Sometimes life can be a confusing series of people, emotions, and experiences, which can lead many to struggle with their purpose in this world. Therefore, many look to the philosophies and writings of ancient and modern philosophers in order to piece understanding into their lives. A very prevalent philosophy that had roots in early Christian and Buddhist writings, but exploded in Europe during the 1940’s and 1950’s, was Existentialism. The Existential movement focused on the ideas of individual freedom, absurdity, authenticity, individualism and alienation. This was both a movement of literary and philosophical greatness, with many writers expressing their philosophical beliefs through their literature. These writers believed that there was no greater purpose in a person’s life and that there was almost no point in existence. Moreover, these authors both valued authenticity and created a sort of absurdity to the society they lived in. Therefore, this struggle to grasp the meaning of life can be seen through an existential light in many novels with authors such as Camus. In Camus’s novel The Stranger, Camus explores the existential ideas of absurdity and authenticity through the actions and ideas of the main character Meursault. Existentialism is the main theme of Camus’s novel The Stranger, which relies heavily on absurdist ideas to assess the meaning of life. However to understand Camus’s meaning of life, one must understand the definition and traits of absurdity. Many
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.
The novel The Stranger, written by Albert Camus, encompasses contemporary philosophies of existentialism and absurdism. Existentialist and absurdist philosophies entail principles regarding that one’s identity is not based on nature or culture, but rather by sole existence. The role of minor characters in The Stranger helps to present Camus’s purpose to convey absurdist and existentialist principles. The characters of Salamano and Marie are utilized in order to contrast the author’s ideas about contemporary philosophies. Albert Camus’s creation of minor characters such as Salamano and Marie in The Stranger embody the expectations and perspective of society. Camus’s purpose in utilizing minor characters is to contrast societal norms and ideals to absurdist principles and values.
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.
Existentialism is thought to be a philosophical theory that places emphasis on the experiences of the individual as they take advantage of their ability to utilize free will. However, when analyzing existentialism, it means so much more. Albert Camus, author of The Stranger and An Absurd Reasoning, explores deeper into the day to day life of an existentialist, and the questions they may find themselves asking. Physicist and author of The Fabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene, provides a critique of Albert Camus, agreeing with Camus’ overarching ideas, but offering some revisions. Nihilist Frederick Nietzsche delivers his opinion on the status of man and the futility of life in On Truth and Lying in a Non-Moral Sense. While the limits of philosophy
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.
In the novel “The Stranger” By Albert Camus, Camus presents us with a Philosophical Fiction in which he revolves around the Theme of Existentialism. The Protagonist Meursault believes in no higher power of existence in which that life has no meaning thus opposing religion. The readers experience this in the beginning of the Novel, where Meursault attends his mother’s funeral and express no emotion at a sorrowful gathering which he is demanded to do socially and because of society’s standards and manners. The behavior of Meursault is constant and rarely changes throughout the novel. However his love partner makes Meursault question his views of Existentialism but does not result to change his personality. This transition continues through part
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 existentialism of Albert Camus is based on his view of life as the Absurd. This sense of the Absurd derives from the realization that man is destined to die, as if being punished for a crime he never committed. There is no reprieve, and this makes life absurd (Peyre). There is no God in Camus’s conception, and those who hope for an afterlife are thus to be disappointed. Camus understood that the fact that there is no God also means that there is no meaning or purpose to life outside of living life to the fullest, and that there is a destined end. The one saving grace in the world seems to be the fact that while there is no God on which man can depend, man can live as if he can depend on his fellow man, even though he and they will all die (Sprintzen). This is another absurdity, but it is based on the fact that the
This semester we have studied five works that all communicate different themes and views of existentialism through each protagonist's point of view. From reading, watching, and analyzing each piece of work, we have come to know existentialists as having a very interesting outlook on life. Almost all the existentialists in the five works we studied believe in freedom of choice. That humans define their own meaning in life and try their best to make rational decisions in spite of existing in what they consider an “unreasonable universe”. The protagonists in each short story and movie we have watched, have similar qualities between each other and quite a few differences. The two pieces of work that will be focused on are, ‘The Wall’ by Jean-Paul Sartre and ‘The Guest’ by Albert Camus.
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.
Camus’ The Stranger is rife with complex meaning, often hidden within the imagery and seemingly disconnected anecdotes that reveal truths about the plot and characters Meursault himself doesn’t explain or acknowledge. Half-remembered side conversations with characters like the nun, Meursault’s odd and at first appearance, unrelated, obsession with the robot woman, and how Salamano’s grief over his lost dog somehow moves Meursault. Each one of these instances is separate from the main plot, but actually tell the reader more about Meursault than his own narration of the novel’s events. Besides these brief departures, Camus also utilizes natural and man-made symbols as metaphors for the inner conflicts of Meursault relevant to the events of The
Religion and existentialism, two sides of two very distinct worlds, different yet both tightly intertwined. Albert Camus illustrates this parallel in his novel “The Stranger” where the narrator, Meursault, the stranger, an indifferent man devoid of any concerns both socially and emotionally is Camus’s vessel of existentialism. Breaking from character, Meursault, ironically attacks the chaplain, another stranger such as himself. Meursault’s final act leads to the solidification of his existentialist behavior through symbolic representation of God, breaking free from society’s force of religion, revolting against any form of hope and accepting the absurdity of life.
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.
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.
In Camus’s major works, ‘absurdism’ was a frequent subject. The term ‘absurdism’ refers to a feud or conflict between our expectations or ideals and reality. Among his widely praised works, the “The Stranger” and “The myth of Sisyphus” can be read as an example of the absurdism. “The Stranger” is a story of an insensitive individual man, who lives for the