Albert Camus

Albert Camus wrote The Stranger during the Existentialist movement, which explains why the main character in the novel, Meursault, is characterized as detached and emotionless, two of the aspects of existentialism. In Meursault, Camus creates a character he intends his readers to relate to, because he creates characters placed in realistic situations. He wants the reader to form a changing, ambiguous opinion of Meursault. From what Meursault narrates to the reader in the novel, the reader can…

The Stranger, Albert Camus’ debut novel, illustrates and reflects the view of absurdity of life using the main character, Meursault, as a catalyst. On a surface level, absurdism is perceived through Meursault alone. However, on a deeper level through Meursault, other characters act as a source of absurdity as different situations are forced upon them. Camus achieves this level of complexity by creating and establishing Meursault as a very absent and undistinguished main character, who holds no…

1204 What is the function of societal expectations within the confines of the text? Within Albert Camus’ The Stranger, a variance of societal expectations are seen, such as mandatory religion to strange conditioned behaviors. The purpose of these societal expectations within the text is to cultivate a characterization of Meursault and show how that characterization reinforces the existentialist and absurdist concepts present. Throughout the text, there are a multitude of situations in which…

society. In The Stranger, absurdist and existentialist author Albert Camus promotes this concept using first person narrative in order to reveal the internal and external conflicts of an individual whose life lacks social conformity. Using the first person point of view allows the reader to only see the story from the perspective of the protagonist, Meursault, and later on leads to the complete revelation of the novel’s genre. Camus’ use of first person point of view throughout the novel…

Albert Camus uses the characters in the book to describe and manipulate Meursault's decisions and depicts if his crime is based on feelings or facts. Camus uses Raymond to show that Meursault can make friends but is not very good in deciding if they are god influences on him. Raymond calls Meursault his pal only after he writes a vindictive letter for him because Raymond knows that Meursault is intelligent and he probably doesn’t ''So now we're pals, ain't we?'' I kept silent and he said it…

20th Century Authors on Work Americans would benefit from reading more literature from authors such as Charles Bukowski, Franz Kafka, and Albert Camus because these types of literature encourage personal reflection and analysis of contemporary American life. This is particularly relevant in the way that these authors discuss work and the balance between work, life, and pleasure, which is something that most Americans do not consider. We all have a tendency to run on autopilot and do what we…

Oyediran, Abdulmateen .O. Period 3 10.11.15 The Stranger The Stranger, by Albert Camus, is the “story of an ordinary man who unwittingly gets drawn into a senseless murder” (Back of book). Albert Camus carefully and artfully weaves numerous strange events and occurrences into a masterpiece. Each chapter of the book is composed and set up to make readers read deeply into the meaning of each and every sentence, and also to make Meursault a much more intriguing character. In Chapter 6, Meursault…

Existential Crisis or Enlightenment? Does human existence hold any greater meaning? In the 1946 novel, The Stranger by Albert Camus, the protagonist and narrator, Meursault, a french man detached and estranged from humanity questions just that. In the first part, the story starts in the setting of the town of Algiers in 1940s French occupied Algeria. It begins with the death of his mother, to which Meursault does not feel much towards. He returns from the vigil held at the home that his…

opposition that results from the presence of human consciousness—with its ever-pressing demand for order and meaning in life—in an essentially meaningless and indifferent universe.”. Albert Camus thought there were three solutions to absurdism, which were physical suicide, philosophical suicide, and acceptance (Simpson, “Albert Camus”). Philosophical suicide is seen as a leap of faith, a sort of giving in. If death is looked at in those terms than a philosophical murder should be similar to its…

An Existentialist is someone who exercises their ability to be a free person, and takes responsibility for their own actions in life. Meursault, the main character of “The Stranger” written by Albert Camus, was not originally an Existentialist, but the events that occurred throughout the story forced him to contemplate the true meaning of life, and unintentionally transformed him into one. While this does lead to his death, he is at peace with what he has done in his life, and decides to just…