Absurdity in The Stranger, The Myth of Sisyphus, and Miss Lonelyhearts
Concern with the "absurdity" of the human condition, believing that that the world does not offer a basis for people's lives and values, has pervaded the thought of many writers. The protagonists in Camus's The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus illustrate Camus' absurdist outlook. This philosophy is also evident in Miss Lonelyhearts, the work of Nathanael West. Miss Lonelyhearts addresses the central dilemma facing modern man; nothing in our world can provide people with the answers, values or morals needed to structure men's lives. West depicts men as isolated beings; lonely hearts who are unable to love one another.
In Camus' The Stranger, the protagonist Meursault manifests Camus's outlook. Life for Meursault has little meaning on a profound level, and he is not concerned with making value judgments or assessing right from wrong. Camus explains that most people accept the common events that compose their existence, without questioning their actions. He feels that nothing we do have deep, lasting effects; our lives end while the universe goes on, without being fundamentally changed. Natural forces are evident in our lives, yet by simply relishing the fleeting moments of nature, one will never find steadfast enjoyment. In The Stranger, Meursault is incapable of looking beyond the sensations of the moment.
In another of Camus' works, The Myth of Sisyphus, Sisyphus is portrayed as an absurd hero who his conscious of his plight. Sispyphus has been condemned for his scorn of the gods, hatred of death and passion for life. He has been relegated to the rolling of a rock to the top of a mountain forever, and he does not appeal to hope or to plead ...
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...muscles and clearing the blood." (19) Miss Lonelyhearts' isolation from others is stressed, not only in his name, but by West's vivid description. For example, "He lived by himself in a room that was as full of shadows as an old steel engraving." (8) The contrast between the "Desperate, Sick-of-It-All, Disillusioned," writers and Miss Lonelyhearts becomes less pronounced as the novel develops.
The pessimistic and absurdist attitude expressed by Nathanael West in Miss Lonelyhearts is similar to that of Camus, and Camus's outlook indicated by his works: The Myth of Sisyphus and The Stranger. West and Camus illustrate that nothing in our world can provide people with the answers, values or morals which they believe are needed in their lives. West depicts men as isolated beings; men who are unable to assist or love one another.
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Although, Chris McCandless may be seen as stupid and his ideals uncanny, he gave up everything to follow his heart he escaped the world that would have changed him, he wrote his own tale to feel free, and he left a conformist world to indulge in true happiness. How many people would just give up their lives, family, material goods, to escape into a world of perfect solitude and peace; not many and Chris was one of those that could and he became and inspiration. “The idea of free personality and the idea of life as sacrifice” (187).
However, other characters are forced into isolation for reasons that are not in their control. The actions of another cause them to experience loneliness. The story begins with Robert Walton writing to his sister, Margaret, about his voyage to an undiscovered place. In these letters, as the voyage gets underway, he writes of his loneliness. Letter II states, ?
Isolation can be a somber subject. Whether it be self-inflicted or from the hands of others, isolation can be the make or break for anyone. In simpler terms, isolation could range anywhere from not fitting into being a complete outcast due to personal, physical, or environmental factors. It is not only introverted personalities or depression that can bring upon isolation. Extroverts and active individuals can develop it, but they tend to hide it around crowds of other people. In “Richard Cory,” “Miniver Cheevy,” The Minister’s Black Veil,” and “Not Waving but Drowning,” E.A. Robinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Stevie Smith illustrate the diverse themes of isolation.
Jon Krakauer, fascinated by a young man in April 1992 who hitchhiked to Alaska and lived alone in the wild for four months before his decomposed body was discovered, writes the story of Christopher McCandless, in his national bestseller: Into the Wild. McCandless was always a unique and intelligent boy who saw the world differently. Into the Wild explores all aspects of McCandless’s life in order to better understand the reason why a smart, social boy, from an upper class family would put himself in extraordinary peril by living off the land in the Alaskan Bush. McCandless represents the true tragic hero that Aristotle defined. Krakauer depicts McCandless as a tragic hero by detailing his unique and perhaps flawed views on society, his final demise in the Alaskan Bush, and his recognition of the truth, to reveal that pure happiness requires sharing it with others.
In the story Cannery Row Loneliness is a main theme to the characters lives. One of these themes is Loneliness. 'He was a dark and lonesome looking man' No one loved him. No one cared about him'(Page 6). The severity of his solitude makes this theme one of the most important. The seclusion of this man can penetrate ones innermost thoughts and leave them with a sense of belonging after hearing of this characters anguish. In addition a man who was not entirely alone was still feeling secluded. ?In spite of his friendliness and his friends Doc was a lonely and set- apart man.?(Page 132). An individual could have many people around him but could still not have the one good friend that he needs. Seclusion comes in many different forms that can be d...
In today’s social environment a person can be distinguished as being either an insider or an outsider to their surroundings. An insider being defined as a person who is recognized and welcomed in to the social environment. In contrast an outsider is a person who finds themselves distinguished from the rest, commonly unaccepted into the norms of society. The idea of an outsider versus an insider is a modern idea that writers have described in many literary works; such as in Hamlet and Persuasion. Upon analyzing the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare and the novel Persuasion by Jane Austen, I have come to the conclusion that the protagonists Fredrick Wentworth, Anne Elliot, and Hamlet are all outsiders to the societies in which they live. This thesis arises from discoveries found in the plot details, the way other characters think of them, and the overall outcome.
Albert Camus’ The Stranger offers one man’s incite into the justice of society. Monsieur Meursault, the main protagonist in the novel, believes that morals and the concept of right and wrong possess no importance. This idea influences him to act distinctively in situations that require emotion and just decision, including feeling sadness over his mother’s death, the abuse of a woman, and his killing of an innocent man. In these situations Meursault apathetically devoids himself of all emotion and abstains from dealing with the reality in front of him. When confronted by the court over his murder, he reiterates his habitual motto on life that nothing matters anyways, so why care? His uncaring response inflames the people working within the
In Of Mice and Men, the author, Steinbeck, explores the theme of isolation. The whole book has a pessimistic and gloomy tone to it. Steinbeck has hinted at us the theme of isolation from full built evidence to subtle details (such as placing the city of the book in Soledad, California, a Spanish word for solitude). He argues that isolation forms when people become selfish and egocentric and worry about themselves all the time.
Have you ever noticed those few people that are always by themselves or are alienated by others? Maybe it is because they may be poor, or how they dress, or where they are from. There are always those few people that are different, like in “The Doll’s house” how the Kelveys were alienated by their classmates due to what they wore and how they looked like. Being an outsider is universal because it happens in different places around the world. For instance, in “Sonnet, With Bird” the poem by Sherman Alexie, alienation happens all the way in England. Some might argue that it is not universal in the fact that everyone thinks differently or those who are alienated do not mind being alone and end up doing great things.
Isolation often creates dismay resulting in an individual facing internal conflicts with themselves. Ann experiences and endures unbearable loneliness to the point where she needs to do almost anything to
Though unbeknownst to many, the experience of being an outsider is a sensation that everyone can go through. In the world, it is entirely possible for a person to be judged on physical appearance, opinions, and status among other things. It is simply how humans have adapted; they experience society by forming social groups that they are comfortable in. Generally, this group is seen to those involved with it as the “inside group”, and those not directly related to it are seen as “outsiders.” Even in literature, it is clear that the feeling of being one of these outsiders is universal. Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Fences by Pat Mora, and The Doll’s House by Katherine Mansfield all properly display how anyone can be an outsider.
In Albert Camus’s The Stranger, Meursault, the protagonist, could be seen as immoral if he were judged on the basis of his actions alone. However, through Camus’s use of a first person narrative, we begin to understand Meursault as not an immoral man, but simply an indifferent one. Meursault is a symbol of the universe, and so in understanding him we understand that the universe is also not evil, but instead a place of gentle indifference.
In the novel Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, the protagonist, Christopher McCandless, displays isolation and independence almost to the point of narcissism but it was not until he set out on his journey into the wild that those closest to him realized the true height of his individualism. In McCandless’s eyes, people in his society have forgotten about the value in the pursuit of personal knowledge, the chase of individual happiness, and the existence without materialistic objects. On his journey, McCandless takes drastic measures to uncover, find and discover who he is and what he is capable of, isolating himself physically and mentally, driven by the idea that society urges men to conform.
“Into The Wild” by John Krakauer is a non-fiction biographical novel which is based on the life of a young man, Christopher McCandless. Many readers view Christopher’s journey as an escape from his family and his old life. The setting of a book often has a significant impact on the story itself. The various settings in the book contribute to the main characters’ actions and to the theme as a whole. This can be proven by examining the impact the setting has on the theme of young manhood, the theme of survival and the theme of independent happiness.
Albert Camus wrote the Myth of Sysiphus. The stories main character is Sysiphus. He lived in Ancient Greece and was the founder and king of a prosperous city called Corinth. Sysiphus was an extremely smart and clever man but did indeed possess a passionate desire to outwit the gods. Sysiphus also possessed a highly rebellious nature. During his time, he was a mortal man who had the audasity to match wits with the gods. Sysiphus was condemned to role a rock up to the top of a mountain, watch it role back down again, and then push it back up again.