The priest, he realizes after a lengthy discussion, places importance only on the hereafter; the protagonist, though, still refuses to give in. This essay has been submitted by a student. He had very unconventional ideas about morality and believed that life has no rational meaning. Nothing in life holds significance or meaning. 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. On the other hand, Mersault develops a keen awareness of time for perhaps the first occasion in the novel: “It was the same sun, the same light still shining on the same sand as before. These ideas and thoughts are what make this book absurd and very eccentric. This would mean that everything mankind has done so far to progress itself through society and religion means absolutely nothing because both are used to control chaos from happening in the first place. Much further on, when Mersault is imprisoned, the passing of time becomes a constant torment. 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. The morning of the shooting, the protagonist has a difficult time waking up. The relatives, of course, took offense to her abuse and have been haunting Raymond since. In the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus there is a prevalence of characters breaking societal rules, but as a result these characters face the consequences. 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. He makes decisions based on the path of least resistance, giving no thought to the past or future. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The narrator Meursault describes sitting in the mortuary with his mother’s coffin. 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”. 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. When the trial following the protagonist’s crime finally hurls Mersault face-to-face with his own beliefs, he’s compelled to reexamine his values. Later still, when Mersault’s girlfriend asks if he wants to marry her, he agrees merely because “it didn’t really matter” (41). Unlike the priest, Mersault has come to grips with the fact that life is absurd, and one cannot force meaning upon something inherently meaningless. Camus is known for voicing his beliefs about absurdism and including, The These ideas and thoughts are what make this book absurd and very eccentric. Somewhat ironically, this quote appears twice in Sartre’s short essay about The Stranger, Camus’ debut novel dealing with the philosophy of the absurd. All rights reserved Gradesfixer ™, Absurdity in The Stranger [Internet]. 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! Mersault is being judged for the way he lived in the past, not for the crime itself. was published, writer and philosopher Albert Camus had already firmly established his theory of the absurd. Camus utilizes the protagonists’ character development as a tool to further his plot of the novel. Camus was a moralist as well as a political theoretician and stood in high public esteem not only in France but also all over Europe after World War Ⅱ. Albert Camus spent a dismal childhood with poverty and bereavement of his father’s death. This fact is made glaringly obvious within the first two lines of the novel: “Maman died today. In Albert Camus’s “The Stranger”, the absurdity of life from Camus’s eyes are put on display through the main character Meursault. Meursault's unique view of life is unique and different from the ethics of the society. this essay is not unique. The sub-themes of femininity, individuality, and isolation, Absurdism In The Stranger, By Albert Camus, he novel The Stranger written by The French author Albert Camus was published in 1942. Meursault blames the sun for everything. The death of Camus’ father during World War I, the challenges of his identity being brought up by his illiterate destitute pied-noir mother in French-Algeria, and his ensuing career as a political journalist in Paris, all contribute to Camus’ position and animosity toward the world (Maus 12-14). In The Stranger, death is inevitable and does not lead to an afterlife. One quote from Mersault’s lawyer can be seen as Mersault’s newfound realization of the ways of life: “Everything is true and nothing is true” (91)! 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. 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. 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. The centrality of death, as a concept, is perhaps Camus’s way of forcing us to confront the continuum of varying attitudes on this universal, yet distinctly absurdist, theme. The Stranger Meursault's Absurdism Anonymous 12th Grade In "The Stranger" by Albert Camus, the main character, Meursault, is seen to be a very passive and reserved individual. 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. For two hours the day had stood still; for two hours it had been anchored in a sea of molten lead” (58). 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. Join Now Log in Home Literature Essays The Stranger Meursault's Absurdism The Stranger Meursault's Absurdism Anonymous 12th Grade. He had very unconventional ideas about morality and believed that life has no rational meaning. At a later point, Mersault declines an offer to work in Paris because “people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another” (41). 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. By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. Only one who places little to no importance on the sequence of events could be so cavalier about the age or the date of death of a family member. There’s a good deal of writing relating Melville’s character Bartleby to some sort of psychological distress but much less looking at “Bartleby” from a philosophic perspective. Mersault... read full [Essay Sample] for free There is no concept of having control over your actions. 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. Mersault’s renewed detachment from the world around him is evident when he has to remember that he’s killed a man. While at the beach, Mersault and Raymond run into relatives of Raymond’s ex-girlfriend—the same ex-girlfriend to whom Mersault agreed to write an insulting letter, which provoked the girl to a visit and subsequent beating at Raymond’s hands. When the magistrate harangues Mersault to admit that he believes in God, Mersault reveals his decline back into the path of least resistance when he agrees with magistrate only because “whenever I want to get rid of someone I’m not really listening to, I made it appear as if I agreed” (69). They establish … In the collection of essays within The Myth of Sisyphus, Camus discusses questions concerning life. The Stranger by Albert Camus focuses largely on the concept of absurdism. 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. 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. Further, in acknowledging that the bullets left no mark on the body but destroyed the peace of the day, the audience sees a complete reversal of Mersault’s prior views: a choice having no physical affect, but having an emotional affect—and a rather profound one at that—nonetheless. As a result of this outlook, the majority of Mersault’s decisions appear to be based simply on the path of least resistance. The narrator Meursault describes sitting in the mortuary with his mother’s coffin. In this sense, the reader is swayed to believe that Mersault’s decision to shoot is based on the physical. 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 For Camus, the absurdist philosophy represents the ultimate explanation for, definition of absurdism is the “philosophical theory about the belief that the universe is irrational and meaningless, the search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe” ( Merriam Webster). Absurdity in The Stranger essaysThe Stranger contains a strong notion of absurdity; the useless attempt humanity makes to find rational order where none exists. Too Hot For You He mourns the ridiculousness of the entire trial, chiefly that not a single witness called to the stand had anything to do with the murder. For example, one night Mersault hears his neighbor, Salamano, sobbing piteously because his long-standing canine companion has vanished. It’s this same mentality that causes the protagonist to agree to testify that Raymond’s girlfriend has been unfaithful, despite knowing full well that there is no real evidence to support his friend’s claims. In Camus's The Stranger, Meursault's indifferent behavior reinforces the notion that human life is absurd. Mersault regrets upsetting his boss but still stands by his resolution. Albert Campus, being the popularized man that he was, held more firmly to the belief of Absurdist than existentialism. 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. Though Camus does not refer to this notion or … We can custom edit this essay into an original, 100% plagiarism free essay. A summary of Part X (Section14) in Albert Camus's The Myth of Sisyphus. For a moment I had an absurd impression that they had come to sit in judgment on me. It starts to dawn on him that there is no destiny; that “familiar paths traced in summer skies could lead as easily to prison as to the sleep of the innocent” (97). Believing that any action is equal in its insignificance, Meursault … To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below: Sorry, copying is not allowed on our website. 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. 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. In the realist novel, The Stranger, contains powerful fullness of the idea of existentialism and absurdist philosophy. Essay On Absurdism In Albert Camus's 'The Stranger' Essay On Absurdism In Albert Camus's 'The Stranger' 1020 Words 5 Pages. 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. Camus' philosophy led to what was later known as Absurdism. Albert Camus gives look to his doctrine of the absurd. 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 Stranger" by Albert Camus, the main character, Meursault, is seen to be a very passive and reserved individual. Ball Absurdism is Ideal Everything that is done can be chalked up to fate. Albert Camus incorporates his point of view on how absurdism is “defined as the painful awareness of the great divide between how one thinks the world should be and how it actually is,” through one of his companion essays published the same year as the The Stranger called, “The Myth of Sisyphus.” In Sollars’ critique about the overall novel and his interpretation from it, he dives deep into the underlying … The idea of existentialism is used throughout the literary work The Stranger by Albert Camus to expose the true self and cold nature of human beings, contrary of Camus’ original writing style of absurdism to show Mersault’s realization of the meaningless of human life. We’ve got you covered. You search returned over 4721 essays for "Absurdism in The Stranger by Albert Camus" The Absurd in Albert Camus’ The Stranger Thoughtfulness makes us human, but not everyone emphasizes that a suspicious man named Mersor was exposed as a criminal in Albert's "stranger". I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I’d been happy. In the first chapter of the novel, in fact, the protagonist instead fixes attention on the fact that the day is very hot; so hot that it causes Mersault to fall asleep on the bus en route to Marengo. It’s due to these lengthy, empty hours of the present that the protagonist finds he must devote thought to the past and the future. The court even manages to turn a good quality into a bad one. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. In the book, The stranger, he used characters to demonstrate the absurdness in multiple ways. October 2, 2017 Music. Sisyphus in the essay of Albert Camus If you are already acquainted with the foundations of absurdism philosophy you probably know that it is based on the fact that our existence is meaningless. To regret the past or worry about the future is futile; neither can be controlled. The absence of family and personal relationships tied in with the particular recurring topics of the novel are crucial in both the development, Albert Camus was a French-Algerian writer, who made an enterprising contribution to a wide range of issues in moral philosophy. Such a relaxing experience was the coffee-drinking and smoking, in fact, that the main character once again dozes off. In writing The Stranger, Albert Camus championed the idea of existentialism, a philosophy he truly believed in it. You can get 100% plagiarism FREE essay in 30sec, Sorry, we cannot unicalize this essay. Immediately upon arriving outside, Mersault laments that “the day, already bright with sun, hit me like a slap in the face” (47). Although his philosophy has its skeptics, an analysis of Camus’ background and historical context reveals why his ideologies hold true in not only the ways people live, but how society as a whole functions. Attention! It seems possible, then, that Mersault’s earlier aversion to idleness was a result of his evasion of self-reflection. we can write an original essay just for you. Absurdity: An Essay On The Stranger Title: Absurdity: An Essay On The Stranger. Major characters in Camus' fiction, therefore, can probably be expected either to disbelieve or to wrestle with the problem of belief. Join Now Log in Home Literature Essays The Stranger Absurdity in The Stranger The Stranger Absurdity in The Stranger Anonymous. 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. 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). To what extent does the topic of defiance of societal rules in The Stranger convey the theme of Absurdism in the novel? He appears to show indifference in situations where others would have shown emotion. 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. You can order Unique paper and our professionals Rewrite it for you. To use the expression "that's absurd!" Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know” (3). By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy. The concept that drives this novel is one coined by Albert Camus himself, the “absurd”. The idea of existentialism is employed throughout the literary work The Stranger by Albert Camus to expose the true self and frosty nature of human beings, contrary of Camus' original writing design of absurdism showing Mersault's realization of the meaningless of individual life. Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Stranger — Absurdity in The Stranger. When being questioned by his lawyer, Mersault answers honestly that his mother’s death didn’t do much to dampen his happiness. The Stranger Absurdism Essay. Camus affirms that “the only order in a disordered world is the one we create for ourselves” (Moser 2). 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? First evidenced during his trip to his mother’s gravesite, when the main character claims that “the glare from the sky was unbearable” (16) and that “all of it—the sun, the smell of leather and horse dung from the hearse, the smell of varnish and incense, and my fatigue after a night without sleep—was making it hard for me to see or think straight” (17), the same pattern is evidenced again on the pivotal day that irrevocably alters Mersault’s life. Absurdism is the need to look for a meaning to life and their inability to find one The group returns to their cabin, but Mersault decides to take a solo walk back down to the beach. Want us to write one just for you? The main character’s lack of insight into his own habits surfaces when he is joined by a strange woman during a lunch at his favorite restaurant, Celeste’s. Taking place in Algeria this man, Meursault, is constantly in a climate of extreme warmth, as are all the inhabitants therein. No Comments; In his novel The Stranger1. During this final part of the book, Mersault is fully confronted by the absurdity of life. 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 Camus’ utilizes an existential philosophy, absurdism, in his story, “The Stranger”. 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. For the majority of the novel, in fact, it’s unclear whether the main character is candidly living by his proclaimed beliefs or is just convincing himself of this in a doomed attempt to avoid the burden of emotion. So absorbed is he, in fact, with her robot-like demeanor, that he decides to follow her for a short time. Are you interested in getting a customized paper? 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). 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 explains his idea of the Absurd and then continues to thoroughly develop … Literature absurdism in the stranger essay the Stranger, Albert Campus championed the idea of existentialism and absurdist philosophy no thought the... Character luxuriates in drinking wine and absurdism in the stranger essay, in fact, that he ’ s age a result of evasion. Body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace ” ( Moser 2 ) writing... 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