Victims of Society in The Outsider and Antigone
Both Meursault and Antigone are the protagonists in their stories.
They have much in common, such as the fact that they explain their
impending deaths as decided by fate, even though each seems to have an
easy way of surviving. Both are willing to die for what they believe
is right. The concept of fate is quite different between the texts. In
Antigone, a Chorus tells you at the beginning of the play that
Antigone will die. Antigone uses the excuse of fate to explain her own
death to Creon, where as in The Outsider fate is much more subtle.
First I will look at The Outsider and Meursault. Albert Camus wrote
this novel as a challenge against the death penalty and the society
that imposes it. It reflects his existential philosophy including how
we do not trust people that are different, that society would rather
hear lies then the truth if the truth makes them uncomfortable, and
that people with different views to the majority are persecuted.
Camus' choice of Meursault, an unusual person, who does not 'play the
game', enables him to demonstrate this argument.
Meursault's first words are 'Mother died today.' He is very quiet and
detached and likes to observe events around him like a spectator,
regardless of their importance to him. At his mother's funeral, he
does not cry, he smokes and drinks coffee, and this turns out to be
the reason for his execution. It may appear that the fact that
Meursault is killed because of the way he acts at his mother's funeral
is a sign of hubris, much like Creon's in Antigone, who does not
respect Polynices' death properly.
Camus shows us Meursault's philosophy is a hedonistic one; he acts
like each day is his last. His bo...
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...ne's destiny is argued by all the individual characters, each
arguing only for the side that benefits themselves. The Chorus argues
for fate to justify it's existence, Creon argues for it to justify his
decision to have Antigone executed, Heamon argues against it because
he wants Antigone to live on.
These two stories rely on inevitability to draw attention away from
the storyline, and bring the focus onto the issues they raise. Camus
wished to persuade people that the death penalty was unjust and wrong,
while Anouilh wanted to encourage a sense of rebellion among the
people of occupied France during World War 2. In The Outsider and in
Antigone both of the main characters believe that they are destined to
die, becoming martyrs for their author's causes.
Bibliography
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Anouilh, Jean - Antigone, 1944
Camus, Albert - The Outsider, 1942
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... mother, he does not react in a way most people do. He does not cry but instead accepts what has happened and realizes that he can not change it. He goes back and does physical things he would do on a normal day. When the caretaker offers him coffee, he accepts it, he smokes a cigarette and has sex with a woman he just met. Meursault also does not lie to escape death. He refuses to conform to society and lie. He would rather be seen as an outsider than do something that he does not believe in. Finally, Meursault, will not believe in G-d or Christianity just because it is the only thing to turn to before he is put to death. When Meursault decides not to cry at his mother’s funeral, he accepts himself as an outsider. When he is considered an outsider, it does not matter if he is guilty or innocent; at the end of the day he guilty just for being different.
A tragedy is defined as a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction. The play Antigone by Sophocles displays many qualities that prove to form into the epitome of a tragedy. Tragedy is usually marked with a person of great standing—in this case, a King—who falls because of hubris, or extreme pride. Antigone proves to live up to both of these definitions which is proven through its themes. Sophocles uses many techniques in this tragedy to contribute to the overall theme. This theme is accomplished by creating emotions in the readers to evoke the understanding of the theme. In the play Antigone, Sophocles uses the themes of pride, power, and femininity to convey his overall theme of tragedy.
Violence can be interpreted in many ways, one being by "Physical force intended to hurt, damage or kill someone" or "the unlawful exercise of physical force or intimidation by exhibition of such force"(Oxford Dic), in Antigone both of these definition of violence was used both in unlawful practices and at the tragic ending.
Antigone uses the concept of death in many ways when unfolding the tragic story of Antigone and her rebellion. The most obvious way is how death is used as a form of capital punishment and justice against state-dubbed criminals and wrongdoers. The play first exhibits this notion when Antigone states, “No passing humor, for the edict says who’er transgresses shall be stoned to death” (Sophocles, p. 3). The head of the state, Creon, uses death as a form of justice for the man or woman who is to disobey his law. Creon also emphasizes this by threatening a guard when he is notified that his edict has been violated. Creon states, “Go, quibble with thy reason. If thou fail’st to find these malefactors, thou shalt own the wages of ill-gotten gains is death” (Sophocles, p. 8). Death is once again used as a threat and form of justice for people sinning against the state laws. However, death is not only used as a form of state justice, it is also portrayed as a factor in personal justification and completion. The notion that people are not whole or justified until they die is emphasized by Antigone when she states, “A sinless sinner, banned awhile on earth, but by the dead commended; and with them I shall abide for ever” (Sophocles, p. 4). Antigone says that through death, human life is justified and made complete, and that death is essentially the final form of justice for any human l...
...iod when Camus writes this novel. Camus obviously knew the time period and explored different ideas and philosophies about pointless of life in people which comes out in his character, Meursault. In prison Meursualt also realizes that he’s trapped, and there’s no way out as he remembers what the nurse once said to him. His growth in self reflection results in unimportance of emotional values of life and help focus what’s directly ahead of him. This significant change results him in understanding himself and his voice, and figuring out his capabilities and philosophies. Time spent in prison helps Meursault finally understands himself, the meaninglessness of life, and the unimportance of time which shows the shift in the character after sent to prison.
Camus’s motif of the sun illustrates Meursault’s emotions as he approaches the Arab, the sun’s rays separating Meursault from reality. “I knew that it was stupid, that I wouldn’t get the sun off me by stepping forward” (59). Yet after he utters this statement he takes another few steps forward. This sets the stage for the climax of Meursault’s murder of the Arab. More than anything the sun is depicted as a distraction to Meursault. It causes him to do things he would not normally do and clouds his judgment, causing him to commit a serious crime which will cause his own death. The sun is in a way a representation of the constraints society places upon Meursault. The effect the sun has on Meursault that results in death is a parallel to the effect of society on Meursault, which also results in death.
Camus writes in a simple, direct, and uncomplicated style. The choice of language serves well to convey the thoughts of Meursault. The story is told in the first person and traces the development of the narrator's attitude toward himself and the rest of the world. Through this sort of simple grammatical structure, Camus gives the reader the opportunity to become part of the awareness of Meursault. In Part I, what Meursault decides to mention are just concrete facts. He describes objects and people, but makes no attempt to analyze them. Since he makes no effort to analyze things around him, that job is given to the reader. The reader therefore creates his own meaning for Meursault's actions. When he is forced to confront his past and reflect on his experiences, he attempts to understand the reasons for existence. At first, Meursault makes references to his inability to understand what's happening around him, but often what he tells us seems the result of his own indifference or detachment. He is frequently inattentive to his surroundings. His mind wanders in the middle of conversations. Rarely does he make judgments or express opinions about what he or other characters are doing. Meursault walks through life largely unaware of the effect of his actions on others.
Both Sophocles and Jean Anouilh use the simple story-line of a girl defying her uncle and king in the face of death to reflect upon the events and attitudes of their days. Sophocles' Antigone models the classical pattern of tragedy by incorporating key elements such as a tragic hero with a fatal flaw and the Man-God-Society triangle. Creon is the tragic hero who disturbs the natural harmony of Thebes by denying Polyneices a funeral. Antigone is the catalyst who forces him to reckon with the consequences of his pride and arrogance. In the twentieth century, Jean Anouilh takes Sophocles' drama, strips it down to its core, and weaves an entirely different version of the story. Anouilh redefines "tragedy" by removing the conventional tragic hero, the Man-God-Society triangle and the black-and-white distinctions within the story. He creates a heroine with human faults and emotions, whom society can both embrace and emulate, in order to criticize the Vichy collaboration with Nazi Germany during WWII.