The Stranger

1109 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Themes of existentialism in the stranger

In the 1940s, a time of evolving new philosophies, the novel The Stranger was published. The novel illustrates a myriad of examples of the use of existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophy that exemplifies that thinking derives from the physical breathing and behavioral ways of an individual. Camus, the author of the novel uses the narrator’s mother’s death at the beginning of the novel to set up the novel for the recurring use of existentialism. Something in particular that caused a riot among the people was that the stranger was emotionless. Even after his mother’s death his careless attitude continued. Death in this novel is a prominent theme depicted throughout the course of the story.
The motif of death is one consistently brought …show more content…

An example of his initial character is depicted when he was offered coffee at his mom's service and he accepted. According to Camus, the stranger was not affected initially, “ I drank the coffee. Then I felt like having a smoke... I offered the caretaker a cigarette and we smoked.” (Camus page 8)Also when Meursault arrived at his mother’s funeral the coffin had already been sealed; he was offered to have it opened and see her, but he refused. This from the jump made person question her. His attitude was very nonchalant, he just went with the flow of things. For instance, Raymond asked him to do multiple things for him and even though they were not necessarily good or right things he did them. Another example is the remaining question Marie has throughout to novel does he want to marry her. The stranger makes it clear that he doesn't necessarily want to, but he would. At the funeral people expect sadness, during the trial people expect remorse. These are all things we society expect to …show more content…

Salamano one of the stranger’s neighbors loves his dog. This is a significant fact because of the condition of the dog, he is scab-covered dying dog, but he enjoys his company disregarding all the other fus. The motif of death is much deeper and then recognized at first. Meursault is happy to believe that actually dying represent the complete end to life. Although the chaplain holds the idea of an afterlife essentially this establishes with the audience that he is not scared to die. Something significant within the novel you can say is the growth of Meursault, not overall, but in reference to his feelings about death. By the end of the novel he is at peace with everything: “ They were announcing departures for a world that now and forever meant nothing to me.(Camus page 122) ” He is accepts that death is a natural part of life and is now his destiny with his impending

Show More
Related

  • Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): Parallels Within

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    Part I of The Stranger begins with Meursault's attendance at his mother's funeral. It ends with Meursault on the beach at Algiers killing a man. Part II is concerned with Meursault's trial for that same murder, his ultimate sentencing to death and the mental anguish that he experiences as a result of this sentence. Several curious parallels emerge here, especially with regard to Meursault's perception of the world.

    Read More

  • Meursault’s Subconscious Mind in Albert Camus’ The Stranger

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Part One of The Stranger, Albert Camus avoids religious confrontations with Meursault in order to subconsciously place blame on Christ for his criminal actions. Camus restricts Meursault’s relationships to further distance him from his mother. Meursault then alienates himself from the typical spiritual ceremonies and actions to demonstrate his distrust of religion. Simultaneously, Camus uses diction of clear and bright elements to characterize people in the novel, excluding Meursault. Camus associates dark colors with Meursault to depict a sadistic persona. To conclude, Camus places Meursault in recurring situations which result in him being distracted by “the light”. Camus uses these literary techniques in The Stranger to demonstrate man’s condemnation of God.

    Read More

  • Moral Ambiguity in "The Stranger"

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    Meursault resists being typecast into an archetypal moral category in many of his deeds and actions. Many of his actions in Part One of the novel help contribute to the fuzzy picture of the character. For example, at his mother's funeral, Meursault does not cry or weep in the typical mourning fashion, but rather sleeps during the vigil and entices one of the other mourners present to smoke a cigarette with him. This would be typically considered "evil" behavior, in the context of the story. He could easily been seen as disrespectful and seditious toward his mother and the established procedures of mourning, which seem to be fairly definite at that era in France. However, this "evil" mold can easily be shaken if one considers that Meursault may be more shaken than anyone else present at the funeral. Considering the other events in the novel, it seems as though he does not have a large capacity for emotion. Based on this, it is not unreasonable to assume that the events leading up to and including his mother's death may have overtaxed his limited scope of emotion, and he was therefore nearly incapable of mourning in the "normal" or expected way for his mother, but rather had to resort to his own, more c...

    Read More

  • Meursault Justifies Murder

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    The emotionless anti-hero, Monsieur Meursault, embarks on a distinct philosophical journey through The Stranger. Confident in his ideas about the world, Meursault is an unemotional protagonist who survives without expectations or even aspirations. Because of his constant indifference and lack of opinions about the world, it can be denoted that he undergoes a psychological detachment from the world and society. It is through these characteristics that exist in Meursault that Camus expresses the absurd. Starting from the very first sentence of the book, “Maman died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.” (Camus 1) The indifferent tone from these short sentences convey a rather apathetic attitude from Meursault’s part. Not only does he not feel any sorrow, he also “felt like having a smoke.” (Camus 4) Communicating perfectly Meursault’s disinterest, “[he] hesitate, [he] didn’t know if [he] could do it with Maman right there. [He] thought it over; it really didn’t matter.” (Camus 4) The death of his mother prompts an absurdist philosophy in which he experiences a psychological awakening and begins to place no real emphasis on emotions, but rather on the physical aspect of life.

    Read More

  • Meursault Isolation Quotes

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    The main character Meursault is literally a stranger, a stranger to the reader. He is a stranger in many ways. Meursault does not act as we would say a normal person would. Being as he did not shed a tear at his own mothers funeral. Meursault also shot and killed an Arab at the beach and showed no regrets. Throughout the novel Meursault kept himself isolated himself mentally,

    Read More

  • The Stranger

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “The Stranger”, the protagonist, Monsieur Meursault, is characterized as cold, uncaring, and emotionally detached. Throughout the novel, Meursault expresses no emotions toward the death of his very own mother, the proposed marriage between the woman, Marie Cardona, who became his lover, and to the actual murder of a man he didn’t know. While the jury at his trial sees him guilty because his uncommon and disassociated demeanor shows that he willfully intended to murder the Arab on the beach, a variety of psychologists would instead diagnose Meursault with Major Depressive Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, and Asperger’s Syndrome in order to characterize his indifferent thought patterns. If Meursault is suffering from Major Depressive Disorder, he is unable to function as a normal person would which ultimately leads the jury to believe that he is actually a cold blooded killer. Antisocial Personality disorder, like Major Depressive Disorder, causes Meursault to communicate a disregard for the lives of others and lacks remorse when he harms and even kills the Arab.

    Read More

  • Existentialism In Albert Camus's The Stranger

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    I, Albert Camus, am a famous French author who had written The Stranger in 1942. I was born in Algeria, and my experiences there had deeply influenced my thoughts, my work, and my philosophies. The Stranger strongly represents my philosophy involving the absurd and existentialism. When I was twenty-five, I moved to France and joined the resistance movement during World War II. After the liberation from Nazi Germany, I became a political journalist and a columnist for Combat, a French newspaper. In 1947, I retired from my journalist career and continued to write fiction and playwrights for the theatre (Simpson). Although I primarily consider myself a writer instead of a philosopher and I deny being an existentialist, the philosophy I most agree with is indeed existentialism. As one will find in my novel, The Stranger, the main character Meursault views the world and situations through an outside perspective, extreme detachment, and a lack of empathy. His characters tend to view the world as an outsider because I personally grew up in many groups

    Read More

  • Examples Of Existentialism In The Truman Show

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    Because Truman lives his life on the set, he is unaware of the world outside of his that was created by Christof. He also does not realize that everyone who he encounters with is an actor. His alienation can be understood when the interviewer who interviewed christof reveals that the Truman Show was originally meant for a show that would last one year turned into a "cradle to grave concept, [where Truman] is the first child in the world to be legally adopted by a corporation” (The Truman Show). Generally, unwanted children are sent into adoption center where they are chosen by loving parents. However, this statement by the interviewer shows that Truman is extremely different from any other person because he was adopted by a business. The fact that he was adopted by a business illustrates that unlike other children, he is nothing more than a business deal. When the interviewer remarks that this show will continue on until the death of Truman, it becomes known that Truman’s alienation from the real world and people will never change. The same detachment from society is seen in Meursault. Meursault although not by force, is also isolated from the people who he associates himself with because he lacks the emotions and sensitivity that society believes everyone needs. When Salamano loses his dog, Meursault notices that Salamano was crying, and “for some reason, [he] thought of Maman”; however, he quickly dismisses his thoughts. Whenever a close or loved one dies, people express their sadness through morning. Although Salamano would constantly beat up and curse at his dog, he still mourns for the loss of his dog. Unlike Salamano, Meursault does not mourn for his mother. This difference separates Meursault from the rest of society because it shows that unlike most people, Meursault is incapable of feeling distressed. Also, this shows that Meursault does not believe in mourning for the dead. In

    Read More

  • Comparing Existentialist Values in The Metamorphosis and The Stranger (The Outsider)

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...immediately gives an impression of a lack of emotion towards the demise of his mother. This lack of emotion highlights the existentialist ideal that we all die, so it doesn't matter what life we have while we are alive. We simply exist, as did Meursault. It becomes apparent, as the novella unfolds, that Meursault has acquired an animal like indifference towards society. His interactions with his neighbour Raymond are an example of his indifferences. It never dawns upon Meursault that society does not condone his interactions with the pimp, avoided by his community. Meursault simply acts to fill his time. Being a single man, he has a lot of time to fill, and finds the weekends passing particularly slowly.

    Read More

  • The Stranger, by Albert Camus

    656 Words  | 2 Pages

    Meursault in the book tries to overcome his emotional indifference within himself. One example shows Meursault emotional indifference against Marie. In this quote, “A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so.” The quote explains how Meursault doesn’t really think about the consequences of other people’s emotions. When he said in the quote it didn’t mean anything to him, it shows he believes human life and emotions are meaningless. He also says I didn’t think so, showing he struggles to comprehend and make his own interpretations on human emotions from Marie and other people. Another example shown is Meursault against his mother’s funeral. In this quote ‘Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday.’ This quote also shows Meursault idea of human life is meaningless. This shows that Meursault believes it doesn’t really matter if his mother died, he’s probably implying that his mother was dying soon...

    Read More

  • The Idea of Existentialism in The Stranger

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    Existentialism is defined as "a philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining his or her own development through acts of the will”. In other words, existentialism emphasizes individual freedom. Throughout The Stranger, the amount of existentialism is abundant. The use of Mersault’s experiences coveys the idea that human life has no meaning except for simple existence. The idea of existentialism in Albert Camus' The Stranger reflects through Mersault's life experiences with his relationship with Marie, the death of his mother Maman, the murdering of the Arab, and Mersault's trial and execution, all these events show that Mersault’s life of no meaning.

    Read More

  • The Stranger, By Albert Camus

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    This year, I read Albert Camus’s The Stranger and I consider it the most inspiring book I have read. The plot is about a murder, but it serves as a vehicle for Camus’s philosophy. As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Camus, reading about his interpretations of absurdism, I began feeling more optimistic and motivated. I’d like to pass on the actuation I found through absurdism to others. Absurdism was the philosophy of Camus and a branch of existentialism.

    Read More

  • The Stranger

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    At one point of our lives, we have all thought about how honored we will feel when we obtained that much wanted job promotion from our boss, how ecstatic we will feel when we finally meet the special one who we will get engaged to and soon marry for the rest of our lives, and how distraught we will feel to discover a loved one has unfortunately passed away. On the other hand, imagine living a life where you are emotionless and all those joyful or gloomy moments did not matter to you at all. Albert Camus’s The Stranger is a piece of literature that puts that exact situation into perspective by seamlessly following the life of Meursault, a young French-Algerian man who lives life impassively and without purpose or ambition whatsoever. With this

    Read More

  • The Mysterious Stranger

    1992 Words  | 4 Pages

    It was 1590 in Austria, still in its Age of Belief, and also still in the Middle Ages.

    Read More

  • The Character of Meursault in The Stranger (The Outsider)

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about The Stranger

Open Document