In the novel, The Stranger, author Albert Camus confronts some important issues of the time, and uses the singular viewpoint of the narrator Meursault to develop his philosophy and effectively weave together themes of absurdity, colonialism, and free will. Through the progressive disruption of Meursault’s life and his characterization, Camus presents the absurdity of the human condition along with the understanding that a person can actually be happy in the face of the absurd. Camus also intentionally sets the story in the colonized country of Algeria, and hints at the racial tensions that exist between French-Algerians and Arabs. Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, strongly resembles the concepts of absurdism, the efforts of humanity to find meaning in the universe all fail because no such meaning exists. Life just has no meaning or purpose. Camus accepts one inevitable thing, death. The idea that everyone will meet death, then everyone’s life is equally meaningless. In any case The Stranger discounts both the value of any deeds and the hope of internal happiness based on a belief of deity. The book was clearly an excellent portrayal both of the philosophy and the possible consequences of living without the imposition of governing rules which require conformity on us. [1] Albert Camus, The Stranger: Random House, Inc. (Translated by Stuart Gilbert, 1946) 21 [2] Camus, 53 [3] Camus, 154 [4] Camus, 40 [5] Jean-Paul Sartre, French Existentialism, Rodopi, Amsterdam-Atlanta, GA, 1999 [6] Camus, 89 [7] Sartre, 191 [8] Sartre, 191 The novel, “The Stranger” written by Albert Camus is at once a portrayal of both the discovery and the consequences of life’s choices. In the first case, the discovery, Camus portrays the protagonist as a man vacant of meaning. Monsieur Meursault works and lives alone. He is notified that his mother, who lives in a rest-home, has died. In “the stranger”, Albert Camus creates Meursault as a protagonist, who does not think about anything deeply. Because of that, he can not really enjoy his life. However, finally, he thinks about his life when he faces death; he truly realized how to face to the absurd world, and thus becomes Camus’ perfect existential hero. Meursault in The Stranger, for example, is known as an outcast due to his actions and beliefs of life. However, he is a victim of the overpowering impact of light, he loses his way and the shadow of light influences his actions. In his novel, The Stranger, Albert Camus creates an intense atmosphere through his use of the sun as a motif. WORK CITED CAMUS, ALBERT. THE STRANGER. TRANS. MATTHEW WARD. NEW YORK: VINTAGE INTERNATIONAL, 1989. IN ALBERT CAMUS’ “THE STRANGER” THE “STORY OF AN ORDINARY MAN WHO GETS DRAWN INTO A SENSELESS MURDER” IS TOLD. TAKING PLACE IN ALGERIA THIS MAN, MEURSAULT, IS CONSTANTLY IN A CLIMATE OF EXTREME WARMTH, AS ARE ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREIN.
Want to read all 4 pages?
Previewing 2 of 4 pages Upload your study docs or become a member.
Want to read all 4 pages?
Previewing 2 of 4 pages Upload your study docs or become a member.
End of preview
Want to read all 4 pages? Upload your study docs or become a member.