Anarchism in Albert Camus' Short Story, The Guest Essay

After putting much thought into Camus' quote, I understand him to be expressing his view on culture. Culture has many different definitions, however the few that stand out are: religion, beliefs, values, traditions, politics...etc. While many things about culture make many people different, it also makes everyone the same in a certain way, that being the relative freedom and the guidelines we live by. Culture gives everyone the opportunity to be different and to have their own personality, as long as they stay within the guidelines.

“He who despairs of the human condition is a coward, but he who has hope for it is a fool” (Wyatt). As this quote by Albert Camus suggests, he was not a very optimistic writer. His gloomy look on life itself can be seen all too clearly in “The Guest”. The story itself deals with Camus’s idea of the futility of human existence: the only rational thing anyone can expect is death.

My purpose on earth is to bring peace and happiness. As of 2015, this world is the opposite of peaceful. Many people are being killed just to get education, kids are in poverty, and a plethora of international terrorism’s Martin

“I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the benign indifference of the world.” — Albert Camus, The Stranger

Albert Camus’ The Stranger: Isolation within a Literary Classic In Albert Camus’ Nobel Prize winning novel The Stranger, we are introduced to a dynamic character named Monsieur Meursault. The way Camus writes the novel is by starting with a character that really doesn’t make decisions or give importance to any one or to any of the things happening around him; he is an isolated man. All the feelings or thoughts that he has are very passive; he gets over them very quickly. But going on an unexpected long get-away with his friend Reymond and girlfriend Marie, started to change the type of man he use to be. Finding one of Reymond’s old enemies, an Arab and his gang, made Monsieur, the once innocent man, a murderer.

Albert Camus’s use of vivid imagery and the main character’s inner voice helps give the reader a better understanding of Meursault's plight. As said in the story “the first part of which was missing, but which must have taken place in Czechoslovakia. A man had left a Czech village to seek his fortune”. Meursault by describing what the newspaper looked like, then summarizing what was on the paper puts the reader in his shoes, as if they were the ones in prison reading the newspaper article.

Flat characters play a significant role in all novels. For instance, the brother of Raymond’s mistress is a key flat character. The Arab never grows throughout the novel; rather, he remains a stalker, stalking his prey, tempting a fight. Without the role of the Arab, Meursault, would never have gone to prison, and never be tried for murder.

Albert Camus writes a gripping short story explaining why “man should trust their instincts”. Throughout the story we begin to learn more about Daru, the lonesome schoolmaster. Within the short story Camus reconciles on the struggles that many faced as war erupted between France and Algeria. The war divided the two nations. It left nothing but tragedy and despair for miles. In “The Guest” Albert Camus brings many aspects of his own life into the character of Daru; through the use of imagery and symbols readers are able to understand what life is like during times of war in Algeria.

In the novel, The Stranger, author Albert Camus confronts some important issues of the time, and uses the singular viewpoint of the narrator Meursault to develop his philosophy and effectively weave together themes of absurdity, colonialism, and free will. Through the progressive disruption of Meursault’s life and his characterization, Camus presents the absurdity of the human condition along with the understanding that a person can actually be happy in the face of the absurd. Camus also intentionally sets the story in the colonized country of Algeria, and hints at the racial tensions that exist between French-Algerians and Arabs.

"I do not know. “Am I my brother's keeper?"(New International Version, Genesis 4.9). This famous biblical quote spoken by Cain illustrates how the first murderer of this world came to be. This makes

When people think of the sun, they automatically think overbearing heat and shine; the sun is powerful. Albert Camus, author of The Stranger, places the sun as more powerful than the main character Meursault. Meursault does not ever succumb to anyone else's force and authority, but the sun continually dominates over Meursault’s decisions evidently in the killing of the Arab.

The novel The Stranger, by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward, follows the story of a man, Meursault, and how his emotionless way of living and his one grave mistake ends up killing him through a court of law. Throughout his journey, there is tension in him, and between him and other people and groups. This tension is represented throughout this novel with the motif is heat. And as tension can grow and is part of everyday life, it is part of Meursault’s as well. Furthermore, through tension and it growing, it can result in a conflict of multiple varieties. This motif comes up at scenes such as the trial in the courtroom, the conflict on the beach with the Arabs, and the magistrate and his heated argument. And due to Camus specific placement of the motif during these scenes, it also foreshadows conflict and trouble throughout the novel. Camus’ motif of heat shows a tension between opposing sides to foreshadow various types of conflict which demonstrate the theme that tension leads to conflict.

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.

There are many contradictions in Daru’s life; for example, he seems both to belong and not to belong to Algerian society in 1954; he is both fiercely individualistic while at the same time an integral part of collective (social) life. Explain the contradictions that characterize Daru’s life and answer the question, why is it, despite contradictions, that Daru seems so certain of himself in his actions and thoughts.

“Life has to be given a meaning because of the obvious fact that it has no meaning.” Henry Miller