Albert Camus and His Views on Existentialism Essay

Camus’ views helped in contributing to the rise of Absurdism and was also recognised as a key contributor to Atheist Existentialism. He is often labeled with other Existential philosophers including: inheriting from the foundational works of Kierkegaard and Kafka, whose Metamorphosis can be seen as an excellent example of absurdity; Martin Heidegger, who like Camus rejected being called existentialist, though Heidegger’s association with the Nazis probably was a more problematic label; but most importantly, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Sartre’s lover and philosophical peer, Simone de Beauvoir.

The existentialism of Albert Camus is based on his view of life as the Absurd. This sense of the Absurd derives from the realization that man is destined to die, as if being punished for a crime he never committed. There is no reprieve, and this makes life absurd (Peyre). There is no God in Camus’s conception, and those who hope for an afterlife are thus to be disappointed. Camus understood that the fact that there is no God also means that there is no meaning or purpose to life outside of living life to the fullest, and that there is a destined end. The one saving grace in the world seems to be the fact that while there is no God on which man can depend, man can live as if he can depend on his fellow man, even though he and they will all die (Sprintzen). This is another absurdity, but it is based on the fact that the

Albert Camus’ The Stranger explores the philosophic ideology of existentialism in the character Meursault. Meursault is a man in the 1920s in French Algeria going through life seeing and acting through the lens of an existentialist. Without explicitly stating that he lives existentially, his life hits on many key characteristics of an existentialist. Perhaps the most defining of these key characteristics is that he does what he wants, because he can. He also does this because in existentialism there is emphasis on individual choice and freedom based on the assertion that there is no universal right and wrong. Meursault doesn’t always take into consideration what would be polite, or kind, but rather only

Camus uses many different aspects of existentialist philosophy throughout the entirety of the novel. One aspect of existentialist thought that is used in the novel, is that “existence is always particular and individual—always my existence, your existence,his existence” ( “Existentialism” ). This can be seen through various characters, but most importantly through the protagonist, Meursault. In one scene of the novel, Meursault says, “Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all” (Camus 40). In this scene Meursault is talking about how his boss offered him a new job in Paris in part because he thinks Meursault would enjoy the new change in life. This relates back to the existentialist thought that everyone's existence is particular to their own, because Meursault doesn’t really care to start over in a new city, whereas someone such as his boss believes that many young people would love to.

Even though the novel is not uplifting, it is still engaging and thought-provoking. After reading this particular novel that questions an individual's place in society among other existential matters, I changed my naïve way of thinking. One of the key concepts of existentialism is the idea that "Existence precedes essence," which was primarily introduced by Camus's colleague, Sartre. I embodied this philosophy, which states that human beings exist first and only later define themselves through the act of their will, so I can always be responsible for my actions. I can no longer blame others for my adversities and must keep myself accountable for my misdeeds in order to develop as an ambitious and independent human

Existentialism states that “Man is condemned to Freedom,” and that we are burdened to choose how our faith is continued. In contrast to Paneloux is Rieux, who instead of believing that God will help the people in Oran, instead believes that human endurance will get work down: “..that if he believed in an all-powerful God he would cease curing the sick and leave that to him”(Camus 127). The all-mighty God that people believe in, have become inconsequential because he hasn't been able to heal the sick. Healing people is man's job, while God looks over humans who suffer. It's because of this suffering that Rieux witnesses that he starts on a path of helping people, and with the help of Tarrou he forms the sanitation team. The sanitation makes it their duty to come together to fight the plague by taking body's and disinfecting parts of the town, while putting their lives on the line. Camus’s story has characters who by turning toward God have started living indifferently towards the situation plaguing Oran. It is only when people take action that humans can then fight against

Camus’s belief, as exemplified in the The Stranger, is that human life has no redeeming purpose. The only certainty in life is that eventually all human beings will die and therefore all lives are all equally meaningless.

  Existentialism is a philosophy dealing with man's aloneness in the universe. Either there is no God or else God stands apart from man, leaving him free will to make his own choices. From this basic idea of man being alone in an uncertain and purposeless world, many related ideas have developed. One great worry of existentialist writers is that life is becoming too complicated and too impersonal. People become more and more involved with their work, which is taking them away from their friends, family, and culture. However, these provide the only "meaning" that life could possibly have. One author prominently known for his work with existential ideas was Franz

Some people believe that no matter what a person does in their life, it will ultimately have no effect on the outcome ofa it. Existentialists find this to be true because they believe that no matter what they ever do, they will always die. Existentialists link the inevitability of death to the idea that there is no higher power. Additionally, existentialists hold the belief that no one should allow society to control how they live their life. Writer Albert Camus uses many existentialist themes his works like The Stranger and “The Guest”. The protagonists in both stories demonstrate existentialist beliefs in their actions. As a result, many existentialist ideas can be seen throughout out both novels. Camus uses the paradox of free will in order to illustrate the inevitability of death for everyone as well as the idea that in order to obtain free will, a person must reject society and face exile.

Camus’s concept is that that human life has no redeeming meaning or purpose, stating that the only certain thing in life is an inevitability

The novel “The Stranger” written by an author named, Albert Camus. Camus using the main protagonist, Meursault, to show his philosophy of absurdism, also known as Existentialism. Existentialism is the philosophical ideals that emphasize the existence of human; it shows the meaningless of living and purposeless of human life. In the novel, Camus show existentialism through Meursault’s action and thought. Some big themes that express through the book is religious, the meaning of life, social order and morality.

It is common for people to question the meaning of man’s existence or to seek answers about the relationship of man and the universe. This is the topic that Albert Camus favored when creating his novels, plays, and essays. Camus was known for his philosophical view of absurdism and included it in many of his works such as The Stranger. He felt that life had no order or purpose and that there was something absurd about the human quest to find meaning. The existentialist writer, Albert Camus, was struck by poverty, loss, and illness, but went on to contribute to moral philosophy issues during the harsh times of World War II.

Just as any rebellion against death and suffering is ultimately futile, readers already know that the anti-plague efforts seem to make little difference in the relentless progression of the epidemic. However, this novel declares that the rebellion is nonetheless a noble, meaningful struggle even if it means being defeated continuously until the plague runs its course. In an unique way, Camus’ novel, The Plague, is heavily infused with Camus’ beliefs in the value of being

This semester we have studied five works that all communicate different themes and views of existentialism through each protagonist's point of view. From reading, watching, and analyzing each piece of work, we have come to know existentialists as having a very interesting outlook on life. Almost all the existentialists in the five works we studied believe in freedom of choice. That humans define their own meaning in life and try their best to make rational decisions in spite of existing in what they consider an “unreasonable universe”. The protagonists in each short story and movie we have watched, have similar qualities between each other and quite a few differences. The two pieces of work that will be focused on are, ‘The Wall’ by Jean-Paul Sartre and ‘The Guest’ by Albert Camus.

“The Myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camus is a symbolic commentary on life 's inherent meaning, or more specifically, the lack thereof and how one may come to terms with their fate. For centuries, philosophers have pondered upon the idea that there is not an intrinsic meaning in the universe. One major response to such a belief is Existentialism. The system of beliefs known as Existentialism states that through a combination of personal responsibility, awareness, and free will, an individual can formulate their own meaning in a universe lacking one of its own. In Existential literature, characters are often put into utterly hopeless or meaningless