The Stranger By Albert Camus

Although the stranger is now a part of society, he is never fully integrated. Despite being connected to this new space, the stranger remains alienated because of her differences. He participates within the larger society, but is still detached from it because the more dominant group marginalizes him. She plays a pivotal

Furthermore, Camus uses family and personal relationships as a way to develop the protagonists’ isolation in the novel, working in providing context for the developing plot. In The Stranger, the author uses this methodology

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.

Quinn Kropschot AP English Literature December 8, 2014 Period 3 Stranger to Society A common theme underlying Albert Camus’s novels is the idea of a society that does not care about the future, the past, or the present. In The Stranger, by Camus, the main character Meursault lives a life lacking in meaning, emotions, and feelings..

In the novel, The Stranger by Albert Camus, Meursault the protagonist, becomes drawn into a “senseless” murder that has to face the absurdity of life and because of his actions, Meursault is presented as a danger due to his lack of “morality” to society. Meursault who is not able to take control of his life but respond to what life offers him believes in the simplicity of life. He tries to understand the living through logic and objectivity, which ultimately turns futile, as he himself cannot maintain proper control over his thoughts and emotions. From the interactions between Marie, to the murder of the Arab, and the meeting with the Chaplain, Meursault overcomes his indifferent views to form an opinion about what life really means. The central theme presented by Camus is how the threat of mortality becomes a catalyst for understanding the significance of life.

Truth and honesty is the aspired driving force within one’s life but it can be as destructive as deceit and dishonesty. People always yell, “Tell the truth, be honest with me!” but when all things are said, their first reaction is to call out the lack of sympathy of the person. In the novel, The Stranger by Albert Camus, Meursault lives his life through truth and honesty but societal morals and values often bring him down in more ways than one.

External Factors Analysis on Albert Camus’s Book The Stranger Albert Camus, in his book The Stranger (1942), demonstrates the fundamental properties of existentialism and the absurd. The ideology of existentialism truly began after World War II when most of America lost hope in a higher being due to the violence and corruption such as the horrors of the Holocaust. Also, the absurd referred by Camus is the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent meaning in life and the human inability to find any. Moreover, the absurd in this context means “humanly impossible.” These ideas are presented through the main character Meursault by his lack of emotion and withdrawal from society.

The story begins with “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know” (3). The lines introduce Meursault’s key personality trait, his indifference. He simply states the facts and has little emotional expression when talking about his mother’s passing. At his mother's funeral, he felt others expected him to talk and show emotion and it made him uncomfortable.

Elements of The Stranger’s existential philosophy is noticeable all the way back to the Greeks. The Aristotelian school of thought is especially apparent. According to Richard Tarnas (1991), Aristotle places vital importance on the role of the sensory experience. He disagrees with Plato, who relies on the presence of abstract Forms as the basis for the universe. Instead, Aristotle is the original empiricist. The only thing that Aristotle thinks is for certain is what we can perceive with our senses. This line of thinking greatly influences Meursault, the main character of The Stranger, who

In The Stranger, Albert Camus allows the main character to tell the story in order to give the reader an experience of his own. Obviously, with a novel also comes language, which Camus incorporates cleverly as a way to indirectly illustrate Meursault’s thoughts about certain situations. Although the novel represents a postmodern setting, the author shifts the overall meaning. In The Stranger, Camus applies a unique literary style as a power that deflects blame from Meursault, the antiheroic character. In order to disclaim the fault of Meursault, Camus incorporates several instances in which he leaves a greater sense of authority to nonliving objects, while further drawing attention away from the main character. Based on the implication of

The novel The Stranger, by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward, follows the story of a man, Meursault, and how his emotionless way of living and his one grave mistake ends up killing him through a court of law. Throughout his journey, there is tension in him, and between him and other people and groups. This tension is represented throughout this novel with the motif is heat. And as tension can grow and is part of everyday life, it is part of Meursault’s as well. Furthermore, through tension and it growing, it can result in a conflict of multiple varieties. This motif comes up at scenes such as the trial in the courtroom, the conflict on the beach with the Arabs, and the magistrate and his heated argument. And due to Camus specific placement of the motif during these scenes, it also foreshadows conflict and trouble throughout the novel. Camus’ motif of heat shows a tension between opposing sides to foreshadow various types of conflict which demonstrate the theme that tension leads to conflict.

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.

Comparatively, “The Stranger” and “Waiting for Godot” have differences, too. One of the differences that could be discussed is how time passes. In “The Stranger”, time moves in chronological order, like our normal daily lives, from morning to night. In the story, the events also happen progressively, from Meursault attending his mother’s funeral to his murder of the Arab, and at last, to his trial. However, in “Waiting for Godot”, it is hard for the readers to identify whether time moves forward or not.

“The outsider” also commonly known as “The Stranger” is written by Albert Camus. It is a book that explores the many concepts, understandings and overall idea of human life. As my group and I take time to break down the varies aspects of the book, please take time to reflect, and understand your own meaning of human life.

Divided into two parts, The Outsider deals with the life story of a young man living in Algiers. It opens with the death of Meursault’s mother and describes the events that follow. The first part of the novel deals with what happens to Meursault in the eighteen days after the death of his mother right through to his senseless murder of an Arab on an Algerian beach. The section dealing with his mother’s funeral actually serves as an introduction into Meursault’s