The Stranger

The Stranger by Albert Camus focuses largely on the concept of absurdism. 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. Camus utilizes the protagonists’ character development as a tool to further his plot of the novel. The absence of family and personal relationships tied in with the particular recurring topics of the novel are crucial in both the development of the protagonists’ characters as well as the plot as it affects the portrayal of the main character.

“The Stranger” by Albert Camus follows the story of an apathetic and withdrawn man, Meursault, as he easily cruises through life with the belief that he is indifferent to the universe. The novel begins with Meursault receiving news that his mother had passed away. Immediately after traveling to the funeral, and not showing an ounce of emotion, Meursault engages in an unemotional relationship with a woman named Marie. His moral bankruptcy and emotionally detached demeanor stays constant throughout the majority of the novel, even after committing murder and being sentenced to death. In fact, as a consequence of his sentencing Meursault has an epiphany and realizes that the universe is irrational and therefore indifferent to human life. This theme

The core idea of Albert Camus’ philosophy of absurdity centralizes upon the idea that humans exist in a meaningless universe, and follows that humans must simply accept this fact to live life to the fullest. In addition to this absurdist notion, Albert Camus also uses The Stranger to show how humans still strive to create superficial meaning to fulfill their own personal needs. Through the experiences and interactions in Meursault’s life, Camus illustrates that in spite of how events in life follow no rational order, society attempts to futilely create meaning to explain human existence.

Within the context of The Stranger, the character Meursault, makes an interesting statement as a man who thinks that life is pointless. Under theorization, Meursault states, "I realized then that a man who had lived only one day could easily for a hundred years in prison." (Meursault 79)With this quote, there are many various topics to elaborate on, such as, how Meursault reached this conclusion, the meaning of the quote, and what the realization means for a man who thinks life is meaningless. Meursault wanders about his cell looking to kill time when he begins to use his imagination , mentally noticing every small detail that was in his old room. "I would remember every piece of furniture; and on every piece of furniture, every object;

A visiting plague in the town of Oran provides the perfect situation for Camus to analyze the effects of isolation that people feel during a traumatic event. Citizens of the town isolate themselves from each other as they fight their own personal battles, and the city isolates itself from the outside world to prevent the spread of the disease. One major effect of personal isolation that Camus emphasizes is the struggle to communicate an experience with others. The language barrier that people come up against when trying to express themselves reflects a deeper problem of an emotional barrier that people cannot cross. Camus uses isolation and the characters’ subsequent struggle to communicate to impart the idea that true sympathy can never be

The theme of absurdity can be seen through three different lenses in The Stranger, by Albert Camus: life, decisions, and reflection. The first lens in which the reader can see absurdity in the novel is when the protagonist lives for the sensual pleasures of the present moment. The second lens in which the reader can see absurdity in the novel is when the protagonist absurdity of the protagonists decisions on how he does or doesn’t decide to kill the Arab. The third lens in which the reader can see absurdity in the novel is when the protagonist how he reflects back on his decisions and life and concludes that life means nothing between birth and death. The changes in the lenses of Meursault ‘s absurdum are projected through the author’s choice of different language.

Camus, in ?The Outsider?, makes a conscious decision not to use figurative language in his story, once again creating the illusion of spontaneous thought. When using everyday language or when thinking we do not include metaphors, similes or onomatopoeias, for example, ?Today, I should not have fought Tracy in the office like a tigress who hasn?t eaten in a week, sinking my long, sharp claws and teeth into her flesh?. Or at least it is uncommon to anyway. Camus is very economical with his language.

Albert Camus creates a series of characters in The Stranger whose personality traits and motivations mirror those that are overlooked by the average man. Camus develops various characters and scenarios that are considered rude and unpleasant, but because it has become common, society accepts it as norms. Camus incorporates atrocious personality traits of the characters, variety, consistency, and everyone’s fate through the creation of the characters.

Albert Camus' influential novel, The Stranger, a great work of existentialism, examines the absurdity of life and indifference of the world. This paper provides a summary of the novel, and outlines some of the novel's main themes.

Camus’ Outlook on Ostracized Individuals and Foreign Friendships Within The Stranger, various characters suffer unavoidable ostracization due to their development of individual principles and beliefs, conflicting with the accepted societal standards set by the general public. In addition, many friendships within the novel appear as unrealistic, differing from mainstream and idealized relationships. A particular example within The Stranger includes the association between Meursault and Raymond, the absurd protagonist alongside his neighboring pimp. Within The Stranger, Albert Camus illustrates the deranged relationship between Meursault and Raymond, Raymond’s manipulative persona, and Meursault’s lack of genuine care towards their companionship.

In The Stranger by Albert Camus, Meursault exemplifies Camus principles of absurdism. In light of the two quotes from Camus Resistance, Rebellion and Death, the reader is better able to understand why Meursault reacts furiously to the chaplains reply to him. This reaction comes from the realization that has accumulated in him concerning the indifference of the world and the ephemeral nature of death that is what ultimately left him to be executed for his crime. In The Stranger, Camus introduces us to Meursault who is only concerned with the practicalities of life.

Your mother dies and you are left emotionless. The classic novel The Stranger, written by Albert Camus, is about a man, Meursault, who does not show any emotions at all, not even when his mother passes away. It is set the North African country Algeria. It starts with Meursault finding out that his mother has passed away. This is where he goes back for the funeral and decides to stay, and he meets up with old friends from the past. Like his neighbor Raymond who has a girlfriend who cheated on him. He wants revenge and Meursault decides to help him. It ends in a big twist, I would definitely recommend reading this book.

Absurdity and Rebellion In the beginning of The Rebel Camus links the ideas born in The Myth of Sisyphus with his project in The Rebel. He now rejects the ethics of the Absurd due to contradictions caused when it comes to murder. It is now an issue for Camus that a lack of values caused by confronting absurdity would apparently not condemn murder. Camus wants to say that human life is worth living, as previously explored in the character of Sisyphus we should relish our experience with the Absurd, and it is life that makes this experience possible.

Albert Camus is known all over the world as a French philosopher who contributed to the ideas of absurdism. He is also known for his philosophical literature. More specifically I want to focus my attention to what some people may call a book that influenced many generations. This name of the book is called “The Fall”. In this book, the reader views a different perspective of life from a character called monsieur Jean-Baptiste Clamence.

Albert Camus, born in colonized Algeria, a father to absurdism, and author of The Stranger confronts the philosophical themes of purpose, integrity, and passivity. The Stranger’s main character, Meursault, is a laconic man whose passive actions and brutal honesty lend to connections in his court trial. Those of which condemn him to execution. Meursault falls victim to his complete honesty, complete passivity, and disregard for the purpose of action. He is straightforward, and his actions usually follow his thoughts. Actions and decisions that most average people regard as serious, Meursault regards as arbitrary. Meursault’s exemplification of absurdism proves to not only lend to his characterization, but as a comfort in his death as well.