Society's Expectations Of Social Norm In The Stranger By Albert Camus

Society’s expectations of social norms often steer people’s behaviors and ways of living. If a person acts out against the norm they are expected to explain themselves for their outburst and seek redemption. In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, Mersault challenges the world’s expectation for a person to seek a redeeming life with his absurdist philosophy in which he believes that humans seek rational order where none exists. While Mersault feels conflicted over other’s judgement of him for lack of explanation over his absurd and out-of-the-norm actions, he simultaneously tries to prove to himself and to others that one does not need to rid themselves and apologize for their wrongdoings in order to feel accepted by the world. As Mersault ventures …show more content…
He shuts himself out to mourning but continues to question the validity of his belief in ignoring society’s expectation to explain one’s behaviors as he sits outside his balcony watching others go about their day. He watches with great intent and disgust as he sees people put great importance and emphasis upon their daily actions; Mersault is disgusted how much of the passerby lives are spent attempting to please others, yet he simultaneously ponders his own feelings of loneliness from being an outsider to social standards. Mersault continues to pursue his absurdist mentality and takes the idea of human actions being meaningless to an extreme when he shoots an Arab man in an attempt to prove to himself that he does not need to seek redemption and that the way in which one dies does not matter in the end. This extremist action, however, puts Mersault at the hands of the court and his life at risk as he must try to prove himself innocent to the …show more content…
At the same time, Mersault attempts to pacify his conflicted feelings over morality by killing the man. This crime, however, put’s Mersault’s life at stake when he is given a court sentence. Despite the many pleas from his family and friends to try and seek redemption, Mersault refuses to give in to other’s expectations of him to seek redemption from his crime. The court is distraught by Mersault’s lack of empathy and desire to seek mercy and as a result declares Mersault to be executed the following day. While coming to terms with his fate, however, Mersault comes to a sense of peace within himself, realizing that he has reached a sort of divinity that he has so long sought after in order to find self-comfort among a world that attempts to alienate him for deviating from the