How is Absurdism shown in The Stranger?
He is not only a stranger to society but a stranger to himself in a way that he does not even understand his own emotions or why he made certain choices. But that is what makes him an Absurdist. Camus shows that Meursault is different from society emotionally, has no meaning in life, and certainty of his own death.
What is the historical context of The Stranger?
Camus wrote The Stranger from a place of tragedy and suffering. His father had died in World War I, and the unfolding carnage of World War II forced a questioning of life and its meaning.
What does The Stranger say about society?
By Albert Camus Are society’s rules necessarily in the right? For The Stranger’s hero, his freeing revelation is based on the notion that, in a senseless and meaningless world, society, its rules, and its morality are… senseless and meaningless.
How is Meursault an absurdist?
On a literal level, Meursault perfectly exemplifies the absurd characteristics of revolt, freedom, and passion outlined by Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus. Meursault refuses to accord himself with custom, and asserts his freedom by doing what strikes him as appropriate at any given moment.
What is Camus message in The Stranger?
Camus’s message in The Stranger is that life is absurd. He communicates this message through the protagonist, Meursault, who lives his life according to the belief that his world operates without order, reason, or meaning.
What might Camus message about societal expectations be?
Society’s expectations of social norms often steer people’s behaviors and ways of living. If a person acts out against the norm they are expected to explain themselves for their outburst and seek redemption.
Is Meursault an existentialist or absurdist?
Meursault is the absurdist, explaining the philosophy of existentialism: Man’s isolation among an indifferent universe. There is no inherent meaning in life – its entire value lies in living itself. Meursault feels he has been happy, and longs to live.
What literary devices does Camus use in The Stranger?
Literary Devices in The Stranger
- Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory. Perhaps more than facial expressions, the sun is an apt indicator (and perhaps, predicting device for us, much like Punxsutawney Phil).
- Setting.
- Narrator Point of View.
- Genre.
- Tone.
- Writing Style.
- What’s Up With the Title?
- Plot Analysis.
How does Camus use existentialism in The Stranger?
In The Stranger, Albert Camus uses Mersault and his experiences to convey the philosophy that man is full of anxiety and despair with no meaning in his life except for simple existence. As an existentialist, he accepts life as it is without seeking deeper meaning.
What does the absurd mean in the outsider?
The Absurd refers to the conflict between human tendency to seek value or meaning in life and human incapability of finding such value or meaning. The major concern of this paper is revealing the absurdist elements embedded in the novel The Outsider.
Who is Meursault in the book The Stranger?
Published in 1942, the novel tells the story of an emotionally detached, amoral young man named Meursault. He does not cry at his mother’s funeral, does not believe in God, and kills a man he barely knows without any discernible motive. For his crime, Meursault is deemed a threat to society and sentenced to death.
Is the stranger a philosophical essay or a novel?
Although Camus’s philosophical ideas resonate strongly within the text, it is important to keep in mind that The Stranger is a novel, not a philosophical essay. When reading the novel, character development, plot, and prose style demand just as much attention as the specifics of the absurd.
Who is the main character in the Stranger by Albert Camus?
In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, the main character, Mersault, is confronted with life’s absurdity after killing a man at a beach in Algiers. 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.