Normality In The Book 'The Stranger' By Albert Camus

The Word existence comes from the Latin root “ex” out, and sistere from stare, which means to stand (rise up). Existentialism literally means pertaining to existence or in logic, predicating existence. Philosophically existentialism applies to a vision of the condition and existence or lack of one, with God. According to Kierkegaard, Christian existentialism is all meaning and serenity which comes through one’s relationship with God by putting our selves in his hands and finding freedom from tensions and discontent and also praying to him in order to be bless and find peace within our selves. Jean Paul is the hierophant of modern atheistic existentialism and believes that fate is determined by human action, meaning that the individual

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.

Today’s society has changed immensely over the years. Now it is okay to be who you truly are and to not be judged by society. But years ago, unique people were judged and put down by society: such as in the story “Antaeus”. The character T.J. is different from his town, but becomes accepted by his friends, but unfortunately not by adults, who put him down. In the short story “Antaeus” by Borden Deal, the character T.J. is a representation of man, who is unique from the rest of his town’s society, which sparks purpose in friends, but they ultimately fail at the hands of authority figures.

The Stranger by Albert Camus focuses largely on the concept of absurdism. Camus uses family and personal relationships, or the lack of it thereof, to show the isolation that the main character, Meursault, undergoes in the novel and it’s effect on him overall. Camus utilizes the protagonists’ character development as a tool to further his plot of the novel. The absence of family and personal relationships tied in with the particular recurring topics of the novel are crucial in both the development of the protagonists’ characters as well as the plot as it affects the portrayal of the main character.

The expectations of society at a certain time can determine the opportunities one can have. “Why can't we go to church? … … Why can't you wear black shoes like the other mothers?” In Chocolat, Vianne is rejected by the town due to her not living up to the social rules of the town. This quote demonstrates how society reacts to change that goes against the norm. Others will push an individual away and restrict them until they are deemed acceptable, and this causes the individual to want to fit in, to crave a place in this society, and to belong to it. Once the individual is striving towards finding a place in the society that shut them out, they lose focus on their own

Throughout the years many people have experienced where he or she does not fit in a certain type of group or society because they are not accepted through the rest of society. In the short stories, “How to Tame a wild Tongue by Gloria Anzaldua and “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization” by Franklin Foer both authors talk about how society didn’t accept them because they were different from the “social norms” through the relationship of the individual and the community. With so many expectations from society the individual feels pressured from the rest of the group because they are different than others. With the pressure from others in the group, the individual becomes different by not acting like themselves just so they can f but the individual sometimes tends to forget what they believe in or even causing equality between each other.

A society’s perception of someone significantly affects the self-identity of that human and their self-esteem. Society often judges people through their upbringings. A child may be raised in challenging situations and not have the same opportunities compared to another child. Friends and family tend be a major factor in a person’s life. The way friends and family interact or how society judges them can make them incredibly self-conscious of themselves. The social position of a human can critically affect how someone interacts in society and how they perceive themselves. In The Great Gatsby,by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and Night by Elie Wiesel all depict how society affects an individual 's self - identity by how one perceives someone. Society’s perceptions make people feel obligated to compare themselves in one’s upbringings, friends and family and social position.

When at the trial the prosecutor supposedly observed him various times once he even said that Meursault was “already a criminal at heart” (Camus 122). This statement was only made on the physical behavior Meursault was displaying on the day of his mother's funeral. When the whole trail was supposed to be about how he killed the Arab his accusers somehow kept bringing up the fact that he showed no affection towards his mother at the funeral. This show just how the society he is in and how they act is totally opposite from his point of views. Meaning that how he does things will be seen by society as uncanny and they will condemn it as wrong.

Human behavior is often based of the laws and expectations set by community surrounding them. Breaking these norms results in many arrays of emotions. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, and The Help by Kathryn Stockett all exemplify the consequences of breaking standards in societies with set norms to uphold. The various authors have crafted societies that behave in distinct manners, and classify people as either normal, or abnormal. These works show that breaking societal standards, familial standards, and ones own standards sprouts disaster, and in serious cases, leads to the demise of characters.

Society makes judgements and has certain expectations for each person. These expectations that are given dictate how people should live, act, look, and where a particular person is as far as status. Everyone is affected by society whether they welcome society or are completely against the expectations. Those who are against the expectations of themselves often find that they are not associated with as much or are judged by others for the fact that they do not follow the standards made for them by society. Society affects people in so many ways and is shown through books, magazines, and all other forms of media. Some of the forms of writing that portray society’s expectations are The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and Of Mice and Men.

The French philosopher Roland Barthes once said, “Literature is the question minus the answer” (Barthes 2). This statement hold true for most works of literature that explore a central question. According to Barthes, literature often raises a question, but leaves it up to the reader to determine the answer. The Stranger by Albert Camus is an excellent example of how a central question, “Is there value and meaning to human life?” is raised and left unanswered, resulting in different interpretations of the answer, depending on the viewpoint of the reader. Although the question is never explicitly answered, Camus offers perspectives on what French society regarded the answers to be, such as connections with others, elusion to freedom, and faith in religion and God.

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.

Many people often base their opinions on a person by judging his whole life in general and his attitude towards life without caring about who the person really is deep down inside. This unfair reasoning can occur in the courtroom when people are put on trial and the judge and the jury must delve into the life of the accused and determine if he is a hazard to society. Occasionally, the judge and jury are too concerned with the accused’s past that they become too biased and give an unfair conviction and sentencing. In his novel, The Stranger, Albert Camus uses the courtroom as a symbol to represent society that judges the main character, Meursalt, unfairly to illustrate how society forms opinions based on one’s past.

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.

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