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Analysis Camus's The Stranger
Analysis of the stranger by albert camus
Main idea of the stranger by albert camus
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Recommended: Analysis Camus's The Stranger
In Equus, by Peter Shaffer, and The Stranger, by Albert Camus, both protagonists’ personal family relations produced from overprotection and abandonment result in the disconnection of the primary care givers. In Equus Alan’s parents shelter him from the wrongs of the outside world, which creates an unavoidable obstacle between Alan and his parents. In The Stranger, Meursault’s unloving attitude towards his mother develops the sense of resentment from his childhood. In comparing both novels the author constructs these feelings to imply the effects of the actions when disunion is present between the primary care givers and the protagonists.
In Equus, the lack of communication causes the disconnection between not only Alan and his parents but also between Alan’s parents themselves. Alan’s parents, Frank and Dora, do not agree on how to raise Alan, which is where the tension with the in family appears. Alan’s parents shelter him from the outside world because they disagree on how to approach the confrontational issues that appear in reality. Frank arrives at Dysart’s, the psychiatrist’s office, and approaches Dysart by saying, “My wife does not know I’m here. I’d be grateful to you if you didn’t enlighten her, if you receive my meaning”(Shaffer 1.14.). With this statement the audience can sense the secrets and the lack of communication between the Frank and Dora. The audience notices this because within a working relationship there should be no secrets and Frank should be able to tell Dora that he went to talk to the psychiatrist. The disconnection in the family emerges at this point because everything starts with the parents. The lack of communication with the parents overflows to the Alan because the parents do not have a ste...
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...n both novels, dysfunction tears apart each family. Lack of communication emerges as the main motif in both novels. In Equus the disconnection between the parents and also between Alan’s parents and himself adds to Alan’s social awkwardness. In The Stranger detachment results in an unloving relationship between a mother and her son. In contrasting the two novels, in Equus Alan’s parents attempt to have a relationship and communicate with one another while in The Stranger the relationship between Meursault and his mother is non-existent. The controversial matters in both novels mirrors the societal issues of the time period that in return contributes to the crimes committed by both Alan and Meursault.
Works Cited
Camus, Albert. The Stranger. Trans. Matthew Ward. New York: Vintage International,
1988.
Shaffer, Peter. Equus. New York, Scribner, 1973.
Erick’s silence expresses disapproval of the many relationships involving his mother. Erick says nothing in several points of the story when “the men were around” communicating to the mother his feelings about these relationships (285). The writer signals how Erick resorts to silence when in the presence of the men. In fact, his silence becomes a form of protest to these men and their remarks, and as an acknowledgement of their intentions with her. For example, Erick maintains his silence when the mother’s date suggests taking Erick out with them sometime (285). By now, Erick is accustomed to the men making such remarks as a
Nettles and Catrin present parent-child relationships in different ways, possibly as a result of the authors’ personal experiences. The father in Nettles tries to protect his son from any pain and danger the world throws at him. In Catrin, there is too a parent-child relationship between the mother and daughter, but at times it seems strained and fraught with conflict.
In conclusion, the authors of both Equus and The Stranger express several aspects of psychological realism. Although both texts have different takes on the power of religion, they both have one thing in common: the rage about religion in reality. Despite the fact that the authors incorporate the theme of religion differently, it seems very apparent and both novels. As aforementioned, the two texts differ tremendously, as well. The clarity of this statement comes largely from the uncommon personalities of the main characters in both novels. However, in the end, both characters see how powerful religion becomes in their lives, especially at the point where they go into a rage about the validity of it. In the end both characters acknowledge the power of religion and that it plays a drastic role in their lives, giving the characters their final reality.
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.
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.
In a normal functioning family, both parent and child care for and love one another, and display these feelings. A parent is required to nurture his or her child and assure that the child feels loved by spending time together, and by giving the child sufficient attention. However, there are often times when a parent is unable to fulfill these requirements, which can ultimately have damaging effects on the child. A child who is neglected by his or her parents “perceives the world as a hostile and uncaring place. In addition to this negative perception of the world, the neglect a child faces affects later interaction with his or her peers, prompting the child to become anxious and overly withdrawn” (Goldman). This neglectful type of parenting proves to be a pattern in the novel Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, as the main characters, Jimmy, Crake, and Oryx are crucially affected by their parents’ choices and are unjustly abandoned by them. In this novel, the neglect of parents, especially mothers, is clearly reflected in the behaviours of the three main characters.
In The Stranger, Albert Camus describes the life of the protagonist, Meursault, through life changing events. The passage chosen illustrates Meursault’s view during his time in prison for killing the Arab. In prison, one can see the shifts in Meursault’s character and the acceptance of this new lifestyle. Camus manipulates diction to indicate the changes in Meursault caused by time thinking of memories in prison and realization of his pointless life. Because Camus published this book at the beginning of World War II, people at this time period also questions life and death similar to how Meursault does.
In the experimental novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, he explores the concept of existentialism and the idea that humans are born into nothing and descend into nothingness after death. The novel takes place in the French colony of Algiers where the French-Algerians working-class colonists live in an urban setting where simple life pleasures are of the upmost importance in the lives of working class people like the protagonist of the novel Meursault. What is fascinating about this novel is that it opens up with a scene of perpetual misfortune for him through the death of his mother although he seems to express otherwise. The reader perceives this nonchalance as a lack of care. Maman’s death and its impact on Meursault appear in both the very beginning and very end of the two-part novel, suggesting a cyclical pattern in the structure. This cyclical pattern suggests not a change in the moral beliefs of Meursault but rather his registering society’s systems and beliefs and craft meaning in his own life despite the fact that he meets his demise in the end. Camus uses Maman’s funeral to characterise both Meursault and the society and customs created by the society Meursault lives in in order to contrast the two while at the same time reveal how while society changes, Meursault does not. Rather, Maman’s funeral becomes of unprecedented importance in Meursault’s life and allows him to find that nothing means anything in his meaningless world at the time of his death. He finds peace in that.
The boy comprehends the severity of the situations he is faced with, such as lack of food or water, and treats his father with the same respect and equality that the man gives him. He insists on sharing his portions with his father when they are uneven, and he remains cautious at all times, even when his father is not. The boy’s fire is fueled by his love for his father, which is shown by the boy’s priority on caring for his father’s wellbeing, just as the man does for him. This love and responsibility, manifesting in the form of self-sacrifice and compassion, lies in direct juxtaposition to the rest of the world, where selfishness and indifference reigns
Meursault and Daru are both “strangers” because they are not able to understand the other characters, which are each indirectly associated with an aspect of society. Camus uses the actions and words of seemingly unimportant characters to allude to the shortcomings of society. In both texts the protagonists view the other characters in the story from an outsider view, allowing for a new perspective in which society and its problems can be assessed. By making the protagonists detached from society, the underlying issues within society can be explored from an objective viewpoint.
Often times an author incorporates a thought or philosophy into a work that can shape or reshape the attitude emitted from the novel. In Albert Camus', The Stranger, the Existential philosophy that the author fills into the work give an aura of apathy. With the opening lines of "Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure," Camus immediately sets a tone of indifference (1). Though the protagonist, Mersault, is not completely without cares, the overall attitude of passiveness he has toward himself, as well as toward others, give the entire novel a tone of apathy.
In The Stranger, Camus portrays women as unnecessary beings created purely to serve materialistically and satisfy males through the lack of a deep, meaningful, relationship between Meursault and females. Throughout the text, the main character, Meursault, creates closer, more meaningful relationships with other minor characters in the story. However, in his interactions with females in this book, Meursault’s thoughts and actions center on himself and his physical desires, observations, and feelings, rather than devoting his attention to the actual female. Living in Algiers in the 1960s, Meursault originates from a post-modernist time of the decline in emotion. Meursault simply defies the social expectations and societal ‘rules’, as post-modernists viewed the world. Rather than living as one gear in the ‘machine’ of society, Meursault defies this unwritten law in the lackluster relationships between he and other females, as well as his seemingly blissful eye to society itself. In The Stranger, males, not females, truly bring out the side of Meursault that has the capacity for compassion and a general, mutual feeling relationship. For example, Marie and Meursault’s relationship only demonstrate Meursault’s lack of an emotional appetite for her. Also, with the death of Maman, Meursault remains virtually unchanged in his thoughts and desires.
...rent and apathetic man to a human who has accepted his fate and role in the world. During this momentous transformation, Camus clearly brings his Absurdist philosophy to light. In this way, The Stranger could be seen as a tragedy. A man whom society fails to understand is condemned and is treated like an outcast because of his character. But it can also be viewed as a happy story instead. A man finally accepts the world as what it is, is content with what society views him as and is happy to have lived his life no matter what had happened in it. In any case, The Stranger by Albert Camus is a brilliant work of art that should be enjoyed as a hearty philosophical tome about man and his self-realization.
In The Stranger, Albert Camus misleadingly portrays his existentialistic views of life, death, and the world. Camus portrays the world as absurd or without purpose Meaursalt, who, as a reflection of Camus, is foreign and indifferent to his own life and death. Meaursalt eventually senses guilt for his crime, not because of the remorse of taking someone else’s life, but because it means he would lose the little things that he considers important in his life. Meaursalt is a puzzling character, who leaves readers to be uncertain about Camus’ views of life.
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.