The Criticistity Of Absurdity In The Stranger By Albert Camus

Camus Philosophical thought on absurdism is not shown throughout this novel. Though camus does not explicitly refer to the notion of absurdity, the events of absurdity operate within the novel. Neither the external World in which Meursault lives nor the internal world of his thoughts possesses any rational order. Meursault has no discernible reason for his actions, such as his decision to marry Marie or his decision to kill the Arab. “For the first time baby, I really thought I was going to get married.” (50). This quotation shows the true unpredictability of this novel, and with that it shows how life can be so absurd. Though the stranger is a work of fiction, it contains a strong sense of camus philosophical notion of absurdity. Though critics still argue that absurdism is essentially meaningless because acceptance of it entails life without meaning. This,

Albert Camus’s novel, The Stranger is regarded to the philosophical ideas of Existentialism, yet seems to also incorporate Absurdist tenets throughout the book that show ideals of being a unique type of individual with different actions that society disagrees with.

In Albert Camus novel, The Stranger (The Outsider), the main character Meursault displays a unique indifference to his surroundings and the world around him. It takes him a degree of time to come to terms with his indifference, but when he does he feels truly free from society's constricting bonds. He leads an apathetic lifestyle that is characterized by his constant lack of a definitive personality. Meursault wanders through life as if in a drunken stupor, living the life of a pleasure seeker. When he accepts his death he is relieved of the pressure of dealing with guilt and with relationships towards other people.

When Meursault is on trial for this murder, the evidence used by the prosecution reveals how humans naturally strive to create rationale for events in life where no reason exists. In his closing statement, the prosecutor states that “[he] accuses this man [Meursault] of burying his mother with crime in his heart” (96). After listening to all of the witness statements and viewing all of the evidence, the prosecutor has been unable to determine a true motive for Meursault murdering the Arab man, so he tries to create his own explanation by claiming that Meursault is an emotionless, dangerous man. The prosecutor is able to create a fictitious argument that Meursault is a criminal, by referring back to Meursault’s mother’s funeral, when he apparently did not react according to societal conventions and showed an indifference combined with disrespect

In his novel, The Stranger by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward, irony within the protagonist’s ( Meursault ) contrasting perception of the human condition is used to illustrate and invoke the reader to question the contradictory nature of societal expectations. His indifferent and unprecedented reactions to experiences - relative to the characters that Camus laid before him - aid in displaying the absurdity of a world constrained by the chains of conventional wisdom. The contrasting nature of Meursault's demeanor in defying conventional wisdom in experiences such as love and death not only reveals the underlying hypocrisy of the human condition but further illustrates the arbitrary essence of defining a human life.

In the novel, The Stranger, by Albert Camus, Camus uses a variety of literary devices in order to create a moment of inward reflection from readers, in which we reflect on just how absurd our existence is. Camus expresses his critique through one major character, Meursault, and a few minor characters as well. Camus’s use of irony pushed readers to look beyond the surface, and come to the conclusion of where the irony was displayed. Camus also made use of ironic moments in order to contrast the expectations of society, to how Meursault differs from that, all to gradually expose the hypocrisy of mankind. Camus generally uses this literary device in order make us evaluate our own selves and more importantly to display the fact that we as people can be truly happy, only if we accept our fate, instead of fighting it. In a way, he’s suggesting we be more like Meursault. Examples of this would be the funeral caretaker insisting that Meursault view his mother's body, and Meursault continuously refusing. Camus does this to make people think: what exactly is wrong with Meursault not wanting to see his dead mother? Through this technique camus shows societal expectations of how people are supposed to mourn lost, and certain responses to lost are deemed abnormal. Thus Meursault’s lack of grief automatically made him an outsider. Other uses of irony can be shown through Meursault's interactions with the chaplain, and the authority involved in his criminal case played out later on in the

In both The Stranger by Albert Camus, and "Burn Collector" by Al Burian, the philosophy of existentialism plays a prominent role in how the main characters interact with others, and the world around them. Existentialism is a philosophy that prioritizes one’s individual existence. It is the view that humans create their own meaning in life and challenges human existence, believing there is no purpose or explanation at the core of existence. Also, it holds the view that there is no God or any other reigning spiritual force, and that the only way to counter this nothingness is by accepting existence. Meursault, the main character and narrator of The Stranger, is the epitome of an absurdist.

The chaplain comes to see Meursault against Meursault’s own wishes and the chaplain tells him that he should turn to God for comfort in his final days. Meursault does not believe in God and he tells this to the chaplain. The chaplain seems so sure about everything in life and about everything that will happen but to Meursault, the only certainty is that everybody dies. If it does not happen today, it will happen tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, then the day after. Life is indifferent to everybody and nothing in it is important unless the person makes it important. There are no pre-set values that everyone must believe in when they are born. The choices a person makes are what define him because existence precedes essence. If someone chooses to value love, then it is important to him or her and he or she should care about it. If someone chooses to believe in God, then He is only important to him or her and only he or she should care about Him. The reason that he did not cry at his mother’s funeral is because he does not believe that this is the appropriate reaction since everybody dies at one point or another. The reason that he said that he probably does not love Marie and that it is not important, is because he does not have love as one of his values; therefore, he should not care about that emotion. Finally, the reason he did not show remorse for killing the Arab is because he did not feel that emotion. What Meursault does value is the truth. He

What is equally absurd is that Meursault remains passive and detached over the course of a year of interrogations, and despite the pessimistic nature of his situation, he is able to feel a sense of comfort and belonging within the system trying to condemn him. Ironically, those witness testimonies that sought to free him prove to be the most damaging, and the religious people who surround him and purport to love all men unconditionally persecute him for his lack of belief. Everyone is astonished that Meursault has no emotions about the murder --no sense of remorse or desire to repent. Most men in his position find

separate her intense feelings for Meursault along with the realization that her relationship with him is

When he returns home to Algiers, Meursault carries on with life as normal. Over dinner one evening, his neighbor Raymond tells of his desire to punish his mistress for infidelity, and asks Meursault to write a letter to the mistress for him. Meursault agrees, saying "I tried my best to please Raymond because I didn’t have any reason not to please him" (32). While Raymond is a man of questionable morals, he acts with purpose. Meursault, on the other hand, acts with mostly passive indifference, doing things simply because he doesn’t have a reason not to do them.

In “The Stranger” by Camus, Meursault’s actions throughout the story can be summed up in one word, absurd.

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.

Absurdity in “The Stranger” can be found Expressed through the main Character Meursault, the first time we see Absurdity through Meursault is with the death of his mother which is off no significance to his own life. The idea of death means nothing the Meursault it is neither scary nor enticing. After the funeral procession to the cemetery, he begins to make mental notes of physical objects that catch his eye.The next day in Algiers Meursault goes swimming in the sea and meets a woman. The woman's name is Marie, Marie Cardona whom he knows vaguely. That evening Marie and himself go out to the cinema to see a comedy. One day Marie asks Meursault to marry her and he accepts. Meursault works in a office in Algiers, he has little interest in his career and shows disinterest to the news of a promotion and the transfer to Paris that is joined with the rise in position. Meursault who shows no interest in emotional matters does however show interest in physical sensations which include enjoying the cool freshness of the hand-towels and comparing this feeling to the warm towels at the end of the day. At home along with his relationship to Marie he develops a relationship with his unsavory neighbor Raymond Sintes who is known for being a gangster who beats and abuses women. Meursault is just as disinterested in his friend ship with Raymond Sintes as he is with his romantic relationship with Marie. His “friendship” with Sintes leads Meursault to his next moment of absurdity where Meursault sees the same outcome whether he shoots the gun or not because the loss of this Arab’s life makes no difference to the universe(This shows that Meursault sees no significance of human existence). Meursault shoots the Arab in the head killing him, he then shot four more times into the lifeless body. He shows the same preoccupation with his physical sensations and has the same reluctance in trying to pretend himself having and showing emotions he does not possess. Meursault will not plead self defense in the face of his murder charge. During this time period in Algeria such a plea would probably be seen of him escaping his punishment which has a minimum to no chance at all due to the fact that he did kill someone. He shows no