The Stranger Critical Lens Essay

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.

Meursault's character is the determining factor in his conviction and sentencing. His social rebellion is deemed immoral and abominable. The reader and the novel's characters both try to rationalize Meursault's actions in order to give his life meaning. But according to Meursault, life is meaningless and consequently needs no justification.

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.

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 The Stranger by Albert Camus, the murder committed by Meursault is questionably done with no reason. Although the entirety of the second part is spent in society’s attempts to find a cause, Meursault has a durable existential mentality that proves that even he knows that there is no true reason for the crime. Through the use of light and heat imagery and diction in The Stranger, Albert Camus comments on the duality of society trying to find a cause for the murder and Meursault defying this because of his existential mentality. These elements heighten Meursault’s negative outlook on life by

In The Stranger, Albert Camus describes the life of the protagonist, Meursault, through life changing events. The passage chosen illustrates Meursault’s view during his time in prison for killing the Arab. In prison, one can see the shifts in Meursault’s character and the acceptance of this new lifestyle. Camus manipulates diction to indicate the changes in Meursault caused by time thinking of memories in prison and realization of his pointless life. Because Camus published this book at the beginning of World War II, people at this time period also questions life and death similar to how Meursault does.

For five of the passages below, write a 5-8 sentence interpretation (not a summary) of the significance in relation to Camus’s philosophical framework (moralism, the Absurd, existentialism, religion, hope, social judgment, fate).

In the book, The Stranger by Albert Camus, Meursault finds an old newspaper article in his jail cell about a Czechoslovakian man who is murdered by his mother and sister. This article relates to his own trial by providing himself peace as well as the missing pieces found in both. The Czech man’s story expands the themes mentioned throughout the book, as well as supporting Camus philosophy of the absurd.

In the fictional novel, The Stranger, the heat and sun have an effect on Meursault's mood and behavior. The motif is dispersed and mentioned throughout the entire novel. The heat and sun can put Meursault in a pleasant mood, and at times a unpleasant mood. The two elements also have an effect his behavior. They are also a strong influence on the events and thoughts of Meursault in the novel. Heat symbolizes the indifference of the universe towards human life. The heat and the sun have a positive and negative effect on Meursault's mood and behavior in the novel.

The theme I chose for my project was “The Search for Meaning.” To express my chosen theme, I chose to make a collage. In Camus’s book The Stranger, Meursault is sentenced to death for shooting and killing an Arab. Throughout the book, he tries to come up with ways to get out of his consequence. Eventually he accepts his fate, realizing that everyone is born and everyone dies and there is no real meaning to life. I portrayed this idea with a collection of pictures and quotes that depict Camus’ ideas on the meaning of life.

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.

In Part 1 of the novel, Meursault does not fully grasp the significance of life because of his absurdist way of life. Camus presents Meursault as a person who does not live life, but reacts to what life presents him. Meursault is incapable of understanding the metaphysics of the world due to his lack of emotions. The greatest understanding of Meursault is through his own mind; instead of being subjective, he is objective. “Behind them, an enormous mother, in a brown silk dress, and the father, a rather frail little man I know by sight” (22). His thoughts include “note-taking” details about his environment with an

An encounter with Satan can be looked at in many different perspectives, and have many different reactions. When three young boys in the city of Eseldorf come across Satan, they particularly enjoy his presence, and his fantastical powers. In Mark Twain’s The Mysterious Stranger, the satirical elements portrayed are Dramatic Irony, Absurdity, and Fantasy, to mock the ignorance and insignificance of the human race; and not only that, but also to draw the attention of humans and help make most of their flaws clear.

At one point, he declines a job offer to go to Paris. Despite the fact that he'd be able to leave colonial Algeria for Paris, which would seem like a good life choice for many, he doesn't care for the offer. Meursault said that “people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that [he] wasn't dissatisfied with [his] here at all” (41). Meursault shows himself not only be indifferent to things or people around him, but that he's also indifferent to his future as everything is the same to him. In his relationship with Marie, Meursault was indifferent to the idea of getting married to her. When asked about marriage and if he really loved Marie, he responded that “it didn't mean anything but that [he] probably didn't love her . . . that it didn't really matter and that if she wanted to, [they] could get married” (ibid). Here he was, saying that he didn't care if he got married. By doing this, he discarded his own ability to decide his future, and instead put it in the hands of someone else. In this respect, Meursault is also like the world, in that his future is decided by others, but unlike the world, Meursault has the ability to decide his future, but never takes the chance, because, like the world, he doesn't care.

“The Stranger” by Albert Camus and “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett are both pieces of literature that explore the idea of absurdism. “The Stranger” describes a story of the protagonist, Meursault, who is viewed as an outsider in society. He killed an Arab and was consequently ordered to be executed because he was different from the society around him. “Waiting for Godot”, on the other hand, is a story about two main characters waiting for a person named Godot who never shows up. Eventually time just passes without any regular routine. Comparatively, two pieces of literature have both similarities and differences, which will be examined in this essay.