Themes Of The Strangers That Came To Town

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 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.

The Article “A Stranger in Strange Lands” written by Lucille P. McCarthy is an examination of the writing process. This article follows a college student through a twenty-one month study to determine how the students writing ability is affected as he transitions from one classroom to another. Focusing on specific writing processes in different types of classrooms,this article hopes to uncover the importance and effect of writing towards a specific audience within a particular genre and to offer a better understanding to how students continue to learn to write throughout college.

At first, people would talk about Mrs. Duvitch and say rude things about her. Mrs. Duvitch could never really feel accepted when people were constantly talking about her and making assumptions about her which is why she too never really had contact with anyone, “But this gave rise to the rumor that she was the victim of an obscure skin disease and that every morning she shook scales out of the bed sheet” (3). When someone gives you reassurance that what you’re doing is okay and become engaged and interested in what you’re saying that allows you to open up and feel accepted which is what happened with Mrs. Duvitch when Andy’s family went over for dinner, “Saying very little, he managed to make us feel a great deal and he constantly sought his wife’s eyes with glances of delight over the wonder of what was happening” (14). Mrs. Duvitch is finally accepted into her community when others see that she has much more to offer them then they had thought. Her special nursing skills became very important to her community, “The community presently had reason to be grateful for Mrs. Duvitch’s presence. It turned out that she had a great gift for nursing, and no fear of death, no fear of disease, contagious or otherwise.” (16). Her acceptance into the community shows that this story is about freedom.

In the essay, Stranger in the Village, James Baldwin talks about his experience as an African American visiting a small village in Switzerland who has never seen an African American before. In the small village Baldwin is seen as something magical and so unusual to them because of the color of his skin. Even after going back to the village several times he still feels like a stranger. To portray his experiences of racism Baldwin strongly uses pathos throughout his essay. He describes the sense of never belonging whether in America or in a small village of Switzerland. Baldwin uses pathos to argue that there is a way to stop racism in the village with the children but America and the adults in the village have too much history to have the same innocence as the children of the village.

The story “The Strangers That Came to Town” is primarily a story about freedom. In his short story, “The Strangers that Came to Town”, Ambrose Flack is showing that true freedom is about being accepted. In the beginning of the story Mr. Duvitch and his family couldn’t walk around the town being judged or feeling uncomfortable. This was also a big problem for Mr. Duvitch’s children. They deal with bullying and not being welcomed as well. Although at the end of the story Andy’s family changes things for the Duvitch’s. The town begins to realize that they aren’t as bad as they thought and weren’t actually that different from them.

African American racial tension has decreased drastically, since the fifties our country has leaps and bounds towards equality. James Baldwin wrote Stranger in the Village, and he wrote about his experience living in a small Swiss village and how he was able to evaluate the American society and its issues of race. Baldwin specifically focused on African American racial issues. Baldwin makes arguments about how race is treated much different in Europe, he also argued how there are still a lot of problems with American society that need to be changed. I agree with Baldwin's thoughts however this essay is outdated and isn't completely relevant to our society today; however some of the broader ideas are.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion,” is a quote written by Albert Camus, which displays the complexity of defining the term freedom. Jean-Paul Sartre’s play “The Flies,” defines the concept of freedom as the accountability of one’s own guilt, which allows individuals to recognize their own freedom. Furthermore, an individual that accepts accountability for one’s own guilt and responsibility for the city, or complete isolation, is living in freedom. Likewise, Zora Neal Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God explores the notion of being or becoming absolutely free, finding her voice,

Why do we engage in war? Is there ever a significant outcome?Just like the Korean War, the story Interlopers by Saki, share similar themes and outcomes. In the Interlopers, the author Saki conveys a theme of don’t waste your life on engaging in hatred cause death will follow, using the literary techniques of situational irony, imagery, and foreshadowing.

In paragraph three of James Baldwin's 'Stranger in the Village' (1955), he alludes to emotions that are significant, dealing with conflicts that arise in the Swiss village. Of these emotions are two, astonishment and outrage, which represent the relevant feelings of Baldwin, an American black man. These two emotions, for Baldwin's ancestors, create arguments about the 'Negro' and their rights to be considered 'human beings' (Baldwin 131). Baldwin, an American Negro, feels undeniable rage toward the village because of the misconception of his complexion, a misconception that denies Baldwin human credibility and allows him to be perceived as a 'living wonder' (129).

“When, beneath the black mask, a human being begins to make himself felt one cannot escape a certain awful wonder as to what kind of human being it is.”(4). In his essay, “Stranger in the Village”, James Baldwin writes about the major differences that African Americans experience in Europe and America. Throughout the essay, Baldwin describes how the Europeans are naive about the black man. The outrage and amusement that Baldwin feels throughout his visit causes the overwhelming realization of the history of the African American.

Without any credit, the environment leads people to make choices that shape their lives and thoughts. Even though people might have similar backgrounds it doesn 't mean that they share the same opinions. Everyone carries a different opinion of a stranger in his/her mind depending upon there past encounters with strangers. This is evident in the works of Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.

Freedom can be expressed in many ways, whether it be from the individual or from the community. One can express freedom from escaping their own barriers from their life. This can make someone’s life more easy to live because they can freely express their ideas and thoughts without being ridiculed. Other people may express freedom from being accepted in society. In Ambrose Flack’s short story, “The Strangers that Came to Town”, he shows that true freedom is about being accepted. Flack uses characterization of Mr. Duvitch as a catalyst to show that true freedom is about being accepted. Mr. Duvitch wasn’t accepted for the beginning of the story which creates a poor image of himself in his community. Flack also shows that once he is accepted by society, it shows the power of acceptance and how it is transferred to happiness. Once Mr. Duvitch was accepted and free, the whole community finally understood who he really is. Mr. Duvitch’s true personality shined through because he was comfortable within his community.

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.

The thorough presentation of a well researched context in the film provided the environment for priming the viewers on the concept of belonging which was highlighted in the film. This grounded the film and prepared the viewers on the film’s main focus. Through the brief but meaningful snippets of what happened during the trial of Rodney King, the viewers were introduced to the conflict used in the film that surfaced and distinctly placed attention on the concept of belonging.