The Use and Development of Absurdism in “The Stranger” by Albert Camus Absurdism plays an important role in the novel, The Stranger, because it allows the author to relate to humanity in an ironic and freakish way Meursault takes death so lightly. The central theme is that the significance of human life is understood only in light of mortality, or the inevitability of death; and in showing how Meursault 's consciousness changes through the course of events, Camus shows how facing the possibility of death does have an effect on one 's perception of life. The author conveys that Meursault doesn’t care about life in the way he reacted to his mother’s death or even his own death in the way he isn 't really …show more content…
Albert Camus gives his absurdist views of the revolutionists’ struggle, with the way he illustrated the brawl between the Arabs and the French on the beach. When Meursault is finished helping patch Raymond up from his face wound, he goes to the beach and not intentionally shoots an Arab he had previously fought a total of five times. The Arab didn’t have to die, in fact Meursault doesn’t even know why he killed the man. He blames his sudden and inappropriate behavior on the weather, and surprisingly not on his personal feeling towards the man.
The novel’s title, The Stranger, adds another element to absurdism too. A stranger is a person left alone, not known by many people, or alienated. Meursault didn’t judge character from anybody and was normally alone which was strange. Camus shares his views by writing how Meursault alienated himself from his girlfriend, from his mother, and how he didn’t even have close friends. The shocking way Meursault saw himself, his life, and everything around him was striking. He had no value for his life, and it is bizarre that Albert Camus used it to express his views to relate to …show more content…
They accuse him and judge him on his peculiar behavior during his mother’s funeral, and ask him why he doesn 't feel anything toward people and their death. The strange way the court focused on his life instead of on the murder shows absurdism in their minds as well, although they were accusing him of being indifferent about his ways. The court sentences Meursault to death for murder, but they are guilty of the same crime when they sentence Meursault to his death. The idea of death makes one aware of one 's life and because Meursault felt indifferent about life and death, he could not experience, value and enjoy his own gift of