Existentialism In The Stranger - 1413 Words

The novel, The Stranger, written by French author Albert Camus, is a philosophical fiction piece published in 1942. This book used both Existentialism and Absurdism to promote Meursault s problem throughout the book. Both of these are related to Modernism, which was the aftermath of the industrial revolution. â€Å"Modernism is a philosophical movement that along with cultural trends and changes arose wide-scale and far reaching transformations in western society during the late 19th and early 20th century†(Koofers 1). Modernism was branched into different styles of art but they all had something in common,â€Å" a rejection of history and applied ornament; a preference for abstraction; and a belief that design and technology could transform†¦show more content†¦At the funeral, he was indifferent to the situation, he didn’t really mourn for his mother. Another example, was when Meursault helped Raymond write a letter because he didn’t have anything else to do. Another one was when Meursault just stood there and watched Raymond beat up his girlfriend, without saying anything and refused to call the cops just because he didn’t he didn’t like them. A final example from the first part of the book was before Meursault hit the turning point, he refused a job offer in Paris because he thought life would still be the same even if he was in a different area. These brief examples show that Meursault is ignoring the social critique. All of his actions are related to Clairvoyance, a surrealist art by Renà © Magritte. In the painting, Renà © Magritte predicted the future of the egg onto a canvas and in The Stranger, Meursault s actions lead us to predict that things weren’t going to go great for him within the end of the first part. Unlike the Existentialist model, the Aristotle model suggests the opposite by portraying a character who fits the role of a â€Å"tragic hero† and faces a â€Å"tragic flaw.† A tragic hero is a character that eventually makes the wrong judgment at the climax of the book that leads the character to his/her own destruction. An Aristotelian model is different from an Existentialist model because the character goes through a fall in their social status. An example ofShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Existentialism In The Stranger1624 Words   |  7 PagesCamus took the other side of the spectrum and made a character that didn’t see any value in life. Camus focuses on the topic of existentialism, which is the philosophical theory that focuses on the fact that everyone is responsible for developing their own actions, in his novel The Stranger. Camus introduces Meursault who is deeply rooted in the beliefs of existentialism, believing that there is no value to anything that happens in a person’s life, and it isn’t until death that a person obtains anRead MoreThe Importance Of Existentialism In The Stranger, By Albert Cammus842 Words   |  4 PagesI n The Stranger, by Albert Camus, Meursault lives with a lack of purpose and excitement. He experiences his life in the moment with immediate physical comfort as the most important necessity. Due to these tendencies and his abnormal reactions to his surroundings, Meursault is vulnerable. He understands that he’s unlike others in this way. His vulnerability extends especially to his interactions with nature, where he is influenced critically. Because he lives in North Africa, the heat is intense,Read MoreExistentialism And Absurdism In Jean Paul Camuss The Stranger1389 Words   |  6 PagesCamus’ novel The Stranger exemplifies his philosophy of absurdism. At first glance, it appears to be similar, if not the same, to Jean Paul Sartre’s philosophy of existentialism. However, the two are, in fact, significantly different in thought. While existentialism suggests that a person can create their own meaning in life, absurdism states that the search for significance is foolish because there is none to begin with, but people should still accept (and indirectly reject) what life has to offerRead MoreExistentialism As A World View1086 Words   |  5 PagesI view Existentialism as a world view. Rejecting the social institutions that cover up the realities of the world, Existentialism calls for the developing of individual values based on what the follower feels is important in his or her life. Just as the empty-holed person refuses to follow the others in filling the hole, the Existentialist chooses not to surround him or herself with religion, political ideologies or meaning for the world as many others do. As a world-view, Existentialism is bothRead MoreExistentialism in Literature and Science846 Words   |  3 PagesExistentialism is the philosophical approach or theory that emphasizes an individual’s existence as a free and responsible being determining his own development through acts of the will (â€Å"Existentialism†). What do es that mean exactly? To make it easier to understand, that means humans as people are shaping their own destinies with every choice they make. That seems quite obvious, but to further understand the meaning of existentialism, it must be analyzed through the impacts it has had on bothRead MoreEssay The Stranger1275 Words   |  6 PagesThe Stranger In the book The Stranger, the main character, Meursault, is a stranger to himself, and to life. Meursault is a person who is emotionally and physically detached from the world. He seemingly cares only about himself, but at the same time could be concerned little about what happens to him. The title, the Stranger, could indicate Meursaults disconnection and indifference to the world that surrounds him and, therefore, his role as a stranger in the book. The title could also implyRead MoreThe Individual Versus His Environment in The Stranger and Grendel1674 Words   |  7 PagesIndividual Versus His Environment in The Stranger and Grendel Due to the multifaceted nature of literature, analysis thereof is prone to generalization. One of the most grievous generalizations oft encountered involves failing to distinguish between a character and the novel it inhabits. Take John Gardener’s Grendel and Albert Camus’s The Stranger, for instance. It’s far too easy, when analyzing for dominant ideologies, to slap them both with the label of existentialism and be done with it. However, closerRead More Existentialism in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay1635 Words   |  7 PagesExistentialism in Things Fall Apart      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chinua Achebe presents his audience with an interesting twist to a contemporary school of thought in his work Things Fall Apart.   This post-colonization narrative incorporates several traits that revolt against normative philosophic systems and tralititious theories and beliefs of the existence of man and his place in the universe.   Achebes efforts are characterized by a small diverse group of writers that purge realizations of predestinationRead MoreExistentialism And The Absurd By Albert Camus1186 Words   |  5 PagesFrench-Algerian writer Albert Camus relates to his philosophical beliefs: specifically existentialism and the absurd, as well as his connecting idea of rebellion. Camus’ most prominent works – such as the novels The Plague, The Stranger, The Rebel, and others – reflect these beliefs and ideas he held. Though he was and continues to be considered as one, Camus made a point of rejecting the label of an existentialist. Existentialism is essentially based on the idea that philosophy starts with the acceptanceRead MoreExistentialism, By Albert Camus, Raymond Carvers, Short Cuts And Woody Allen s Movie, Crimes And1440 Words   |  6 PagesAfter all, the Choice is Yours Existentialism is a humanism, sure, if one were so inclined, since after all it is ones’ choice to choose if they are a true existentialist. Any and all human philosophies can be used as a guide to ones’ path in life in their own morality, however, until it becomes inconvenient then it is tolerable to deviate off ones’ path to make it work for themselves. The basic foundation of existentialism is, existence precedes essence and there can be no human nature if this