Absurdism

“The life of man is a struggle on earth. But without a cross, without a struggle, we get nowhere. The victory will be ours if we continue our efforts courageously, even when at times they appear futile.” This quote by Boniface Wimmer, a German monk, perfectly sums up the capabilities of the human soul and what is necessary to happen in one’s life to ensure happiness of any kind, which is to surpass struggle. For that reason, the human soul is, by its very nature, designed to fight on despite any…

The human brain has been conditioned into two different and immediate reactions to fear: fight and flight. The responses to long term adversity of submission and rebellion are derived from the flight and flight reactions. Submission occurs following the loss of hope in the face of adversity. Rebellion instigates further rebellion and enables one to accept one’s fate. Submission is a common response to adversity that stems from the loss of the delusion of reprieve; it often results in the…

Willy’s death is avoidable. He fills himself with imaginary thoughts that are distinctively different from the world of realities. He lives in a wishful world rather than focusing on the present situations. This is illustrated by his desire to give in to the pressures of modern America, characterized by material things such as new appliances. Willy’s proud and selfish nature largely contributed to his ultimate death as well, as he cannot accept his failures. He further ends up betraying his…

Stephen Crane questions man's fate in this world through naturalism. In "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets," Crane shows the helplessness of one's state in relation to poverty, and in "The Open Boat," Crane shows the helplessness of one's state in relation to nature. Crane emphasizes the essence that forces, such as poverty and nature, are not adversaries to man, but rather that they are simply forces that are apathetic towards man. "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets" can be a downer, but it is…

“Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful.” This quote extracted from Waiting for Godot, an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett that premiered on 5 January 1953, holds the essence of absurdist theatre and what its playwrights seek to express- the inescapable meaningless and futility of life. The origins of absurdist theatre are commonly linked to the avant-garde experimentations of the 19th century, but there has been speculation that there were traces of absurdist theatre in works…

Throughout the novel, Camus illustrates Meursault as an emotionally detached man. Beginning with this passage, Camus introduces Meursault’s nonchalant attitude, and therefore begins to develop a careless, emotionless tone. When Meursault states, “That tells me nothing. It could have been yesterday,” and neglects to exhibit any concern about how his mother died, the reader can determine that Meursault is more concerned about when his mother died than he is that she died at all (Camus 3). Soon…

The universal challenge of maintaining individuality is explored in both J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher in the Rye and Stephen Chbosky’s film The Perks of Being a Wallflower, yet is approached differently due to contrasting contexts. Both protagonists struggle to withstand the values of their society which conflicts with their own and to succeed despite the expectations placed upon them. As a result of their respective time periods, Holden Caulfield approaches these obstacles with pessimism…

Emily Whelan 10/1/16 In The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus argues what the meaning of life really is. In this paper, I will explain the story of Sisyphus, and how it symbolizes the meaning of life. First, I will explain how Sisyphus was punished by doing meaningless labor for the rest of eternity. Then, I will break down how Camus describes Sisyphus as an absurd hero.…

Why does Camus believe that ‘There is only one really serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide’ (The Myth of Sisyphus)? (Exam 2010) In ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’, Albert Camus claims that the question of suicide, which is fairly synonymous with the problem of the meaning of life, is the ‘only really serious philosophical problem’. This essay will argue that Camus does so because he believes it is the original, unavoidable question, and because he believes his theory of the absurd can…

Saleem Sinai – a native alien and a hopeless and hapless victim of history, leads a life of anguish and isolation. Since he cannot undo the historical injustices and establish his “rootedness”, he takes recourse to fantasy and myth to discover his “imaginary roots” which lies here and everywhere, dispersed and scattered. Saleem seeks to resolve his agonizing problems of identity by withdrawing himself into the realm of fantasy: Saleem sees the isolated facts of history only as they relate to him…