In The Stranger by Albert Camus, for the majority of the novel, the protagonist, Meursault, is an emotionless character who has no real relationships. He did not ever take time to visit his mother, and he helps a man beat a woman up. Meursault did not make these choices because he is evil. He behaves this way because he only does things that he wants to do, because he is a nihilist who thinks human existence has no meaning, so he should live in the way that is best for him. But in Chapter Five of Part Two, Meursault changes when he lets all of his inner emotions out, allowing him to see that doing what he wants, and not conforming to what society wants is his purpose, rather than a way to pass time before an inevitable death. Finding this purpose …show more content…
Until Chapter Five, he seems to not really care what happens to him, instead the reader sees him noticing marginal details rather than sharing his emotions, or even paying detailed to attention to many important facts at his trial. But at the start of Chapter Five, after Meursault has been sentenced to death, that changes. Meursault says “All I care about right now is escaping the machinery of justice, seeing if there’s any way out of the inevitable,” (Camus 108). Until now, Meursault has hardly cared about anything at all, he usually will do what other people ask of him, even agreeing to marry Marie if she wants to, even though he says he does not love her multiple times. But when forced into desperation, the reader finally sees Meursault begin to act more typically, and less like the always logical person he has been. Now that his back is against the wall, Meursault shows genuine passion about something. Meursault wants to keep living, even though he knows death is inevitable even if he does get out. It is at this moment that Meursault sees the desperate situation of human condition, but he still must find his purpose and take joy in his struggle to truly become an absurd …show more content…
In 20th Century Algiers, nearly everyone believed in God, but Meursault does not and he refuses to change, or even pretend to change his beliefs. He shows emotion, but he never changes for society. This is shown when he says “I started yelling at the top of my lungs and I insulted him and told him not to waste his prayers on me,” (Camus 120). If Meursault wanted to be left alone, he could have simply pretended to believe in God, or even just shown genuine remorse. But Meursault chooses to argue with the chaplain, even if it makes him angry, and makes the chaplain want to talk to him and try to change him even more. Meursault has finally figured out that his purpose is to not conform to society, and to continue to be himself, even when he is going against nearly everybody, and making his life more
Efforts to engage Meursault in secular structures of meaning are equally futile. When Meursault's boss offers Meursault a position in Paris, he expects Meursault to embrace the opportunity for career advancement. Meursault, though, lacks all ambition and turns down the boss' offer without considering it. As a student, Meursault recalls, "I had lots of ambitions…But when I had to give up my studies I learned very quickly that none of it really mattered." When Marie asks Meursault whether he wants to marry her, she expects him to take the institution of marriage seriously. Yet Meursault is indifferent towards it, thinks "it didn't mean anything" to love a person, and agrees to marry Marie simply because she wants to marry him. Though he grows fond of her, he doesn't cultivate any attachment to her more meaningful than superficial attraction. Throughout his trial, Meursault is equally bemused by the meaninglessness of the justice system and finds its attempts to impose rational, meaningful structure on his actions ridiculous. He considers the guilty verdict he eventually receives entirely arbitrary, and describes its "certainty" as "arrogant."
While some differences between Ventura College and the colleges that Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus wrote about in their essay are evident, the similarities are salient. Ventura College meets the characteristics that Hacker and Dreifus described in their essay, Ventura College has a low tuition rates, small class sizes, and all students have access to counselors and instructors. The only difference between Ventura College and the colleges that Hacker and Dreifus talked about is funding. Ventura College doesn’t cost a lot of money to attend, but is experience it provides actually worth the price?
However, upon deciding to kill a man, he quickly learns that his previous unconcern will not diminish the consequences for his deed. Put to death, Meursault remains stagnant on his opinion of justice, refusing to ever consider that justice possesses any worth. Upon receiving a visit from a chaplain hours before his execution, he merely uttered “I had been right, I was still right, I was always right” (Camus 121) Meursault did not understand why the chaplain wanted to force him to turn to God and gain a moral sense about life. Thus he simply reiterated the motto that he lived by: an apathetic, self-absorbed idea that nothing in life means anything. Meursault’s continual refusal to accept the moral standards of the world prohibited him from every truly finding a true sense of
While coming to terms with the absurd was a gradual process for Meursault, his final days and his heated conversation with the chaplain, and his desire for a hateful crowd of spectators show that he was able to accept the absurdity, and revel in it, finding satisfaction in spite of those around him and justifying his murder. His ego had reached an all-time high as he neared his execution, and his satisfaction left him prepared for the nothingness awaiting him. This process was a natural psychological response to his mortality, for his peace of mind. Therefore, Meursault is not the Stranger, an alien to society, but a troubled man seeking meaning and satisfaction in a life and a world that was overwhelming unsatisfactory and absurd.
Meursault is a man who chooses to observe people, rather than interact with them. He often people watches from his balcony in the evening, than actually going down to communicate with them. While he was in exile, he was forced to converse and discuss his feeling to strangers like his lawyer, and the chaplain of the prison. Due to being a severe introvert, the idea of discussing his problem to another person was foreign for him. The experience of opening himself up to others for help was alienating, and contradicted his personality of being a stranger to everyone. Camus writes, “He didn’t understand me, and he was sort of holding it against me. I felt the urge to reassure him that I was like everybody else, just like everybody else.” (Camus, 66) Meursault wanted to help his lawyer understand his point of view, but his nature is so closed off that he’s unable to put his feeling into words for others
The famous French playwright Moliere once said, “The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.” Throughout our lives, we often are faced with hardships that cause us to change ourselves, the people around us, and the situation itself. Because of this, it may reveal our true characteristics to show who we truly are. In the memoirs “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls and “Warriors Don't Cry” by Melba Patillo, they vividly illustrate the story of how they faced their struggles. They both prevailed because of their tenacious mind sets, but handled the situations in both different and similar ways. The characteristics of the characters Jeannette and Melba show the similarities and differences between the characters.
Some people think that if they could only change one aspect of their lives, it would be perfect. They do not realize that anything that is changed could come with unintended consequences. “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Third Wish” by Joan Aiken both illustrate this theme. They demonstrate this by granting the main character three wishes, but with each wish that is granted, brings undesirable consequences. The main idea of this essay is to compare and contrast “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish.” Although the “The Monkey’s Paw” and “The Third Wish” are both fantasies and have similar themes, they have different main characters, wishes, and resolutions.
Even when facing his trial, Meursault could not bring himself to understand life even a little bit more than he previously knew. Meursault felt the need to make an effort to defend himself, “Later on, though, I no longer saw any point to my reluctance (page 72).” Meursault could not find any sort of validation during his trial and incarceration. He even wanted to sit back and see how it would all play out. Even when facing consequences of actions, Camus shows that the thrill of getting caught is not the point of
...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.
Both the films, The Blind Side and Rudy, address many common issues. Two in particular that stand out are education and sports. Both Michael Oher and Daniel Ruettiger (Rudy) pursue their education in order to follow their dreams. In these cases, both dreamed of becoming college football players. The long journeys they take to reach their goals bring out each characters motivation and dedication to get to the top.
In Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, the protagonist Meursault is a character who has definite values and opinions concerning the society in which he lives. His self-inflicted alienation from society and all its habits and customs is clear throughout the book. The novel itself is an exercise in absurdity that challenges the reader to face the nagging questions concerning the meaning of human existence. Meursault is an existentialist character who views his life in an unemotional and noncommittal manner, which enhances his obvious opinion that in the end life is utterly meaningless.
Society believes Meursault as an emotionless killer or a stranger to society’s morality, Meursault then can’t explain why he couldn’t feel any emotion, drive, or thoughts of remorse for his murder. Lastly, when the chaplain visits Meursault against his wishes, this scene shows how society expects everyone to ask for forgiveness from God when near death. Meursault then thinks it is absurd and refuses to believe it because he says it’s ridiculous and there’s no time at all.
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.
Meursault's final lines are paramount to the meaning of the novel. Just before his execution, Meursault finds grace in the vast, uncaring universe, and is prepared to go to his execution and relish the hatred poured upon him. This is maybe my favourite part of the novel: Meursault's death is a metaphor for life. In the end, Meursault becomes Sisyphus, and as Camus says in MoS, "we must imagine Sisyphus happy."
Oxford Dictionaries defines religion as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. Religion is important in life because it not only gives humanity order, but it also gives people a reason for life. Without religion, perhaps society would be one big pile of corrupt, evil, and selfish human beings. This is something that Meursault struggles with the concept of religion the entire novel because he has a strong belief in the truth, which opens up a wide spread of issues. Some of his beliefs about life include that it is absurd because he thinks it’s just a game, and that it is mankind’s responsibility to look over oneself because death is a traveling burden. Even during his trial he is at a disadvantage because of his inability to connect with the conventions of society. In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, Meursault loses his faith in life, God, and society because of his lack of understanding and comprehending his feelings and emotions. If the purpose of religion is to bring people together in unity and also give them a sense of hope, then why is Meursault so uninterested and unaffected by any of the events that took place during the novel such as his mother’s funeral, his relationship with Marie, or even his trial? The real purpose Meursault acts the way he does is because he loses is faith in himself and humanity. This feeling of nothingness inside Meursault is most evident in the first line of the novel, “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know,” showing no sign of grief or mourning for the loss of his mother (1). The death of his mother serves as a disruption of the status quo in his life, it is the beginning of his emotional journey of deterioration and separation from...