The Stranger in Us All:
How Camus’s Classic Connects to Other Philosophical Works
Macy French
Tusculum College
Author’s Note
This paper was prepared for Dr. Harlow’s Quest for Meaning class at Tusculum College Albert Camus once said “Forever I shall be a stranger to myself” (Camus, 1942/2004, p 453). In his classic novel, The Stranger, the main character is the archetypal absurd man who lives only in the realm of his own aesthetic until being faced with his own death (Camus, 1942). The themes of absurdity, the Existentialist term for anything that contradicts reason (Wartenberg, 2008), and the greater themes of Existentialism as a whole are apparent in countless other philosophical works. The Stranger’s common thread appears not only in existential philosophy, but can be traced back to classical thought and built upon from there.
Relevance to Aristotelian Thought Elements of The Stranger’s existential philosophy is noticeable all the way back to the Greeks. The Aristotelian school of thought is especially apparent. According to Richard Tarnas (1991), Aristotle places vital importance on the role of the sensory experience. He disagrees with Plato, who relies on the presence of abstract Forms as the basis for the universe. Instead, Aristotle is the original empiricist. The only thing that Aristotle thinks is for certain is what we can perceive with our senses. This line of thinking greatly influences Meursault, the main character of The Stranger, who
Harold Crick is an IRS auditor who lives an extremely predictable lifestyle dictated by routine and numbers. In the beginning of the film “Stranger than Fiction” Harold is depicted as boring, routine, and shows signs of having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with his endless counting of everything he sees. He lives his life to the minimum as he has no wife, social life, no real friends, and in fact, his wristwatch seems to be his only friend as he depends on timing everything down to the second, to save time. Harold continues to live every day just like the last, simply slaving through the rest of the workweek, until he hears a mysterious voice, an omniscient voice, narrating his every move day in and out. Karen Eiffel “Kay” is an esteemed novelist known for writing amazing tragedies. She has been working on her latest work but is suffering from writer’s block, and can’t figure out how exactly she wants to kill her main character, Harold Crick. During her narrations she announces Harold’s “sudden imminent death”, and he hears this with an overwhelming fear of what this means for him. The “sudden imminent death “creates an issue of time sensitivity for Harold, and is a huge part of Stranger than Fiction’s theme. Harold was completely content with his mundane life full of routine based tasks all programmed by his wristwatch. The issue of when he will die is a huge motivator for both Harold and Karen as she needs to find that perfect ending for her book. The plots are difficult
The Article “A Stranger in Strange Lands” written by Lucille P. McCarthy is an examination of the writing process. This article follows a college student through a twenty-one month study to determine how the students writing ability is affected as he transitions from one classroom to another. Focusing on specific writing processes in different types of classrooms,this article hopes to uncover the importance and effect of writing towards a specific audience within a particular genre and to offer a better understanding to how students continue to learn to write throughout college.
“As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really” (Camus 122-123). On the dawn of his execution, the hopeless and confused Meursault understands the universal truth and meaning of life. Albert Camus’s The Stranger summarizes the themes and messages of the entire novel in these forty-eight words. In these final words, Albert Camus is able to point out many ideas and philosophies that could enlighten man. This final quote from Albert Camus’s The Stranger reveals absurdist philosophies and illuminates an universal truth that is simple yet difficult to comprehend.
The short story, The Stranger, by Chris Vans Allsburg does not explicitly identify who the "stranger” is. The reader, then, must infer who the stranger is through the clues in the story. If we consider his relationship to temperature, his connection to nature, and his superhuman abilities, it is logical to infer that, the stranger is Father Fall (Or any seasonal deity in fact).
The core idea of Albert Camus’ philosophy of absurdity centralizes upon the idea that humans exist in a meaningless universe, and follows that humans must simply accept this fact to live life to the fullest. In addition to this absurdist notion, Albert Camus also uses The Stranger to show how humans still strive to create superficial meaning to fulfill their own personal needs. Through the experiences and interactions in Meursault’s life, Camus illustrates that in spite of how events in life follow no rational order, society attempts to futilely create meaning to explain human existence.
For five of the passages below, write a 5-8 sentence interpretation (not a summary) of the significance in relation to Camus’s philosophical framework (moralism, the Absurd, existentialism, religion, hope, social judgment, fate).
Cherelle Freeman 2B - Davey Justice vs. Society "Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it." -Malcolm X. Justice plays a vital, but arbitrary portrayal in the novel, The Stranger.
Albert Camus took readers into the mind of a sociopath with the novel The Stranger. In the first sentence of the novel, the reader found out that the protagonist’s mother had passed away. The son, Meursault, was first viewed as shocked of the tragic death, but as the novel progressed Meursault’s reactions were actually a result of his emotionless nature. Throughout the novel, the reader is captivated and horrified by Meursault's disconnected temperament. In the course of going through his Mother’s death, helping his friend attack a helpless woman, and feeling like he does not have anything to live for creates a tone for the entire novel that was felt right away in the first sentence on the first page of Camus’ text.
The theme of absurdity can be seen through three different lenses in The Stranger, by Albert Camus: life, decisions, and reflection. The first lens in which the reader can see absurdity in the novel is when the protagonist lives for the sensual pleasures of the present moment. The second lens in which the reader can see absurdity in the novel is when the protagonist absurdity of the protagonists decisions on how he does or doesn’t decide to kill the Arab. The third lens in which the reader can see absurdity in the novel is when the protagonist how he reflects back on his decisions and life and concludes that life means nothing between birth and death. The changes in the lenses of Meursault ‘s absurdum are projected through the author’s choice of different language.
Albert Camus is crafting a character that fits the narrative of the term “Stranger” very well. In his story the main character Meursault sees the world in a much different light than those around him. However, Meursault does not believe that his thinking is different
The Stranger by Albert Camus follows the story of a man named Meursault, who received notice that his mother had passed away. Meursault was not emotionally connected to his mother, and his reaction is not what the reader would expect, as he did not seem to care at all. Therefore, the day after attending his mother’s funeral, Meursault goes to the beach and meets up with his girlfriend, Marie. After the beach, Meursault and Marie go to a movie and spend the night together. When he returns home from work the next day, Meursault runs into his neighbor, Raymond, who beats his mistress. Later in the story, Meursault, Marie, and Raymond go to a beach house, which is owned by Raymond’s friend, Masson. At the beach, Masson, Raymond, and Meursault
Art is the expression of human’s creative skill and imagination, art pass through society, and it reflects social life by shaping. Art, such as literature, dance, painting, calligraphy, and music. James Baldwin, a famous African- American author of “Stranger in the village.” He discussed the rank and relationship between the Blacks and Whites in the society. Also, Baldwin went to the village in Leukerbad, and lived with the White Europeans. This essay is about the the experience and history of him. Teju Cole was the one who had read the “Stranger in the village” and he wrote what he felt about James Baldwin’s essay. Their opinions were opposite, but I think there is no right or wrong.
Widely recognized for philosophical writings as a French essayist and playwright, Albert Camus is a major contributor to exploring the absurd in modern Western literature. Characterized by highlighting the human condition, Camus’ writing style focuses on the everyday lives and inner psyche of individuals in both ordinary and extraordinary circumstances. Such a character-driven writing style is most notably displayed in his 1946 work, The Stranger, a tale of an emotionally-detached man known as Meursault, who lives in French-colonized Algiers during the intermission of the two World Wars. Consisting of two parts—The Stranger first explores his daily life as a free man, and in the second, delves more into the character’s own philosophy as Meursault contemplates during his remaining time in jail. At its core, the story explores the relationships and interactions of the odd Meursault through the character’s inner monologue and dialogue with those around him. The story itself is very ambiguous in its’ nature, and the idea of contemplating the meaning of life and purpose is prevalent throughout The Stranger. Evidently, Camus writes Meursault as a man who believes that life has no meaning, and therefore people are free to do as they please. To supplement the protagonist’s view, the author also presents Meursault alongside various personalities of key supporting characters, each with their own unique personality, and differing outlooks on life. Doing so thus enables Camus to get readers to contemplate about meaning through multiple perspectives. Stylistically, through many devices that emphasize diction, imagery, and story themes. Ultimately, The Stranger is a way for Camus to convey that there are multiple ways to perceive the meaning of life, using Meursault to directly project a different view than what readers are used to. Surely, with the intent of crafting a protagonist so strange, that Meursault becomes comparable to other characters; less so as a reflection of what the author personally believes the meaning of life is, but more of what such exploration of the idea could be.
Albert Camus, born in colonized Algeria, a father to absurdism, and author of The Stranger confronts the philosophical themes of purpose, integrity, and passivity. The Stranger’s main character, Meursault, is a laconic man whose passive actions and brutal honesty lend to connections in his court trial. Those of which condemn him to execution. Meursault falls victim to his complete honesty, complete passivity, and disregard for the purpose of action. He is straightforward, and his actions usually follow his thoughts. Actions and decisions that most average people regard as serious, Meursault regards as arbitrary. Meursault’s exemplification of absurdism proves to not only lend to his characterization, but as a comfort in his death as well.
“The outsider” also commonly known as “The Stranger” is written by Albert Camus. It is a book that explores the many concepts, understandings and overall idea of human life. As my group and I take time to break down the varies aspects of the book, please take time to reflect, and understand your own meaning of human life.