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The theme of outsider by camus
The theme of outsider by camus
Existential psychology chapter 11
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Recognizing hopelessness in this human condition, man discovers his kingdom in this world. True, this world is a temporary kingdom, one which he will eventually loss, yet this is the only world possible for him. This knowledge sets off in him in a terrible feeling of frustration, one that leads to a passionate commitment to life and all that it can offer. Consequently it brings about an equally passionate rebellion against death and everything that may justify it.
The absurd as a human condition is dramatized in the experiences of one man in the stranger. Meursault, the books main protagonist lives a meaningless existence in world steered in nihilism.
With the second war just breaking out into its full dire potentialities and threatening to plunge the world into chaos, and with the bitter memories of the first world war fresh in minds of people all over the world, especially Europeans, Meursault came as a familiar figure indeed.
He is simply depicted the lot of many Europeans who seemed to inhabit a land that no longer corresponded to their innermost aspirations. The land, rocked by turmoil which shattered all semblance of stability, was no longer theirs and yet they were all in it.
In other words, the absurd has not yet been brought home to his consciousness at the time he begins the adventures that he narrates. That Meursault appears and seems to act in conformity with the absurdist ways of life is an indication of his innocence and not of his awareness of the absurd.
Awareness of absurdity comes to Meursault in its full implications during his confrontation with the priest whose offer of salvation in God‘s mercy and forgiveness only serves to make him realize the utter hopelessness of his fate. This leads him to a passiona...
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...g life that is left of him.
He has desired to return to a life which he always had. It‘s a life that might forever be his had he not sentenced for what he believed to be a useless murder where one can either shoot the Arab or not. As he went in prison however, his search for former joys lasted only for a few months.
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In this absurd life, one life was as good as another; and he isn‘t dissatisfied with his. In retrospect to all the things that happened, nothing matters.
Meursault knows that throughout the whole absurd life that he lived, his life is forever the same. So why would he cry for his mother? Will his tears save the life of a woman which for him was already final? Nothing has changed; man is forever a stranger in this world and that Meursault only brings man to the uneasiness if an absurd existence he has been escaping from what can never avoid.
He, however, seemed question his presence because the death of his mom or even from the absence of his father—the fairly dynamic that every child should have (both parents present). In chapter two Meursault found himself alone in his apartment as Marie had left for work earlier that morning. In this section he explains that, “After lunch I was a little bored and I wandered around the apartment” (21). In this quote, Meursault demonstrates just how meaningless is life is. To have nothing more to do with his time than walk around his apartment shows that Meursault is questioning his place in this world. He is a man with virtually only two friends—Raymond and Marie—and a neighbor that he associates with on occasion about his dog. As he wanders the apartment he explains that he lives, “in just one room now” (21), one that he literally put his dining table in so that he could eat in his room. This quote symbolizes his loneliness as a person. Not only is the apartment too big for him, the world is too, and his is basically alone in both. For some reason—maybe a tragedy or trauma that he faced in earlier years—Meursault has closed himself off from the world and does not express love for anyone or anything. In fact, Meursault made a statement about the death of his mother saying that, “at one time or another, all normal people have wished their loved ones were dead" (65). At this point in the story, I think that Meursault may not have had the best family dynamic. He does not speak of anyone else but Maman, and mentions a father that he does not know. So, he may not feel like he belongs or does not know how to. He also explains that, “it was one of Maman’s ideas, and she often repeated it, that after a while you could get used to anything” (77). This quote could explain the fact that Meursault is closed off—he has gotten so used to not having anyone around that truly cares for him (his
The 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.
Absurdism holds that the world is absurd and that looking for order or meaning of any kind is a futile endeavor. Humans must accept the absolute indifference of the world towards human life. Ironically, it is only the thought of imminent death that leads Meursault to acknowledge anything like meaning or importance in life. Though he still spurns the notion of essential meaning, Meursault's impending execution fills him with an overwhelming, heart-felt desire for life that contradicts his stated goal of being "level-headed" and considering life and death as equal
This passage is set before Meursault’s execution with the chaplain entering the scene, and telling Meursault that his “heart is blind”, leading to Meursault to yell and delve into his rant, and moment of consciousness. The passage has a calm in the beginning as if Meursault catches his breath from yelling previously, and he starts to reassure himself that he is not wrong for expressing his views as it went against the public’s religious beliefs, and states that this moment was so important to him that it was if his life was merely leading up to it. Why this particular scene is important to Meursault is that this is an instance where he successfully detaches himself from the world, and begins to deconstruct the world’s ideals as his rant shifts on to focusing on how nothing in life mattered. Meursault describes his gripes with the chaplain’s words as he explains his reasoning as to why the concept of a god is flawed as Meursault saw that everyone was inherently the same, with equal privileges just how often people could express them separated them. The passage continues with Meursault arguing that everyone would be faced with judgment or punishment one day, and explains why his own situation was not significant as it was no different. After that explanation the passage ends with Meursault posing the concept of everything in the world being equal both in wrongdoing and life in general, evident in his example of saying “Sala¬mano's dog was worth just as much as his wife.” Although the passage shows Meursault challenging the ethics and morals that the world around him follows, it does have instances like the end in which we see that the rant is still expression of Meursault's complex emotions, as it is unclear whether it is fear or a...
...able option. Camus’s main character, Meursault, embodies this third option; by accepting his circumstances and being indifferent to them, Meursault is able to break free of all possible causes of anxiety and find happiness. Furthermore, Meursault’s rejection of religion as belief, his acceptance of the “benign indifference of the universe”, and his acceptance of his circumstances all leading to happiness personifies Camus’s take on Absurdism, the philosophy that Camus is trying to depict in The Stranger (76). By using foil characters to contrast Meursault in actions or personality, Camus creates several polarizing situations, making Meursault the extreme epitome of Absurdism in every contrasting relationship and thus, shining light on his ideology in the process.
The title The Stranger sums up the novel into two words. Meursault acts mentally, physically, and emotionally strange to the reader. Only because Albert Camus made Meursault so isolated. Many humans show emotions on everyday things, and that is why Meursault would be considered strange because he does not act as we would say a normal human should.
Meursault (the narrator) in The Stranger only sees and only wants to see the absolute truth in society. The readers first encounter with him...
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.
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.
From those actions stems the character of Meursault. In writing, Meursault is painted as an indifferent, honest, and very strange man. He completely embodies the absurd and in many ways he can be considered a reflection of the absurd artist in the Myth of Sisyphus. Meursault expresses all of the absurd characteristics outlined in the book : revolt, freedom, and passion. Revolt- By not partaking in social customs or following c...
The most popular topic that people talk about when they discuss “The Stranger” is Albert Camus’s Absurdism. However, associating with history background in 1940s, we can find that “The stranger” satirizes French colonists’ inconsistent behavior, and sympathizes with the native Algerian. Albert Camus uses Meursault’s life as an epitome to reflect the miserable life that Algerian have to express his political opinion implicitly.
The trial and conviction of Meursault represents the main ideals of absurdism, that truth does not exist, and life is precious. The jury’s attempt to place a proper verdict on Meursault is compared to mankind’s futile attempt to find order in an irrational universe. Because there is no real truth in the trial, the verdict was unfair and illogical. Camus uses his beliefs of truth not existing and life being precious to point out the absurdity of the judicial system, and suggest the abolishment of the death penalty.
Albert Camus originally wrote The Stranger in French. L’Étranger was written in the early 1940s in France, and was published in 1942 (Nobelprize 1). The setting of the novel is in Algeria, slightly before World War II. The title symbolizes Meursault’s mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical (during his imprisonment) isolation from the other people in the novel. The tone is detached, sober, and occasionally sarcastic and ironic. He wrote The Myth of Sisyphus around the same time he wrote The Stranger. During this time, he was working for the French Resistance in Paris (Nobelprize 1). The metaphor of exile that Camus uses to describe the human predicament and the feeling that life is a futile struggle without meaning can understandably come from a man who is struggling against a brutal and omnipotent regime far from his home.
Meursault saw the purpose of life as meaningless. That is “Absurdity”. Absurdity, how does that word sound? Pretty bad, eh? Absurdity, when used like “that’s absurd!”, gives the feeling of negative judgment and a sense of finality.
Albert Camus wrote The Stranger during the Existentialist movement, which explains why the main character in the novel, Meursault, is characterized as detached and emotionless, two of the aspects of existentialism. In Meursault, Camus creates a character he intends his readers to relate to, because he creates characters placed in realistic situations. He wants the reader to form a changing, ambiguous opinion of Meursault. From what Meursault narrates to the reader in the novel, the reader can understand why he attempts to find order and understanding in a confused and mystifying world.