Albert Camus once explained that “Every revolutionary ends up either by becoming an oppressor or a heretic” (“Albert Camus Quote”), and the latter is certainly true for the protagonist, Meursault, of his novel The Stranger. In the novel, Camus uses his protagonist, through characterization and diction, to support his absurdist philosophy. Absurdism is the concept that humanity must survive in a world that is constantly hostile or indifferent towards them (Absurdism). Although Camus is famous for his belief in this philosophy, he shares it with another French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, but even though they are often grouped in the same branch of philosophy, they are not identical philosophers.
Camus uses structure to characterize his protagonist …show more content…
In fact, the only logical purpose for the novel is for the author to push his absurdist philosophy on his audience because Meursault is an impossible person. He has no motivation for the crime, yet the audience can understand why he commits it. The only purpose of the crime is for Meursault to be taken to trial and condemned by society. In fact the concept of a man being put to death for not crying at his mother`s funeral is absurd in itself. As one critic put it “Society does not actually condemn men for not crying at their mother's funeral; it is doubtful Society would even notice such a man at all” (Lea, 3). In fact, Camus recognizes this in his commentary of the novel by saying Meursault “is the only Christ we deserve” (Afterward). As a result of the novel`s purpose being philosophy, it discusses the author`s concept of suicide. In an indirect way, Meursault commits suicide because he refuses to lie about the way he feels. Camus once said that “Dying voluntarily implies that you have recognized . . . the absence of any profound reason for living, the insane character of that daily agitation, and the uselessness of suffering” (“The Myth of Sisyphus” 6). This is why he labels his protagonist as an absurd hero. This willingness to die for the truth is Meursault’s way of rebelling against the common paradox of life. In many ways, this …show more content…
This comes from the fact that people use absurdism and existentialism interchangeably but they are not synonymous. Absurdism requires one to accept the lack of purpose in life, whereas existentialism requires one to create his or her own purpose in life because there is a lack of one (Miessler). This difference is shown in the difference between Meursault and Mathieu, Sartre’s protagonist in The Age of Reason. As one can understand from the events of the novel, Meursault is not looking for his purpose in life he is giving up his life because of the lack of it. To Meursault life is not worth living because he cannot be himself. This is drastically different from Mathieu who spends his life searching for what makes him authentic, in other words the purpose to his life. This leads to The Age of Reason being the giant existentialist question, “What actually makes one`s life worth living?” These are two drastically different concepts yet people believe they are identical. This is a result of both philosophies dealing with the overall meaning of life. Another difference between Camus and Sartre is that Camus was not formally educated in philosophy like Sartre. For that reason, most of Camus`s philosophy comes from his own metaphysical experience. This is why Camus`s personal experiences are so important to note when talking about his
Camus uses structure to characterize his protagonist …show more content…
In fact, the only logical purpose for the novel is for the author to push his absurdist philosophy on his audience because Meursault is an impossible person. He has no motivation for the crime, yet the audience can understand why he commits it. The only purpose of the crime is for Meursault to be taken to trial and condemned by society. In fact the concept of a man being put to death for not crying at his mother`s funeral is absurd in itself. As one critic put it “Society does not actually condemn men for not crying at their mother's funeral; it is doubtful Society would even notice such a man at all” (Lea, 3). In fact, Camus recognizes this in his commentary of the novel by saying Meursault “is the only Christ we deserve” (Afterward). As a result of the novel`s purpose being philosophy, it discusses the author`s concept of suicide. In an indirect way, Meursault commits suicide because he refuses to lie about the way he feels. Camus once said that “Dying voluntarily implies that you have recognized . . . the absence of any profound reason for living, the insane character of that daily agitation, and the uselessness of suffering” (“The Myth of Sisyphus” 6). This is why he labels his protagonist as an absurd hero. This willingness to die for the truth is Meursault’s way of rebelling against the common paradox of life. In many ways, this …show more content…
This comes from the fact that people use absurdism and existentialism interchangeably but they are not synonymous. Absurdism requires one to accept the lack of purpose in life, whereas existentialism requires one to create his or her own purpose in life because there is a lack of one (Miessler). This difference is shown in the difference between Meursault and Mathieu, Sartre’s protagonist in The Age of Reason. As one can understand from the events of the novel, Meursault is not looking for his purpose in life he is giving up his life because of the lack of it. To Meursault life is not worth living because he cannot be himself. This is drastically different from Mathieu who spends his life searching for what makes him authentic, in other words the purpose to his life. This leads to The Age of Reason being the giant existentialist question, “What actually makes one`s life worth living?” These are two drastically different concepts yet people believe they are identical. This is a result of both philosophies dealing with the overall meaning of life. Another difference between Camus and Sartre is that Camus was not formally educated in philosophy like Sartre. For that reason, most of Camus`s philosophy comes from his own metaphysical experience. This is why Camus`s personal experiences are so important to note when talking about his