In The Stranger by Albert Camus there are many points where Camus’s personal beliefs in existentialism are found. Camus showed his existentialistic beliefs by using his characters to make social commentaries on multiple different social institution, including marriage, time, and society itself. Camus uses all of his characters to show his social commentaries with specific characters going to show what existentialists believe are bad qualities of social institutions. Some of the social institutions that are shown in this novel are marriage, time, and the idea of a group of people forming a society altogether. The social institution of marriage is shown through multiple characters, including Marie, Raymond, Perez, and Meursault. These characters show how those who get married are unhappy and the people who do not get married seem to be the happiest. It is also important to see that Camus shows the characters who in love are blinded by it. The social institution of time is mostly shown through Meursault while he is in jail. Time can be considered a social institution due to the fact that it was created by man and Meursault leaves this social institution while imprisoned. Finally the idea that anyone needs to be a part of a society is also a social institution, and Meursault shows how a society is not needed and actually people are happier when they are not even a part of a society. Because of this Meursault becomes a society of one. Looking at all the times when Camus uses social commentaries about different social institutions it is easily found that existentialism guides many of the social commentaries within this novel and is a very important aspect of the novel itself.
One social institution that Camus talks about through his ...
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... social institution. When Meursault leaves the constraints of time he is much happier and has time to think about everything he needs to do. And sense he has time to think about what he needs he then leaves society all together. This is the final social institution that there is a commentary on. Without having to follow what is set upon him by society he can do and think what he wants, and because of that he even understands why Moman did what she did at the end of her life. With all of these social commentaries there are many points in the novel when existentialist ideas are shown and also show how import existentialism is in this novel.
Works Cited
Camus, Albert . The Stranger. 1942. Reprint. New York: Random House, Inc., 1988. Print.
"Existentialism." AllAboutPhilosophy.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014.
Daru initiated the Arab morning commute from the schoolhouse an accompanies him on the road for several hours—Until the road divided into two directions. Daru hands him a package of food and money for two days. Daru turns the Arab around and points to two possible directions. If he goes east, he will reach the police headquarters and be punished. If he goes south, he will find the nomads, who will protect him in accordance with their laws of hospitality. Daru starts his return journey and turns to see which direction the Arab has chosen. In the end, given the choice between the road to the prisoner where he would surly be punished or the road to the nomads and freedom, the Arab chooses the road, toward the prison headquarters. Daru returns to his schoolhouse and finds a warning written on the blackboard: “You've handed over our brother. You will pay for this.”(Camus 109.)
...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.
...ough Maman’s funeral and the impact of Maman’s death on Meursault. In the first chapter, Meursault is disconnected from the world around him; only responding to the social customs set in place and showing awareness in why they should be followed, but he does not understand why that is the case. In the last chapter, the inevitable arrival of Meursault’s own death makes him aware that the life he lived meant nothing because things would be the same at the end despite what choies he made. This acceptance is reached because Meursault was guided through death. Thus, Maman’s funeral links Meursault and Maman together as two individuals who accept their despair-filled truth but demonstrate the willingness to live again because they carry that acceptance with them.
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...
opinion on existential nihilism. Existential nihilism is the philosophy that life has no intrinsic meaning, and rejects all religious and moral conformity. The main character meursault, displays all of these traits throughout the book. Camus gives the reader an alternative outlook on the life and how there is no right or wrong way of living because in the end, whether that be sooner or later everyone is going to have the same end fate. Camus demonstrated his belief of existential nihilism through the external and internal
writings where people as humans struggle to find purpose and ask themselves what is the meaning of life to which the universe responses by simply showing a complete and utter disregard for such a question or any questions as a matter of fact. It is “This paradoxical situation, then, between our impulse to ask ultimate questions and the impossibility of achieving any adequate answer, is what Camus calls the absurd.” Existentialism essentially deals with the absurd which had been “cultural movement that flourished in Europe in the 1940s and 1950s.” and besides Albert Camus there was other Philosophers who adopted such ideas like “Karl Jaspers, Martin Heidegger, and Martin Buber in Germany, Jean Wahl and Gabriel Marcel in France, etc.….. [with]
It is true that Meursault was different from the rest of society. However, he changes throughout the trial and eventually becomes an existentialist hero. This is because he finds meaning in life. It is ironic, though, that he learns to appreciate life after his is effectively over. His apathetic approach to life is made clear from the first page: “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know.” This foreshadows his approach to everything else in the book. His indifference to Maman’s death contrast’s significantly to Salamano’s distress at losing his dog. Many of the characters in this book also function to highlight his qualities through contrast.
...he world, which causes him to encounter a form of enlightenment that makes him come to realization of the true world. The realization of the world sprouts the idea that the universe is indifferent and life has no true meaning. Because Meursault realizes that the universe is indifferent to people and that he makes no importance to the world, he is reborn to a life that makes sense to him. The nonexistent emotions from the first part and the outburst of emotions from the second part cause a juxtaposition of Meursault as a character in the two sections. Camus uses elemental diction and sentence structure to portray this change in character and his acceptance of the universe around him. He accepts his death, finding that his life is truly meaningless, and believes that his life is a model for the philosophical ideas that he has come in terms with.
Use of Stylistic Devices in The Stranger & nbsp; In his novel The Stranger, Albert Camus uses the stylistic devices of imagery and diction to develop the intensity of the physical action and to illustrate the lack of emotion in the last paragraph of Part I. Imagery of all kinds is abundant in this passage as Meursault, the main character, pays great attention to and describes in detail the beach environment that surrounds him. Visual imagery is present as he conveys the intense heat by telling how it seemed as though the sky had cracked open and was raining flame, and by personifying the ocean, recounting how it breathed blistering hot air onto the beach. Auditory imagery is employed when Meursault speaks of the cymbals of the sun clashing and describes the four shots fired as “four quick knocks on the door of unhappiness.” Imagery of a tactile nature is used in Meursault’s depicting the effects of the light reflecting off of the Arab’s knife on him, its “searing” his eyelashes and “gouging” his eyeballs.
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
...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.
Meursault lives an average life, but one important factor in the story is that he does not seem to express his emotions. Some of his character traits could label Meursault as an existentialist because he does not care about anything except physical things. When his mother died, many other people were crying, but all Meursault worried about was the heat. He is very honest as well, and he does not try to cover up the fact that he did not cry during his mother’s funeral.... ...
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.
... defined as 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. It also emphasis upon man’s creating his own nature as well as the importance of personal freedom, decision, and commitment. This whole theory is displayed in The Stranger through a character named Meursault whom continues living life through the choices he has made and as Camus states life is absurd and Meursault agrees because he see’s life as an unexplainable place and he seems to stand out from the rest of the crowd because he views things differently and thinks unusually than others. He beats to his own rhythm and agrees that life is what one makes out of it. Existentialism is creating your own life.
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.