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The Stranger By Albert Camus Justice Essay

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In Albert Camus’s novel, the Stranger, characters are presented with a sense of justice. The main catalyst Raymond Sintes, sees justice as the act of punishment for doing something wrong, and he believes he can take justice into his own hand to carry out the punishment. “By 'justice', I understand nothing more than that bond which is necessary to keep the interest of individuals united, without which men would return to their original state of barbarity. All punishments which exceed the necessity of preserving this bond are, in their nature, unjust. (Cesare Beccaria)” At one point Raymond took it upon himself to punish his mistress because she would waste his money on an extravagant lifestyle which was not necessary and he was already paying for most of her expenses. “He gave her enough …show more content…

“When man submits to God to moral judgement, he kills him in his own heart. And then what is the basis of morality? God is denied in the name of justice but can the idea of justice be understood without the idea of God? Have we not arrived at absurdity? ... man, in order to exist, must decide to act. (Albert Camus, the Rebel)” Justice is not seen as only mode of punishment but also the action of doing the right thing. Raymond came into the court room at Meursault trial and pleaded Meursault’s innocence. Raymond felt some loyalty toward Meursault. He believed that he was the one to blame for the murder because he asked for Meursault to do the task, like guns for hire. To the court Raymond was asked to state his relationship to the deceased, which pointed out a motive for Raymond wanting him dead. With Raymond taking the blame he shows that he wants to be held accountable through justice, for this crime. In Camus’ novel Rebel, mirrors Nietzsche's own morality when he interrogates God as a moral instance. God is the constructed being, a named abstraction and an uplifted instance to distribute what is morally right and morally

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