Who Is Meursault's Argument To Existentialism

Camus’s “The Stranger” causes us to question the laws and ideals put in place in our own world. The book implicitly questions much that has long been accepted about human relationships--that one should reciprocate, sympathize, and honor convention. To Camus, these expectations are absurd and unrealistic because they are human constructs. As an adherent to existentialism, Camus would argue that the only thing that matters is living for the present without regard to arbitrary moral standards. In his novel, he explores this idea through the character of Meursault, a decidedly passive character who discovers the greater truth at the end of the novel. Many people argue that prior to his arrest, Meursault’s passivity is indicative of his unenlightened

Raymond and Meursault are “pals”, but, while he behaves agreeably, Meursault does not really reciprocate Raymond’s overtures. Raymond seems to be doing all the work of friendship building, inviting Meursault over for dinner, and choosing the topics of discussion. Meursault appears uninterested in pursuing the conventions associated with friendship, resulting in Raymond’s rationalization regarding the mistress going unchallenged. Meursault goes along with Raymond’s reasoning, which gives the illusion that a more intimate friendship has formed. However, when Meursault agrees to write a letter to help win back the mistress for Raymond, he does so mostly because it is not inconvenient: “I tried my best to please Raymond because I didn’t have any reason not to please him” (Camus 32). Again, Meursault displays existential traits as they pertain to friendship. While humans naturally bond for a variety of reasons, the notion of “friendship” implies a set of prescribed behaviors and expectations, such as loyalty, empathy, and camaraderie, which Meursault fails to embrace. He befriends people mostly out of convenience as evidenced by Raymond’s obvious unsuitability as a friend--He is after all, a manipulator and an abuser. Nonetheless, Raymond seems to believe that Meursault is exhibiting traits of friendship, when in fact Meursault is simply failing to contradict Raymond and is agreeable to

Camus’ portrayal of the different relationships in the novel highlight the consequences of the sense of entitlement one being often feels over another. For example, the relationship between Raymond and his mistress represents a power dynamic wherein Raymond feels entitled to torment the woman for supposedly cheating on him, and “[h]e had beaten her till she bled” (Camus 31). Raymond also feels entitled to use his mistress as a way to satisfy his sexual needs, confirming that by saying he still had “sexual feelings for her,” and get acquire these claims, he planned to “go to bed with her and ‘right at the last minute’ he’d spit in her face and throw her out” (Camus 32).Despite how awful Raymond’s plan is, Meursault gives Raymond the impression that he is in agreement: “He asked… what i would do in his place, and I said you can’t ever be sure, but I understood his wanting to punish her” (Camus 32). The caginess of his answer exemplifies his indifference. Many people would be judgment in Meursault’s position, either chastising Raymond or encouraging him, yet Meursault does neither. He very craftily appeases Raymond. In observing Raymond’s relationship conflict, Meursault remains essentially passive, which is how he gets roped into writing the letter. By