Various forms of existentialist themes are found in all kinds of media. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, The stranger, by Albert Camus, and the movie Hunger by Steve McQueen, all share striking similarities as well as drastic separations from the viewpoint of an existentialist. This is primarily with the theme of how all the protagonists turn to death as their final solution, but also how some got alienated, and why. Lastly, some authors break free of the beaten path and try new things with the existence precedes essence theme; or does it?
One major theme that is consistent across Hunger, The Metamorphosis, and The Stranger is that they all turn to death as the solution to solving or escaping their problems. In Hunger, Bobby Sands decides …show more content…
In The Stranger, the prosecutor revealed his version of Meursault’s “true nature”, causing the audience and jury to hate Meursault.”I accuse this man of burying his mother with crime in his heart! This pronouncement seems to have a strong effect on the people in the courtroom” (96, The Stranger). This made the Jury see him as less of a human, and so it was easier for them to sentence him to death and not feel guilty about it. If Meursault had argued it or tried to show his side of the story, he would become an actual person with thoughts and feelings who they couldn’t imagine killing, rather than just a name who had little to do with them. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor is alienated due to his repulsive physical form; “the manager burst out with a loud Oh!- it sounded like a rush a wind- and he could him, standing closest to the door, his hand pressed over his open mouth, slowly backing away, as if repulsed by an invisible, unrelenting force” (14, The Metamorphosis). Humans naturally fear the unknown, especially when that unknown is a version of something they already hate such as a cockroach. As such, he was forced back into the room for the purpose of being “out of sight, out of mind”. One key difference between Gregor’s and Meursault’s alienation is how they got there. Gregor clearly shows that he doesn’t …show more content…
This process is clearly shown by Bobby Sands in Hunger, but The Metamorphosis does something very different: Gregor starts with a purpose to his life, but he no longer has a human existence to fulfill that purpose. In Hunger, Bobby Sands starts out just existing in the horrid conditions of the H-block but then finds essence in his existence by attempting to improve conditions for him and his fellow inmates. “What’s been happening here for the past 4 years, the brutality, humiliation, all our basic human rights taken from us. All of this has to come to an end” (Hunger). However, The Metamorphosis takes things in the other direction: Gregor starts with a purpose, aka essence, to his life, “Gregor was still here, and hadn’t the slightest intention of letting his family down” (10, The Metamorphosis). However, he lacks a human existence to accomplish his goal, ”he found himself changed into a monstrous vermin” (1, The Metamorphosis). The reversal of the typical existence precedes essence theme is what creates the conflict in this novel and sets the story into
One major theme that is consistent across Hunger, The Metamorphosis, and The Stranger is that they all turn to death as the solution to solving or escaping their problems. In Hunger, Bobby Sands decides …show more content…
In The Stranger, the prosecutor revealed his version of Meursault’s “true nature”, causing the audience and jury to hate Meursault.”I accuse this man of burying his mother with crime in his heart! This pronouncement seems to have a strong effect on the people in the courtroom” (96, The Stranger). This made the Jury see him as less of a human, and so it was easier for them to sentence him to death and not feel guilty about it. If Meursault had argued it or tried to show his side of the story, he would become an actual person with thoughts and feelings who they couldn’t imagine killing, rather than just a name who had little to do with them. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor is alienated due to his repulsive physical form; “the manager burst out with a loud Oh!- it sounded like a rush a wind- and he could him, standing closest to the door, his hand pressed over his open mouth, slowly backing away, as if repulsed by an invisible, unrelenting force” (14, The Metamorphosis). Humans naturally fear the unknown, especially when that unknown is a version of something they already hate such as a cockroach. As such, he was forced back into the room for the purpose of being “out of sight, out of mind”. One key difference between Gregor’s and Meursault’s alienation is how they got there. Gregor clearly shows that he doesn’t …show more content…
This process is clearly shown by Bobby Sands in Hunger, but The Metamorphosis does something very different: Gregor starts with a purpose to his life, but he no longer has a human existence to fulfill that purpose. In Hunger, Bobby Sands starts out just existing in the horrid conditions of the H-block but then finds essence in his existence by attempting to improve conditions for him and his fellow inmates. “What’s been happening here for the past 4 years, the brutality, humiliation, all our basic human rights taken from us. All of this has to come to an end” (Hunger). However, The Metamorphosis takes things in the other direction: Gregor starts with a purpose, aka essence, to his life, “Gregor was still here, and hadn’t the slightest intention of letting his family down” (10, The Metamorphosis). However, he lacks a human existence to accomplish his goal, ”he found himself changed into a monstrous vermin” (1, The Metamorphosis). The reversal of the typical existence precedes essence theme is what creates the conflict in this novel and sets the story into