Existentialism is just one of the many philosophies that attempt to determine the meaning of life. This idea that the world is meaningless developed in Europe around the time of World War II. Many writers and authors in the forties and fifties were affected by the horrors of war and this new philosophy, namely, Albert Camus. Existentialism is greatly reflected in Camus’ time period, culture, and works such as The Stranger. To truly understand how existentialism is reflected in Camus’ time and works
In The Stranger by Albert Camus there are many points where Camus’s personal beliefs in existentialism are found. Camus showed his existentialistic beliefs by using his characters to make social commentaries on multiple different social institution, including marriage, time, and society itself. Camus uses all of his characters to show his social commentaries with specific characters going to show what existentialists believe are bad qualities of social institutions. Some of the social institutions
In defining existentialism the responsibility of the free being is essential to define what one is although the actions taken by the individual are self imposed and are not the fault of the environment. The Stranger by Albert Camus is in relation to the existential philosophy of the individuals deviating thoughts towards their actions are in relation with protagonist Meursault in The Stranger by Albert Camus. Existentialism and its definition of mans self determination reflects life during the world
execution, and many conscious murders. The fate of existentialism seems lacking in hope and peace. This is because many existentialists believe that life is meaningless, but also that one must be responsible for his or her actions and decisions as well as accept the consequences of those actions. Macbeth in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Antigone in the play “Antigone” by Jean Anouilh, and Meursault in the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus all are characters who have taken the responsibility
Albert Camus, a French author, composed widely renowned pieces of literature in which contributed to the rise of the absurdist philosophy, however, he often was associated as a proponent of existentialism. Published in 1942, “The Stranger” incorporates the absurdist perspective on humankind; Camus theorizes the meaninglessness of the surrounding world as absurd. The ridicule Camus introduces to societal aspects connotes his influential philosophy he establishes in the development of his characters
Albert Camus is a skillful writer noted for showing aspects of culture and society through the depiction of his characters. In The Stranger, Camus illustrates the existentialism culture and how that comes into play in the life of the protagonist Meursault. The Stranger, as suggested by the title, is a novel revolving around the protagonist, Meursault, who is a stranger to the French-Algerian society as he challenges its values. Camus vividly portrays Meursault’s journey through the use of imagery
Existential Hero Existentialism is a philosophical school of thought which contemplates the issues of meaning, life itself, the search for purpose, and how it applies to the humanity. Introduced by Søren Kierkegaard, the father of Existentialism, and coined by Gabriel Marcel in the 40’s, there has since been many philosophers, authors, works, plays, and debates over these principals. Two of the most renowned pieces of existentialist literature are The Stranger by Albert Camus, and The Tunnel by
One of the ways existentialism is created in The Stranger is through the use of the philosophical idea of nihilism that the main character, Mersault, holds true to. Nihilism is the dismissal of all religious beliefs and essentially is the belief that life is meaningless. Mersault is of nihilist thought in that he puts no meaning to life through the total concentration of the physical and virtually believes in nothing. Rejecting any consideration of being thoughtful towards any potential meaning is
n the stranger, Albert Camus’s use of symbols teaches the readers that people didn’t like the different (not having religious beliefs). Throughout the whole book Meursault always mentioned something about the sun like it was a person he didn’t like. Also he didn’t believe in God he believed that the world was random. He’s somewhat you call an existentialist. “The sun was beginning to bear down on the earth and it was getting hotter by the minute.” (pg 15) A few minutes after the funeral Meursault
When French Noble Prize winning author, journalist, and philosopher, Albert Camus, died in 1960 at the age of 46 his literary works that incorporated ideas of existentialism and absurdism were still studied and interpreted by scholars and his colleagues. Existentialism was one of the two philosophies Camus believed in and used in his works; existentialism is philosophical movement that focuses on the importance of the individual experience and self responsibility. The individual is seen as a free