Meursault's unique view of life is unique and different from the ethics of the society. And any effort we make to try to find meaning in them will ultimately fail. But is this picture also the reality, or simply what Mersault would have us believe? The sun symbolizes his society, The definition of absurdism is stated on Merriam- Webster dictionary as the “philosophy theory on the belief that the universe is irrational and meaningless and that the search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe”. Published on September 21, 2016 by The Stranger Essay Sample Academic degree:High schoolType of paper:Essay (any type)Discipline:English and LiteraturePages:1S... character absurdism novel albert camus The Stranger Essay If people were to accept that absurdism exists then that would mean that life is irrational and has no arrangements of any sort. He had very unconventional ideas about morality and believed that life has no rational meaning. Relationships hold … It becomes clear a short time later that the protagonist is not just focused on the corporeal; at certain times, particularly during times of stress, he becomes a slave to it. At last, Mersault purges himself of physical affects; it’s only after he shakes off the sweat and sun that he chooses to fire four times more. The whole mood, sadness, and isolation is the fuel to Meursault’s behavior, his hunger, and his emotions. They establish … In the first page of the novel alone, for example, Mersault informs us that the day is hot; that he ate lunch at Celeste’s, as usual; that he’ll be taking the two o’clock bus to Marengo so as to return in the afternoon, and so forth. These ideas and thoughts are what make this book absurd and very eccentric. Albert Camus, being the polarized man that he was, held more firmly to the belief of Absurdism than existentialism. Absurdism is when humans live meaningless lives in an irrational universe. Mersault spends his days absorbed in living for the moment, granting little import to the past or future, until the day when his world is shattered by this inexplicable act of violence. In the, Arul P Saravanan A summary of Part X (Section14) in Albert Camus's The Myth of Sisyphus. The main character’s prior sense of detachment now comes back to haunt him when he becomes agitated that the trial is developing without his participation: “In a way, they seemed to be arguing the case as if it had nothing to do with me… There were times when I felt like breaking in on all of them and saying ‘Wait a minute! In Camus's The Stranger, Meursault's indifferent behavior reinforces the notion that human life is absurd. In writing The Stranger, Albert Campus championed the idea of existentialism, a philosophy he truly believed in it. Despite knowing that forward movement toward the Arab will do nothing to bring him out of “the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead” (59), Mersault still chooses to come a step closer, and it’s this monumental step that causes the Arab to draw the knife whose glare overwhelms Mersault’s vision. There is no concept of having control over your actions. Mersault freely expresses his fascination with the woman’s frantic pace and driven attitude. Though Camus does not refer to this notion or … The Stranger Analysis Paper English Literature Essay In Albert Camus’s “The Stranger”, the absurdity of life from Camus’s eyes are positioned on display through the primary character Meursa... existentialism albert camus absurdism emotion Free The Stranger Essays and Papers Ball Whether he is deliberately fooling himself throughout the first half of the novel or not, one thing is true: Mersault finds the courage to confront the absurdity of life, and with it, the means to be truly alive. 2021 © gradesfixer.com. Somewhat ironically, this quote appears twice in Sartre’s short essay about The Stranger, Camus’ debut novel dealing with the philosophy of the absurd. The idea of the Absurd seems to attach itself with meaningless, pointless and other such words that express a destination but without the means to get there and vice versa means but no destination. Oddly, Mersault shows signs of the same need for constant activity himself. Critical Essay Camus and the Absurd To enter into the literary world of Albert Camus, one must realize, first off, that one is dealing with an author who does not believe in God. Gradually, though, the protagonist acknowledges change. In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, the main character, Mersault, is confronted with life’s absurdity after killing a man at a beach in Algiers. But the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, was pressing on my back” (58). Absurdity in The Stranger Anonymous In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, the main character, Mersault, is confronted with life’s absurdity after killing a man at a beach in Algiers. After turning down his boss’ proposal, the main character is accused of utterly lacking the purportedly essential business trait of ambition. After being in prison for a few months and being forced to find ways to fill the time, he stumbles upon a solution: “Eventually, once I learned how to remember things, I wasn’t bored at all…I realized then that a man who had lived only one day could easily live for a hundred years in prison” (78). To regret the past or worry about the future is futile; neither can be controlled. The author wrote about what he felt and his views on the world and society. We will occasionally send you account related emails. This philosophy is essentially the crux of the novel The Stranger and not only serves as one of the themes but probably the main reason Albert Camus wrote the book altogether. When being questioned by his lawyer, Mersault answers honestly that his mother’s death didn’t do much to dampen his happiness. Regardless of Mersault’s sincere motivations, it’s his stubborn focus on the present that seems to fuel his apparent disconnect with the world around him. Major characters in Camus' fiction, therefore, can probably be expected either to disbelieve or to wrestle with the problem of belief. Want us to write one just for you? As a result of this outlook, the majority of Mersault’s decisions appear to be based simply on the path of least resistance. Immediately upon arriving outside, Mersault laments that “the day, already bright with sun, hit me like a slap in the face” (47). Albert Camus’ novels, The Stranger and The Fall, compare the philosophical theories of nihilism and absurdism, claiming that even though life may lack meaning, morality is still important and… Absurdism is the key component in the story, The Stranger, and is the belief that human existence is purposeless and that is evident by the way the protagonist behaves throughout the novel. Albert Camus wrote The Stranger to express absurdism within society by having Meursault, the main character, suffers many ordeals without showing any signs of pain or emotional suffering. This fact is made glaringly obvious within the first two lines of the novel: “Maman died today. For example, one night Mersault hears his neighbor, Salamano, sobbing piteously because his long-standing canine companion has vanished. In illustrating the circumstances, Mersault claims that as a result of the assault of fiery brightness in his environment, his “whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver. He notes with surprising objectivity that both of the lawyers’ explanations for his crime are plausible: that he could just as easily be a coldhearted killer as a remorseful everyman. At last, the past has achieved significance; the future gets its due recognition when Mersault admits that “Only the words ‘yesterday’ and ‘tomorrow’ still had any meaning for me” (80). Also, while Mersault’s decisions in regard to his friend Raymond’s circumstances certainly appear to be based on a genuine lack of caring, other incidents show evidence to the contrary. This attention to physical sensation continues throughout the novel, rapidly building the impression that physical needs, for Mersault, are given higher priority than emotional needs. Albert Camus’ utilizes an existential philosophy, absurdism, in his story, “The Stranger”. This question, in turn, may be answered by a final inquiry: when Mersault kills the Arab, is he purely following his normal pattern of being ruled by the physical? To use the expression "that's absurd!" The day is passed watching the activity in the street below and pondering that his apartment has become too large since his mother moved out. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one’s acts. Meursault excludes himself from emotion in multiple … Essay on the Stranger In Albert Camus’ “The Stranger” the “story of an ordinary man who gets drawn into a senseless murder” is told. Absurdism, The Stranger, and life “Absurdism” (coined by Albert Camus) is a philosophy based upon the concept that the life and the world are meaningless, irrational, without sense or reason. Though he never specifically states his reasons, Sunday is the only day of the week when Mersault is left without structure. Believing that any action is equal in its insignificance, Meursault … Instead, each individual must create meaning for himself. He regrets that he didn’t bother reading more stories about executions: if even one had told of an escape from the inevitable, he might have obtained some hope for the future. During this final part of the book, Mersault is fully confronted by the absurdity of life. He makes decisions based on the path of least resistance, giving no thought to the past or future. ...The Stranger Essay If people were to accept that absurdism exists then that would mean that life is irrational and has no arrangements of any sort. As Mersault arrives at a gradual acceptance of life’s harsh realities, the reader, too, is obliged to scrutinize the passions ruling his own existence. Perhaps the reader is given such in-depth access into Mersault’s day-to-day activities because the present is the only thing about which the main character desires to be concerned. October 2, 2017 Music. Rather than allowing insight into the main character’s conversations, the audience is granted an almost God-like view of the minute details of Mersault’s life. In the morning light, ten residents of the group home where his mother had lived and died glide soundlessly into the room and take their seats. Camus utilizes the protagonists’ character development as a tool to further his plot of the novel. Absurdity: An Essay On The Stranger Title: Absurdity: An Essay On The Stranger. Absurdism is the need to look for a meaning to life and their inability to find one Absurdity in The Stranger essaysThe Stranger contains a strong notion of absurdity; the useless attempt humanity makes to find rational order where none exists. Or do his reasons run deeper? Such a relaxing experience was the coffee-drinking and smoking, in fact, that the main character once again dozes off. Camus' philosophy led to what was later known as Absurdism. The most essential lines, however, come directly after Mersault pulls the trigger for the first time; particular stress should be placed on the opening sentence: “I shook off the sweat and sun. While Mersault visits with his neighbor, Raymond, further on, the main character luxuriates in drinking wine and smoking. Mersault spends his days absorbed in living for the moment, granting little import to the past or future, until the day when his world is shattered by this inexplicable act of violence. He appears to show indifference in situations where others would have shown emotion. The sense that the meaning of life is in the human experiences and that things shouldn’t be questioned is the basis of who Meursault truly is as a person. In the second part of the novel, which starts with Mersault already arrested for killing the Arab, Mersault appears to have recovered his supposed equanimity. June 17, 2020 by Essay Writer In Albert Camus’ existential novel The Stranger, the pointlessness of life and existence is exposed and expounded upon in such a manner that the entire foundation of spirituality is shaken. This essay has been submitted by a student. GradesFixer.com uses cookies. In the morning light, ten residents of the group home where his mother had lived and died glide soundlessly into the room and take their seats. This causes the protagonist not only to think of his recently deceased mother, but also to experience a lack of appetite for the first time since her funeral. The absurdist novelist Albert Camus supported the philosophical belief by saying an individual should embrace the absurd condition of human existence while also defiantly continuing to explore and search for meaning (Albert Camus). All rights reserved Gradesfixer ™, Absurdity in The Stranger [Internet]. The first oddity a reader may note in The Fall is the lack of dialogue. For a moment I had an absurd impression that they had come to sit in judgment on me. Who’s the accused here? Mersault... read full [Essay Sample] for free Saying no to the weird in the stranger and the metamorphosis Essay, Feeling mercy for the protagonist in the stranger and The Metamorphosis Essay, An illness referred to as death: The meaning of Salamano's canine Essay, A Study of the Characterisation and Use of Symbols in the Stranger and the First Confession Essay, Meursault: An outcast to the society, to the surrounding and himself Essay, The influence of the robot woman: The different classes of enlightenment for women as compared to that of Meursault Essay, Meursault: A Static or Dynamic Character Essay, The Wildly Unreasonable and the Hope Idea in Novels by Camus Essay. In The Stranger, death is inevitable and does not lead to an afterlife. the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts. When being lectured by a magistrate about the need to earn God’s forgiveness, Mersault exposes his relapse into physical distraction by divulging that “I had found it very hard to follow his reasoning, first because I was hot and there were big flies in his office that kept landing on my face” (68). Albert Campus, being the popularized man that he was, held more firmly to the belief of Absurdist than existentialism. Albert Camus gives look to his doctrine of the absurd. Absurdity in The Stranger essaysThe Stranger contains a strong notion of absurdity; the useless attempt humanity makes to find rational order where none exists. Albert Camus connects these actions to the overarching themes of the books in order to convey his message more effectively. If you fit this description, you can use our free essay samples to generate ideas, get inspired and figure out a title or outline for your paper. Meursault, the protagonist in “The Stranger”, has an absurdist view to life, which the story revolves around. The court even manages to turn a good quality into a bad one. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of The Myth of Sisyphus and what it means. The concept that drives this novel is one coined by Albert Camus himself, the “absurd”. A short time later, he notes that he declines the caretaker’s offer of food because he’s not hungry, but accepts coffee with milk and also partakes in a cigarette. Camus affirms that “the only order in a disordered world is the one we create for ourselves” (Moser 2). Moreover, Mersault eventually divulges that when he’d agreed to marry his girlfriend, he hadn’t grasped the meaning behind his words; not until he sees his friend Masson’s wife does he understand how his actions will alter his life. Death and Absurdism in Camus’s The Stranger Essay. Albert Camus demonstrated how people who live by the rules of Christianity feel threatened by Meursault, the main character, because he doesn’t conform, in other words, he’s awkward. Are you interested in getting a customized paper? To begin, what exactly is absurdism? Alternately, it’s possible to view Mersault’s earlier refusal of the relocation to Paris as opposition to change; and if, as he claims, one life is as good as another, than why not go to Paris? Essay On Absurdism In Albert Camus's 'The Stranger' Essay On Absurdism In Albert Camus's 'The Stranger' 1020 Words 5 Pages. The theme of absurdism used by Franz Kafka and Albert Camus does full justice to bring out the pathos in both ‘The Outsider’ and ‘The Metamorphosis’ by Albert Camus and Franz Kafka. Join Now Log in Home Literature Essays The Stranger Absurdity in The Stranger The Stranger Absurdity in The Stranger Anonymous. The absurdist philosopher Albert Camus once supported the philosophical belief by saying an individuals should embrace the absurd condition of human existence while also defiantly continuing to explore and search for meaning. Having trouble finding the perfect essay? We can custom edit this essay into an original, 100% plagiarism free essay. Exactly Camus’ Sisyphus is the one who managed to find what we are all looking for; he found the meaning of the life itself and its purpose. By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. The author wrote about what he felt and his views on the world and society. Essay about Absurdism in The Stranger by Albert Camus 1271 Words | 6 Pages. He explains his idea of the Absurd and then continues to thoroughly develop … If you’d like this or any other sample, we’ll happily email it to you. Mersault may have been condemned for not conforming to society’s standards in mourning his mother, but in his own mind, he has been exonerated from his crime: no one should grieve for his mother, and he expects no one to grieve for him. Absurdism In The Stranger And Metamorphosis English Literature Essay. The relatives, of course, took offense to her abuse and have been haunting Raymond since. we can write an original essay just for you. You can order Unique paper and our professionals Rewrite it for you. Camus uses family and personal relationships, or the lack of it thereof, to show the isolation that the main character, Meursault, undergoes in the novel and it’s effect on him overall. S coffin Stranger ”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement glaringly obvious the. Essay Samples — Literature — the Stranger ” decides to take a solo back! 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