Divine And Civil Law In The Stranger, By Albert Camus

Law is an integral part of society; it is what guides humanity away from anarchy and pandemonium. However, just as easily as law leads people to morality, it can become overreaching and command them into forcible submission to authority. Both divine laws, those derived from the biblical teachings of God, and civil law, or the laws set forth by authority figures of society, can often become obstacle in man’s venture for self-consciousness, however. In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, Meursault lacks an awareness of himself and empathetic understanding of others because of his own self-detachment. This is quickly contested by figures of both divine and civil law, and it leads him to reflect on his thinking and contrast human logic with that of society. Yet, through Meursault’s awakening, Camus reveals that by challenging divine and civil law, one protects human reasoning and thus attains moral …show more content…
“There were two other things I was always thinking about: the dawn and my appeal” (112). The dawn serves as a symbol of both Meursault's contemplation of his own awakening, as dawn represents the beginning of the new day, but also of his freedom from entrapment, as he is confined by the stone walls surrounding him. Thus, the outside world is freedom to him. Furthermore, his desire for the appeal solidifies that he possesses a hope for himself that he will be able to continue his influence. This hope reveals he can think beyond the mundane aspects of life, of survival and barely living, to recognize his own self. Desire, as a natural aspect of human nature, helps Meursault find his own humanity and begin to acknowledge his own consciousness. Meursault’s confinement allows him the time to reflect on his thoughts, as he no longer needs to think of his daily essentials, and thus, he realizes that in thinking past his general way of life, there is much more he desires from his