Metamorphosis And The Stranger

Meursault is an independent and absurd guy who refuses to lie about himself to save his life. At the beginning of the book he avoids conversation and showed existentialism. For example, when the caretaker asked him, why he doesn’t want to see his mother’s body, he just simply said “I don’t know”. Another reason is when he would say, “marriage, no marriage, who cares.” Towards the ending of the book he starts to open up. In order for him to realize how wrong he was, he had to suffer the consequences. Meursault states, “For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone; I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate(2.5.165). “Meaning, he finally has awareness and is open-minded about his life.

Meursault was introduced as a young man whom recently found out his mother, Maman, died. He was not the most emotional person, but he dealt with his feelings the best he knew how. Meursault lived his life on the verge of truth and honesty. He was honest within every aspect of life, from women to freedom. He was never certain about anything in life ,but one thing he was sure of, death was inevitable. After murdering an Arab, he was on trial in front of many people being interrogated with many questions about why he did what he did, but also to evaluate his psyche about the situation. Unlike others, Meursault did not hide from the truth and that is what others could not cope with. Living his life the way others were afraid to, Meursault was the outcast in his society.

Kafka certainly starts the novella off strong by explaining the situation Gregor is randomly put into. The ridiculousness of the circumstance is enough to hook the reader into the story. Gregor is transformed into a giant insect, but dismisses it as him being tired. The first part is quite enjoyable as the reader has the suspense of his family and boss seeing Gregor’s new appearance and the humor of Gregor saying that he will be leaving for work soon while getting accustomed to his new body. The amount of work Gregor put into explaining that he will be leaving for work soon is ironic as well since the reader later finds out that his speech is incomprehensible to humans. However, one must wonder how Gregor planned to go to work as a giant insect to begin with. Even when he fully realized he actually transformed into a giant insect,

During the trial, conventional morality is satirized. The Public Prosecutor's convoluted logic equates Meursault's lack of emotion of his mother's death to symbolic matricide and even to actual parricide. As foolish and bizarre as this reasoning is perhaps there is a kernel of truth to it. Meursault has neither parents nor children. He is without a past that he cares about, nor

Consequently, Meursault was put in jail and given a lawyer, but before given a lawyer he states how “I admitted I hadn’t hired an attorney and inquired whether it was really necessary to have one” which explains how indifferent this situation was to him (Camus 36). While if he felt any sadness the day Maman died, Meursault answers with “I probably did love Maman, but that didn’t mean anything” therefore upsetting his lawyer because his answer was too truthful (Camus 65). After that answer it was apparent that his lawyer was upset and even asks Meursault if “he held back his natural feeling” which Meursault said no too, making the lawyer seem disgusted with Monsieur Meursault. This little dispute made Meursault conclude that “I made him feel uncomfortable” which isn’t unusual with Meursault and his way of communicating with others (Camus 66). After Meursault’s trial for cold blooded murder, he is sentenced to an execution, and that is when he realizes he can finally

He has no initial reaction to the news of her death, and at her funeral service he did not bother to even see her before she was buried. His lack of emotion is evident in the very first lines of the book, “Mother died today. Or maybe it was yesterday, I don’t know.” This shows that Meursault is hardly caring for his mother. Society’s standards would result in him to be in absolute mourning and wanting to go as fast as possible to her body. This is not the only example of Meursault’s lack of emotion and care for factors in his life. He does not care for love and marriage after having intercourse with someone; the society standard at this time was to get married if two partners had intercourse. He does not care for promotion and career advancement when his boss offers him a better job opportunity; the standard at that time and right now is to pursue the best career possible. In these scenarios Meursault is living free from the chains, and does whatever he thinks is right to do. Eventually, society rejects him and his ways, and he gets in trouble with the law. He is judged by society and his ways are ridiculed, making Meursault appear to be a monster.

Monsieur Meursault is an emotionally detached, absurd, protagonist male character who exemplifies his own meaning of justice. Meursault demonstrates several emotionless, indifferent, nonchalant actions throughout this melancholic novel. He lives his life through his senses, rather than logical reasoning, which withdraws him from being apart of societal norms. The drinking and smoking at his mother's funeral, his response to the sun at the beach,

Meursault’s view of life was impassive; he felt no concern towards any matter in his life, from his mother’s death to his marriage to even his imminent execution: “Throughout the whole absurd life I'd lived, a dark wind had […] leveled whatever was offered to me at the time, in years no more real than the ones I was living” (Camus 121). Camus explains what happens to those who respond impassively to the circumstances and situations society puts them in. By being emotionless and aloof, Meursault is not sent to the guillotine for murder, as his prosecutor states, but because he “had no place in a society whose most fundamental rules [he] ignored” (Camus 102). Along with his indifference towards society, Meursault also understands in the end about the irrationality of the universe and how he and the universe are almost

Meursault’s indifference to his mother’s death and in the killing of the Arab label him as immoral. During his mother’s funeral, Meursault did not mourn her but remains unaffected since “nothing had really changed” (Camus, 24). Death is rather insignificant to Meursault as is to me; Death is a subject to which I allow myself to hold no emotional value because it makes it harder to overcome (obtain low-empathy for). His

Meursault fully accepts his fate and understands his situation. In a truly absurdist fashion he rationalizes his position where no meaning can be found. He was condemned by his society because he was seen as a stranger. In the beginning Meursault is listening for footsteps, thinking of escape, what he will do after and what he should have done before. However, talking to the priest aggravates him with the talk of God and divine justice, when it is human justice that condemns him. Meursault’s outburst of anger causes him to lose hope in living. Unlike the priest who seems so sure of everything but as a human he cannot, Meursault is sure of himself and in the truth, as he always has been. (He is sure in the truth that he is going to die) In this

Meursault in the novel is a person who views and describes much of what occurs around him. He is emotionally different to others around him even to his mother and his lover, Marie. He also refuses to follow the accepted moral order of society, “I said that I didn’t believe in God” (116). After Meursault kills the Arab,he goes to jail and is put on trial. However, the true focus of Meursault’s murder trial quickly slides away from the murder itself to the way Meursault believes in his attitudes and beliefs. Meursault’s lack of emotional grief at his mother’s funeral act for a serious challenge to the morals and beliefs of the society in which he lives.

His isolation from nature, women, and cigarettes tormented him at first, but he eventually accepted the fact that he can live without them. As time passed, he does not notice their absence. Throughout the day, he manages to keep his mind occupied, and he sleeps most of each day. At the day of Meursault’s murder trial, spectators and members of the press filled the courtroom. The subject of the trial quickly shifts away from the murder to a general discussion of Meursault’s character, and of his reaction to his mother’s death in particular.

Jean-Paul Sartre once said, “we do not know what we want and yet we are responsible for what we are — that is the fact.” Everyday is another chance to feel free to change and create yourself. Existentialism is a complex philosophy emphasizing the absurdity of reality and the human responsibility to make choices and accept consequences. In The Stranger by Albert Camus and “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka both authors develop their characters and use novel progression through heat and change to present principles of Existentialism such as isolation and alienation. The characters in the stories both end up in a world of nothingness due to the actions that occur in their lives. Every individual is solely what they make of themselves and how they

At vigil, one of Maman’s friend starts crying. When Meursault sees this, he “wished [he] didn’t have to listen to her anymore. But [he] didn’t dare say anything” (10). Meursault’s grieving towards Maman is so little that he is distracted and irritated by a woman who is in mourning. In addition, he takes no response to calm the woman or to think back about Maman. This situation illustrates two of Meursault’s shortcomings: his lack of remorse, and the inability to take action following the little sentiment he has. Despite his insensitiveness throughout most of his life, he experiences change when he starts yelling at the chaplain. He notes that “something inside me snapped. I started yelling” (120). His howling towards the chaplain shows intense frustration as he makes the “cries of anger and cries of joy” (120). He recognizes that he is experiencing pure anger and joy, not a mild feeling of annoyance or satisfaction. This shift in his behavior shows that he is finally capable of having and expressing strong