If Meursault goes out there begging for forgiveness he would just become a member of a collectivity. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. Existentialists attempt to direct our attention to ourselves as individuals. Albert Camus The Stranger: Existentialism and Absurdism, Mersault and His Trial in Albert Camus's "The Stranger", Commentary of a Passage Taken from " the Comfort of the Strangers ", The Things They Carried" Compared to Neisser's "Five Kinds of Self Knowledge, “Story Truth” and “Happening Truth” in "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, Analysis "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, The Portrayal of Vietnam in The Things They Carried and Good Morning Vietnam, Love and War in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. They believed in an afterlife and a heaven while Meursault did not, since he was an atheist. Existentialism In Albert Camus's The Stranger 830 Words | 4 Pages. Albert Camus believed that to be a true existentialist you had to remove yourself from society as much as possible since a belief in the foundation of government was to conform. “I may not have been sure about what really did interest me, but I was absolutely sure about what … To sum up, Albert Camus’ first novel The Stranger is devoted to the themes of social alienation, racism and sexism. The absurdity of the murder is what makes it a good portrayal of the concept of existentialism. Another meaning of the title is that he is also a stranger to himself. The idea of existentialism in Albert Camus ' The Stranger reflects through Mersault's life experiences with his relationship with Marie, the death of his mother Maman, the murdering of the Arab, and Mersault's trial and execution, all these events show that Mersault’s life of no meaning. hide. Meursault, the protagonist in “The Stranger… At the beginning of the novel, Meursault sits at his mother’s funeral, quietly analyzing details of the scene. Existentialism is often defined as a philosophical movement or tendency, emphasizing individual existence, freedom and choice. Likewise, he cannot deal with the intense heat, the light reflected off the Arab’s knife which seems to stab at him. October 20, 2019 Nathan Wong Leave a comment. In existentialism, you believe that there are some things that cannot be rationally explained and just happen out of your control. Blog. Once again society has rejected him by distorting the truths of the case and trying him for that single event rather than that which he was convicted for. Although not strictly an existentialist novel, "The Stranger" delves into the philosophies of life and meaning, concluding that there is no rhyme or reason or higher plan for human life. A majority of the book made me feel like the rest of society, which was not accepting Meursault’s behavior. Camus also addressed this in his other famous book, The Stranger, in which a man accepts the irrationality of life and lack of objective meaning by refraining from making any judgments, by accepting even the worst sorts of people as friends, and not even getting upset when his mother dies or when he kills someone. Society finds this unacceptable, and by refusing to conform to its face-value standards, Meursault must die. The second half of the book begins after Meursault is put in jail and is awaiting his trial. Andrew Irvine, “Basic Themes of existentialism”, http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/wphil/lectures/wphil_theme20.htm, Crowell, Steven, “Existentialism”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed. As an existentialist, he accepts life as it is without seeking deeper meaning. Life or death, and anything in between, makes no difference to him. Especially when emptiness of a man’s heart becomes, as we find it has in this man, an abyss threatening to swallow up society;” as if to say that the murder of the Arab was a direct result of the stoic mindset Meursault held at Maman’s funeral. Review for the Mid-book Quiz. For example if a person commits armed robbery his punishment will be prison, as that is the result of the action he chose to perform. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com. While attending his mother’s funeral, Meursault decides to smoke cigarettes, drink a cup of coffee, and he fails to show emotion. In other words, first you exist, and then the individual emerges as life decisions are made. This is perfectly shown in both The Guest and The Stranger. Looking for a flexible role? However, Camus did not identify himself as a philosopher. 191 [ 8 ] Sartre. This text is NOT unique. As the caretaker proceeds to approach the casket so as to give Meursault a last look at his mother, Meursault himself stops him. This suddenly makes him happy and he accepts his death. Existentialism in The Stranger It was Camus who first introduced the idea of absurdity into the realm of existentialism. Was 10th grade required reading for me. GA. 1999 [ 6 ] Camus. In fact, he abjured “armchair” philosophy and … The fact that Meursault is not sure exactly when his mother died introduces his differences from society. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Stranger, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Meursault lives out his individuality. This is only exemplified as he answers the same way when she queries him on his love for her. According to this common definition of existentialism, hum… He is emotionally indifferent to others and, as the prosecutor of his case words it, “a coolly calculating monster. Meursault displays this theme at the very end of part one of the novel. Despite the death that had just occurred, he finds joy in her company and does not let his loss bother him. The chaplain had his empty prayers but Meursault was sure of himself; his life and his death. Camus, through his utilization of Meursault, has thoroughly explained the absurdities of life and how they, along with the actions of Meursault, thoroughly portray his existentialist beliefs as they were meant to be. Registered Data Controller No: Z1821391. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. VAT Registration No: 842417633. At the end of the novel Meursault is able to understand the meaning of life. Furthermore, Mersault shows no compassion at his mother’s funeral either. As it is most commonly used, existentialism refers to the idea that there is no higher meaning to the universe or to mans existence, and no rational order to the events of the world. Meursault, the main character, acquires an absurd philosophy on the essence of life.His mindset is … Life is a series of choices. Meursault is the absurdist, explaining the philosophy of existentialism: Man’s isolation among an indifferent universe. Throughout Camus’s The Stranger there are references to an event that occurs at the outset of the novel and exhibits ideals inherent to existentialism: the death of Meursault’s mother. An important note, however, is that there are many interpretations of existentialism, be it more optimistic or pessimistic. It was all about the way he acted and how different he was. He goes through his daily events and is so absorbed in each moment that he never reflects on them. No plagiarism, guaranteed! The highly influential effect of the existentialist beliefs on the literature of the twentieth century is clearly revealed in the overall content and mood within Camus’s The Stranger. Likewise, the war has a similar effect, but a much more powerful impact. His insensitivity is introduced through the emotions, or lack thereof, that he displays upon news of the death of Maman. He meets a woman named Marie while swimming the day following Maman’s funeral. Special offer for LiteratureEssaySamples.com readers. They force us to think about our relation to such topics as the existence and nature of God, what it is to be Christian, the nature of … “I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I’d been happy.” The fifth theme is individuality. Certain aspects of existentialism are witnessed in The Stranger. The fourth theme is contingency. Meursault has become a stranger in his own world, a social outcast punished for crimes which are both ridiculous and yet the norm. Meursault demonstrates his difficulty with relationships when he says “Maman died today” but also thinks it could be the day before (3). Several mundane yet life altering events are also taken into account by Meursault in an existential attitude. 191 This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. An important note, however, is that there are many interpretations of existentialism, be it more optimistic or pessimistic. 9 1 19. The Stranger is often referred to as an existential novel, but this description is not necessarily accurate. These opening lines of the novel serve not only to introduce the novel but to summarize it as well. Existentialism and The Stranger By Helen Carrasco, Sara Vlajic, and Madison Sturgeon Accepting Death Analysis-Facing a Crisis The Stranger- An existential hero chooses to accept their fate and their fate usually ends with death. It refers to the capacity to bring that which we are unaware of into awareness. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Start studying existentialism and the stranger. He is able to dissect himself and examine what his future will bring, and experiences several emotions often grouped with existentialism; the most outstanding being fear and anxiety. Existentialists: a primer to existentialism, http://www.tameri.com/csw/exist/exist.html. In the second half, it is mainly of his self-realization about society and life, which I feel, could have been approached another way by the author, like being shortened. The final theme is reflection. Get tips and ideas in OUTLINE. 5 5. comments. I do feel, however, that the second part dragged on and got a bit dull. The Stranger:Random House. These themes are existence which is the awareness of our choices, and passion which are psychological feelings that we understand before thinking kicks in. It is a paragraph that shocks and sets the tone for the rest of the story: “Mother died today. Later on, Marie inquires as to whether Meursault would be interested in marrying her. Meursault’s senses are being overwhelmed, and the only way to handle the situation is to end it – so he fires the gun. Amsterdam-Atlanta. share. In part one of the novel Maman dies so he attends the funeral, nothing out of the ordinary. To him absurdity springs from man's relation to the world and to exist as a human being in society is inexplicable and wholly absurd. The prosecutor says, “I look into a man’s face and all I see is a monster.” What Meursault has realized, by the end of the book, is that any meaning he finds in life he must create. To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below: If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please: Our academic writing and marking services can help you! While awaiting his execution, he thinks about how his life has no meaning besides just living and how death does not scare him. Existentialism and the Absurd In Camus "The Stranger" Existentialism and the Absurd The novel, The Stranger, by Albert Camus,consists of a first person narrator, Meursault. When he must die, he wants a crowd to greet him “with cries of hate”; they are screaming because they want life and the world to have meaning; they need this because that is what their entire existence is built upon. This is in direct contrast to society, whose strict guidelines focusing on right and wrong depend on an individual’s sense of these concepts. Another notable occasion in which he offers an outlook on existentialism is during his stay in prison. Meursault’s entire being is unemotional. When he thought about his own life and that he was about to die, he accepted it. Existentialism is often defined as a philosophical movement or tendency, emphasizing individual existence, freedom and choice. Human lives are not invested with purpose. Before starting with the lessons from The Stranger, by Albert Camus, and therefore on the ideas of Existentialism & the Absurd, we are going to start with the first paragraph of the book. The discussion of Meursault’s responsibility takes place at the end of the novel. 1st Jun 2017 However, due to the existentialism, the character stands out in a way unique to the characters in that work. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one’s acts. In The Stranger, Albert Camus uses Mersault and his experiences to convey the philosophy that man is full of anxiety and despair with no meaning in his life except for simple existence. As opposed to the multitude of books and manifestos approaching existentialism from an academic perspective, The Stranger approaches the philosophy by detailing a character with the belief innately in him and showing how someone like this might behave. And in 2019, its things like “how dare you” and “I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is.” We young people are pretty good at grabbing attention. Funeral tomorrow. 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