Character Analysis Of Imperfekt Strangers

While reading The Stranger I noticed that traits that Albert Camus character depicts in the book are closely related to the theories of Sigmund Freud on moral human behavior. Albert Camus portrays his character of Meursault as a numb, emotionless person that seems to mindlessly play out his role in society, acting in a manner that he sees as the way he’s supposed to act, always living in the moment with his instincts driving him, and if the right circumstance presents itself the primal deep seeded animal will come out. I believe that most of the character’s traits fall under Freud’s notion of the Id and Ego mental apparatus, and don’t believe that his idea of the super-ego is represented in this book.

The Stranger The Stranger exhibits a society that has confined itself with a specific set of social standards that dictate the manner in which people are supposed to act. This ideology determines the level of morality, and how much emphasis should placed on following this certain "ethical" structure. Albert Camus's main character, Meursault, is depicted as a nonconformist that is unwilling to play society's game. Through Meursault's failure to comply with society's values and conform to the norm, he is rejected and also condemned to death by society.

The movie starts off with a group of teenagers in school, all from different social groups. They all meet in detention on a Saturday where they are forced to sit in complete silence and they get assigned to write a paper about “who you think are” by their principal Vernon. Throughout the movie their minds are exposed to the different lives and experience of each other; with that they create this bond that

Imagine that you had to start at a new school, without knowing anybody. You are a talented artist, but you are shy and don't like to share you work. This is what Jade had to do in the book “Piecing Me Together”.

I was pleased to have attended a lecture cosponsored by the Ethics Center, the Fresno State office of the president, the Fresno Bee and Valley PBS. The lecture began with Dr. Castro recognizing a few leaders on campus, including a past Fresno State president, Dr. John D. Welty and campus volunteer Mary Castro. Dr. Castro then mentioned a few things about Mr. Brooks stating that he is a columnist for the New York Times and an analyst for the PBS “News Hour” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Dr. Brooks also teaches at Yale University, one the finest university in the country. Dr. Castro continued by saying that he learned that Mr. Brooks office hours are from 9am to 1pm and how “cool” it sounded to him. I was surprised how many people attended the event. I was fortunate to find a seat. David Brooks mentioned how he has some remote roots in the Central Valley because his father grew in Chowchilla, CA but Mr. Brooks grew in New York.

Jimmy knows too well the agonies of abandonment. First, when his mother, Cecilia, ran away with Richard to pursue a better lifestyle. Then, due to his father’s, Damacio Baca, alcoholisms and violent behavior; he also had to leave Jimmy behind. In spite of the drawbacks from abandonment to being a maximum security prisoner in Arizona State Prison, Jimmy preserver’s the darkness of prison by overcoming his illiteracy. However Cecilia and Damacio is not as fortunate as their child; Cecilia is shot by Richard after confronting him for a divorce and Damacio chokes to death after he is released from the detox center(Baca 263). Therefore the most significant event in this section of the memoir, A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca is the death of Jimmy’s parents.

In his short story, “The Strangers that Came to Town”, Ambrose Flack is showing that true freedom is about being accepted.

In the book “Bystander” By James Preller, the main character Eric Hayes faces many encounters that cause him to change and make important decisions.

Many memories for young children involve a special individual who made specific events during their childhood, vividly stand out to them as adults. In “Tender Stranger” written by Phillip Lopate, a memory is told from the perspective of a young boy. He is on his way to school when he suddenly bumps into a lawyer on the street corner. In “Novella” written by Robert Hass, the memory is from a young girl who develops a friendship with an elderly gentleman who lives in a cabin deep in the woods. The young boy meets the lawyer on the busy sidewalk and never sees him again, while the young girl forms an extensive friendship as she and the elderly man visit often. The vivid childhood memories of these two relationships play a significant role in the character’s life, whether it was a short encounter or a long lasting friendship.

The U.S is seen as a safe haven for many refugees and immigrants around the world and that those who have made it are the “lucky ones” however, Author Aimee Phan discusses this common misconception in her novel We Should Never Meet. We Should Never Meet is a collection of short stories about how the Vietnamese War has effected its citizens still living in Vietnam or who fled to the United States in search of a safer home. In one short story, Emancipation, Phan gives readers a look into the life of Mai, a Vietnamese girl who was smuggled to America at the age of five. While the story is told by Mai in first person she is used more as median to show the differences in lives between her four friends Tiffany and Haun,

Freedom can be expressed in many ways, whether it be from the individual or from the community. One can express freedom from escaping their own barriers from their life. This can make someone’s life more easy to live because they can freely express their ideas and thoughts without being ridiculed. Other people may express freedom from being accepted in society. In Ambrose Flack’s short story, “The Strangers that Came to Town”, he shows that true freedom is about being accepted. Flack uses characterization of Mr. Duvitch as a catalyst to show that true freedom is about being accepted. Mr. Duvitch wasn’t accepted for the beginning of the story which creates a poor image of himself in his community. Flack also shows that once he is accepted by society, it shows the power of acceptance and how it is transferred to happiness. Once Mr. Duvitch was accepted and free, the whole community finally understood who he really is. Mr. Duvitch’s true personality shined through because he was comfortable within his community.

Albert Camus creates a series of characters in The Stranger whose personality traits and motivations mirror those that are overlooked upon by the average man. Camus develops various characters and scenarios that show true humanity which tends to have been ignored due to the fact of how typical it has become. Camus incorporates abominable personality traits of the characters, variety, consistency, and everyone’s fate.

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

Another character trait for a hero will be selfless and Hassan is an example of a selfless, For example when Hassan got into trouble and yell by his dad because Amir told him to shoot the walnut at the neighborhood dog, he will just simply mumble "Yes father" (4) and never told on his dad that it is Amir idea.This quote show that Hassan consider about Amir before himself, he rather put himself into trouble so Amir won't get into trouble by his father.

As children we were taught about a thing called “Stranger Danger” meaning we should never speak to people we don’t know as we may be faced with a dangerous situation. The truth is, this teaching damaged us as children who are now young adults who don’t know how to communicate effectively with people we do not know. Although the thought behind this lesson we all learned at a young age was believed to be the best thing for us, was it really beneficial or detrimental?