Alan’s and Mersault’s Perceived Personal Realities in Equus and The Stranger

Through psychological realism in Equus and The Stranger, Peter Shaffer and Albert Camus alienate both characters to show the power of religion through their perceived personal realities.

Through the setting, Shaffer emphasizes Alan’s accepted reality. Worshipping a horse in your room seems very insane to most people, but to Alan it changes his life. This quote needs to be incorporated. “I look through the door, and he was standing in the moonlight in his pajamas, right in front of that big photograph….then suddenly he knelt down….and he said ‘Behold – I give you Equus, my only begotten son’” (Shaffer 46). This point demonstrates that Alan is not part of the “normal” society but in his own world worshipping Equus, who he considers a god. The way that Alan bows in front of the poster represents his escape from society which shows his reliance on his god, Equus. He tries to stay away from the problems that society throws at him as a teenager, but as he continues through the night, his constant problems hit him in the face, interrupting his ideal reality with his god, Equus. This setting displays that at one point in Alan’s life, worshipping Equus was ideal, but the reality of teenage problems that Alan faces kills his idealistic views, forcing him to look further into his own reality.

On the other hand, Camus’s use of setting paints Mersault’s lack of understanding the concept of religion. “After them, the street slowly emptied out. The matinees had all started I guess. It was Sunday all right,” (Camus 22). This quote demonstrates Mersault’s lack of understanding religion. The setting paints of picture of people scattering out of town on the streetcars on a Sunday afternoon. Mersault believes that it is because the matinees are ...

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In conclusion, the authors of both Equus and The Stranger express several aspects of psychological realism. Although both texts have different takes on the power of religion, they both have one thing in common: the rage about religion in reality. Despite the fact that the authors incorporate the theme of religion differently, it seems very apparent and both novels. As aforementioned, the two texts differ tremendously, as well. The clarity of this statement comes largely from the uncommon personalities of the main characters in both novels. However, in the end, both characters see how powerful religion becomes in their lives, especially at the point where they go into a rage about the validity of it. In the end both characters acknowledge the power of religion and that it plays a drastic role in their lives, giving the characters their final reality.