Absurdism In The Stranger By Albert Camus

Albert Camus contributed to a kind of writing consisting of Absurdism. In the book, The stranger, he used characters to demonstrate the absurdness in multiple ways. Albert Camus demonstrated how people who live by the rules of Christianity feel threatened by Meursault, the main character, because he doesn’t conform, in other words, he’s awkward. Meursault excludes himself from emotion in multiple events in the book, while most of the people noticed that he had minimal to no emotion at all. Meursault is an indifferent person who doesn’t care whether he is married or not, with or without a job, in love or even hated by Christians. Since Meursault is so emotionless, he is constantly asking questions involving things that had just happened in his …show more content…
In the beginning, he uses death showing his mother’s (Maman) death. “Maman died today. Or yesterday. I don’t know.” Then he uses decaying and death in Salamano’s love for his dog before and after he disappeared. “The two have been inseparable for eight years. The spaniel has skin disease-mange, I think-which makes almost all his hair fall out and leave it covered with brown sores and scabs.” along with “the people who had worked there told him that maybe he had been run over”. Then lastly Albert used the metaphor for when Meursault was taken to court and sentenced to life. “ ‘And do you really live with the thought that when you die, you die and nothing remains?’ ‘Yes’ I said.“ Meursault didn’t care for the fact that he was going to die in a cell alone and didn’t want anyone changing that because he did what he did, which shoot an Arab in cold blood, and now he was sentenced for life for it. Christians think that when you experience such things and take responsibility for such actions, you should be in deep feeling and grief, but since Meursault see’s life as painless as he does, he doesn’t feel what the Christians think is right for people to …show more content…
“ ‘Do you know what this is?’ I said ‘Yes, of course,’ speaking very quietly and passionately, He told me that he believed in God, that it was his conviction that no man was so guilty that God would not forgive him.” The crucifix symbolizes Christianity, opposite from Meursault and initially Albert Camus view. Meursault bases his life on, whatever happens, happens, which is what absurdism is. The idea that life is hopeless. In these terms, Society is opposite from absurdism. Society, including the religious side, see that there is a purpose for the people in the world and that life shouldn’t be taken as a joke in such way that Meursault does on a daily. The chaplain that presents the crucifix to Meursault did so because he didn’t need Meursault to give into Christianity, but to accept god and his ability to do so much. Albert Camus used the crucifix as a symbol along with the courtroom as well. The courtroom is known to be where the law is basically the people. These people, including the Christian’s, had the chance to speak and asks why and how Meursault did what he did and for what reasons. The jury completely notices everyone’s and takes it into consideration multiple times until Meursault was finally sentenced to