranger By Albert Camus
768 Words | 4 PagesIn The Stranger by Albert Camus: the protagonist, Meursault, appears to be indifferent to everything throughout the book. Even on fundamentally important concepts such as death, love, and time. Because to Meursault, “we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how doesn’t matter (2.5.114).” This general lack of interest is similar to the Universe because if the grand scheme of things, our lives, and our deaths mean nothing and would have no real impact on the future of the Universe. Our deaths turn meaningless over time, eventually love will fade away, and time will blur together to the point that 100 years will seem like a millisecond.
More about Existentialism And Absurdism In The Stranger, By Albert Camus
Meursault Quotes
671 Words | 3 PagesMeursault's Apathy
1542 Words | 7 PagesIsolation In Hamlet
697 Words | 3 PagesJane Addams In The Stranger
430 Words | 2 PagesThe Stranger Research Paper
336 Words | 2 PagesDavid Levithan's Society: Conformity And Individualism In Society
836 Words | 4 PagesNon-Conformity In Albert Camus's The Stranger
1319 Words | 6 PagesDiction In The Stranger
932 Words | 4 PagesThe Stranger Character Analysis
1437 Words | 6 PagesExtended Metaphor In The Stranger
1241 Words | 5 PagesJean Paul Sartre Research Paper
1866 Words | 8 PagesMeursault's Emotions In The Stranger, By Albert Camus
724 Words | 3 PagesMeursault's 'Beyond The Populace In The Stranger'
2432 Words | 10 PagesThe Themes Of Death In Meursault's The Stranger
1232 Words | 5 PagesNihilism In The Stranger By Albert Camus
768 Words | 4 Pages