Existentialism and the Absurd The novel‚ The Stranger‚ by Albert Camus‚consists of a first person narrator‚ Meursault. Meursault‚ the main character‚ acquires an absurd philosophy on the essence of life.His mindset is that life is not only insignificant‚ it is unavoidable. Meursault ’s’ life consists of futile bonds‚ nonchalant behavior‚ and living an existence of mere tangible exercises throughout the story. In this novel‚ human life appears to have no meaning in the grand spectrum of the universe
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The Stranger by Albert Camus is a novella that focuses on the philosophy of existentialism. The story is about a young French man named Meursault living in Algiers‚ Algeria. He is a man that undergoes isolation from the world because of the way he lives his life. As the narrator and protagonist of the book‚ the readers watch Meursault build meaningless relationships‚ reject moral standards‚ and become a threat to society in the eyes of the public because of his careless decisions that derive from
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Hannah Howell AP Literature 4/26/13 Disappointment and Death Scholar Ignace Feuerlicht states‚ “Camus holds that man is an eternal stranger to himself‚ that he cannot grasp and define his self or integrate its different aspects.” 1 Meursault is a stranger to society and himself in many ways and the ambiguity of the novel‚ The Stranger by Albert Camus highlights his departure from an existence driven by expectation and ambition. Meursault floats through life without ambition because he does
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Albert Camus THE STRANGER THE Stranger By ALBERT CAMUS Translated from the French by Stuart Gilbert VINTAGE BOOKS A Division of Random House NEW YORK 1 Albert Camus THE STRANGER VINTAGE BOOKS are published by Alfred A. Knopf‚ Inc. and Random House‚ Inc. Copyright 1942 by Librairie Gallimard as L’ÉTRANGER Copyright 1946 by ALFRED A. KNOPF‚ INC. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher‚ except by a reviewer who
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In Albert Camus’ novel‚ The Stranger‚ Meursault represents an existentialist character. Most may believe him to be immoral‚ and in some cases they are almost correct. Contrary to that belief‚ just because Meursault is an emotionless silhouette of a man doesn’t mean he is immoral or evil. One cannot condemn him for being this way because he is simply misunderstood. Meursault does not make moral or immoral decisions‚ he is just completely indifferent to the matter. Readers are able to sympathize with
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“Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe‚ I don’t know.” (Camus‚ 3). These opening lines of The Stranger by Albert Camus gives a feeling for how the rest of the novel will continue to go. The reader’s initial reaction may be shocked. How does someone not know when their mother died and why do they not care? Albert Camus was an existentialist and wrote in such a way. Existentialism is a philosophy that focuses on the ideas of existence and not believing in a God‚ the freedom of choice and responsibility
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In his Novel The Stranger‚ Albert Camus tells the story of a man‚ Meursault‚ a character who shows almost no emotions‚ even though he lives an ordinary life. He has a job‚ a girl who loves him‚ and a life full or purpose‚ yet he still acts as a stranger in his work life‚ social life‚ and love life. From the first line of the story Meursault was strange‚ “Mother died today. Or‚ maybe‚ yesterday; I can’t be sure.” The telegram from the Home says: “Your mother passed away. Funeral tomorrow. Deep sympathy
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The Stranger by Albert Camus was published in 1946. The novel begins with Meursault receiving a telegram informing him of his mother’s death. Over the next two weeks after the funeral‚ Meursault carries on like nothing tragic happened. He gets a girlfriend‚ befriends a pimp‚ and goes on a beach vacation with both. During the vacation‚ he and Raymond‚ the pimp‚ get into a fight with the Arabs and Meursault kills one without an explanation for the crime. At the murder trial‚ the court said he was cold-hearted
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The Stranger by Albert Camus we are introduced to Meursault‚ a psychologically detached character who at first seems indifferent and apathetic which at first is very frustrating to the reader. However‚ through multiple readings‚ you understand the character is almost a mirrored reflection of the author. The author Albert Camus‚ tells us his views on society and the justice through his character Meursault. His views on justice most importantly are shown socially and philosophically. Albert Camus
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Professor Jean Warrington English115 March 2014 The Stranger Draft The Stranger by Albert Camus holds a nihilistic theme. Camus‚ being a philosopher‚ wrote a lot about his perspective on life. He discusses how he believes that life has absolutely no meaning besides living in order to inevitably face death. In the story‚ The Stranger‚ Meursault symbolizes Albert Camus’s beliefs through his personality and actions. Neither the external world in which Meursault
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