Motif of Violence in The Stranger by Albert Camus
analytical Essay
730 words
Motif of Violence in Camus' The Stranger (The Outsider)
The Stranger written by Albert Camus is an absurdist novel revolving around the protagonist, Meursault. A major motif in the novel is violence. There are various places where violence takes place and they lead to the major violent act, which relates directly to the theme of the book. The major violent act of killing an Arab committed by Meursault leads to the complete metamorphosis of his character and he realizes the absurdity of life.
Meursault, an unemotional, a moral, sensory-orientated character at the beginning of the book, turns into an emotional, happy man who understands the "meaninglessness" and absurdity of life by the end of the book. Meursault realizes that the universe is indifferent to man's life and this realization makes him happy. He realizes that there is no God and that the old codes of religious authoritarianism are not enough to suffice man's spiritual needs. One has to create one's won meaning in an absurd, meaningless world.
Every character that revolves around Meursault seems to be in direct contrast to him. Meursault is an amoral person who does not seem to care passionately about anything. He acts in accordance with physical desires. In other words, Meursault is a sensualist person. At this particular time in his life, his path crosses with his neighbor, Raymond, who feels as though his girlfriend is cheating on him. He decides to take revenge with minor aid form Meursault. Meursault helps him only because he thinks he has nothing to lose if he does. As things lead into one another, the first major violent act of the book is committed.
As part of his revenge Raymond beats up his girlfriend, only to be followed by her Arab brother. At this time Raymond thinks Meursault to be his good friend and takes him to his friend Masson's beach house, where the two major violent acts that lead to Meursault's ultimate metamorphosis takes place.
The second act of violence takes place at the beach between two Arabs on one side and Raymond and Masson on the other. This leads to Raymond's getting hurt. Before this Camus foreshadows violence when Raymond gives Meursault a gun in case things get worse. After taking care of Raymond, Meursault goes back to the beach. He says to himself, "To go or to stay, amount to the same thing.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that albert camus' the stranger is an absurdist novel revolving around the protagonist, meursault. the violent act of killing an arab leads to the complete metamorphosis of his character.
- Analyzes how meursault, an unemotional, moral, sensory-orientated character, turns into an emotional, happy man who understands the "meaninglessness" and absurdity of life by the end of the book.
- Analyzes how every character that revolves around meursault seems to be in direct contrast to him. he is an amoral person who doesn't seem to care passionately about anything.
- Narrates how raymond beats up his girlfriend, only to be followed by her arab brother, and takes meursault to masson's beach house, where the two major violent acts lead to his ultimate metamorphosis.
- Analyzes how camus foreshadows violence when raymond gives meursault a gun in case things get worse.
- Analyzes how meursault, a sensualist, shot dead an arab because of extreme heat and bad weather conditions. the imagery provided by camus makes the situation believable.
- Analyzes how camus made meursault's novel a satire of the legal system, which sentences him not because he is non-religious and nonconformist, but because of not crying at his mother'
- Analyzes how the prospect of death metamorphosizes meursault as he realizes that the universe is indifferent to ever single dweller of the world.
- Analyzes how camus writes the stranger in first-person, narrative voice, which makes the character of meursault believable to the reader.
- Analyzes how a series of violent acts lead to the violent act that completely changes meursault's life.
Related
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- The Stranger Word Lit Essayanalytical essayThe Stranger, published by Albert Camus in 1942, originally was written in French but soon got translated into English. Absurdism is a philosophy closely looked at in the novel and the readers can greatly explore this philosophy through evaluating the actions of the narrator, Meursault. Albert Camus writes in specific focus to this philosophy in The Myth of Sisyphus, which consists of a story about a man named Sisyphus who was sentenced to push a rock uphill again and again only to watch it roll down again. He writes his novel purely subjective to the narrator’s point of view. This is important because we the readers are able to see his reasons for his actions and opinions on situations. In The Stranger, Albert Camus cleverly shapes Meursault’s character so that he portrays the philosophy of the Absurd and also shows how a more rational society might view his choices and actions.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how albert camus' novel, the stranger, was written in french but soon got translated into english. absurdism is a philosophy closely looked at in the novel and the readers can greatly explore this philosophy through evaluating the narrator, meursault.
- Analyzes how meursault embodies the philosophy of absurdism, which states that efforts made to find meaning in life will eventually fail.
- Analyzes how the man refuses god when he meets with the priest before his execution. that'll be the best example.
- Analyzes how meursault's absurd behavior comes into judgement during the trial.
- Analyzes how the jury begins to question marie about meursault's affair with marie, followed by a remark that led to dead silence. the audience didn't listen to what masson and salamano had to say.
- Analyzes how meursault's character baffles many readers. the way he sees the world and his handling situations could be seen as anomalous and absurd.
- Analyzes how meursault's character portrays the philosophy of the absurd and the way he is viewed during his trial shows how the society in the stranger respond to his behavior.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how camus uses the crucifix and courtroom to convey the idea that religion is man's desperate attempt to create meaning in life where there is none.
- Analyzes how the courtroom symbolizes society's views towards life and social order. meursault is a cold, calculated monster who lacks morals.
- Analyzes how the crucifix symbolizes christianity, the afterlife, social order, and society's acceptance of a deeper meaning.
- Analyzes how meursault argues that the only thing certain in life is the inevitability of death. the chaplain's insistence that he accept god infuriates him.
- Analyzes how meursault does not display any emotions when his mother dies because death has no underlying meaning to him, which contrasts with the beliefs of society and the teachings of religion.
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In this essay, the author
- Introduces albert camus' novel the stranger, which is an example of the outlook and themes of his philosophy of absurdism.
- Analyzes how mersault, the narrator and protagonist, is the stranger. he has cut himself off from the world.
- Analyzes how raymond sintes is vindictive, he has beaten up his girlfriend for cheating on him, but wants further satisfaction. he has mersault write a harsh letter to her for him.
- Analyzes how mersault is nonchalant about the murder of the arab. he accepts a court appointed attorney without even thinking of getting one for himself.
- Analyzes how the sun is the barometer of meursault's emotions in the stranger. it makes him sleepy, angry, happy, or resentful.
- Narrates how meursault was about to leave the beach, but the sun was too intense for him. the sun made him move toward the spring where the arab is located.
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- Analyzes how the courtroom symbolizes society's judgment of meursault when he is on trial for his life. the jurors represent society and are sent to cast judgment upon him.
- Analyzes how meursault rejects the idea of death, which makes one aware of one's life and vital being — that which is impermanent and will one day end.
- Analyzes how meursault's ideas and beliefs point to a time when there is no hope to be had. he accepts the fact that everyone dies and realizes that you can live better.
882 wordsRead More - In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, Meursault is seen as a very unique character, but not in a good way. Throughout the novel, he continually fails to show normal human emotions to things like his mother’s death, Marie’s love, and the man he killed. Most people in his town, along with the reader at first, are not able to reason out his actions but as the final events of the novel unfold, the reader begins to see Meursault in a different light.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how meursault is seen as a unique character in albert camus' the stranger. he fails to show normal human emotions to things like his mother's death, marie’s love, and the man he killed
- Analyzes how meursault's actions lead the reader and the townspeople to think that he is an evil and emotionless monster.
- Analyzes how the reader learns of meursault's third dimension through conversations with the chaplain and the judge.
- Analyzes how meursault values the truth and is willing to die for it. without understanding that he actually has a system in place, people just think him weird and dangerous to society.
651 wordsRead More - Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): Parallels Withinanalytical essayThe Stranger by Albert Camus is a story of a sequence of events in one man's life that cause him to question the nature of the universe and his position in it. The book is written in two parts and each part seems to reflect in large degree the actions occurring in the other. There are curious parallels throughout the two parts that seem to indicate the emotional state of Meursault, the protagonist, and his view of the world.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how parallels within the stranger by albert camus is a story of events in one man's life that cause him to question the nature of the universe and his position in it.
- Analyzes how meursault is an average individual who is distinctive more in his apathy and passive pessimism than in anything else. he rarely talks because he generally has nothing to say.
- Analyzes how part i of the stranger begins with meursault attending his mother's funeral and ends with him killing a man on the beach at algiers.
- Analyzes how meursault spends the night next to his mother's coffin at a pre-funeral vigil with old people who were friends of her at the home in which she had been living.
- Analyzes how meursault's scene is echoed in part ii, at his own trial, where he has the again unsettling feeling of being judged--only this time for something official. he observes every detail of the jurors with a sort of heightened vision.
- Analyzes how meursault's tiredness combined with the excruciatingly hot weather makes him feel dizzy and not quite sure of what he is doing.
- Analyzes how parallel events in the stranger emphasize meursault's emotions and view of the world. each particular point is a turning point for him.
- Analyzes how meursault doesn't defend himself at the trial until much later because he considers himself innocent.
- Analyzes how meursault loses hope for his acquittal at the trial because he is too dizzy to speak properly. he discovers that when death approaches, all men are equal.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kamel daoud, an algerian writer, wrote a response to camus' book, the stranger by meursault, and dead man's share.
- Explains that every human being has a different definition of injustice. injustice reminds us cruelly that it is not necessary to live good and real to be well treated by life.
- Analyzes how albert camus' "cycle of the absurd" transposes meursault's philosophy that existence has no meaning and that only fate and luck guide one’s steps.
- Analyzes how meursault, his friend raymond, and his other friend masson are walking on the beach in chapter 6.
- Analyzes how meursault shoots an arab for his friend raymond because he has no sense of humanity. death is the link that merges the two parts of the book.
- Analyzes how meursault's strangeness is characterized by his lifestyle and his perception of life in general.
- Analyzes how the narrator devoted his life to give a name to the arab who is his brother, and this mission weighs on him as curse.
- Analyzes how meursault internalized the anti-arab, racist ethos of the french, which devalued the arab society before colonization.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how camus develops the characters of both raymond and meursault through dialogue.
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- Analyzes how meursault, raymond, and masson are fighting a group of arabs that come to kill raymond for abusing their sister.
- Analyzes camus' use of imagery, irony, and symbolism to depict the existentialism culture and how that comes into play in the life of the protagonist meursault.
- Analyzes how camus' the stranger uses the minor character raymond to illustrate the absurd nature of meursault.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how albert camus designed a different character to society and showed us how he lived. his ideas on absurdism are shown many times in part one of the stranger.
- Analyzes how meursault accepted his and his mother's death and saw the purpose of life meaningless. the idea of absurdism is easily misunderstood and relates itself negatively.
- Analyzes the absurdity of albert camus' novel, which deals with an author who does not believe in god.
- Explains that camus' concern with death and its abyss of nonexistence is the basis for most of his literary works.
- Analyzes how camus' absurd embraes a good message, an optimism in that emphasis is placed on human responsibility for controlling the respect of the world.
- Analyzes how the stranger's theme of absurdism is an invaluable theme in the novel.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how albert camus' construction of events builds up meursault as a character parallel to its narrative structure.
- Analyzes how meursault's interaction with the arab at this point is crucially linked to any changes in behavior instigated by his mother’s passing.
- Analyzes how meursault's indifference to his mother is a part of his personality, but connects his attitude with her death. his murderous act was born out of desperation.
- Analyzes how meursault's acceptance of consequence creates a sense of looming punishment. each gunshot opens up the misery of his grief.
- Analyzes how meursault's apathetic nature transfers into isolation and irritability incrementally alongside the rising action of the novel.
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In this essay, the author
- Analyzes albert camus' novel, the stranger, as an exercise in absurdity that challenges the reader to face the nagging questions concerning the meaning of human existence.
- Analyzes how meursault expresses general discomfort as he prepares to leave town to attend the funeral.
- Analyzes how meursault is affected by the sounds and smells of the bus and sleeps the whole way to escape his physical discomfort. he keeps an all-night vigil at the casket surrounded by his mother's sobbing friends.
- Analyzes how meursault is bothered by the intense algerian heat during the funeral and throughout the novel.
- Analyzes how meursault's unemotional manner enables him to commit murder on a sun-drenched algerian beach.
682 wordsRead More