3. The Stranger- Awaiting his execution in prison, Meursault struggles to come to terms with his impending death. One day, after becoming enraged with an annoying, preachy chaplain, Meursault denounces Christianity and…
consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate." (Camus 122-3). He felt as if he was ready to live again just like Maman before she had passed away. Meursault is an absurd hero at the end because he accepted death, passing the Absurd Walls and into the absurd freedom, where one can experience life to the fullest.…
This story further adds to the theme of absurdism throughout the novel because there was no reason for the son to die such as there was no reason for the Arab to die. During Meursault’s trial, there is an attempt to create a reason for his crime despite there not being one. Unlike the philosophy of absurdism, the court believes in reason and order which leads to the establishment of a cause for Meursault’s crime even if it is false. Once Meursault is sentenced to death, he realizes that he no longer has the choice between life and death that all humans are given in life. He instead has death as his only “choice”. Through this, he sees that there is no difference between dying from execution and dying in the future from a different cause. Meursault then accepts that the world is as indifferent as he is to people and finds peace in this realization.…
Many people in society can be considered by outsiders by society. These sorts of characters, along with being found in modern day society, are also found in all forms of media such as Scott Pilgrim in Scott Pilgrim Versus the World, Colonel Aureliano Buendia from One Hundred Years of Solitude, and even Doctor Gregory House from acclaimed television series House. These characters provide us with a fascinating viewpoint on how they view society and how they are able to interact with society as a result of this isolation and ostracism from society. Arguably one of the greatest examples of this isolated character challenged by society’s very moral center is the character of Meursault of Albert Camus’ The Stranger. Camus throughout The Stranger…
The lawyer then goes on about how the next case for the jury to debate upon involves the murder of a relative and that since Meursault feels nothing for anything in this world, he should receive the death penalty. The lawyer feels that Meursault has no place in a world where he cannot follow the moral rules, “He stated that I had no place in a society whose fundamental rules I ignored and that I could not appeal to the same human heart whose elementary response I knew nothing of” (2.4.5).…
Both Keating and Meursault distinguish themselves from the masses that seek to chain their spirit. Meursault is an outsider who feels very removed from his surroundings. His reactions are very different from the conventional norms and society judges him negatively. The prosecutor describes him as a man “whose heart is so empty that it forms a chasm which threatens to engulf society” (The Outsider, 98). Meursault shows no emotion at his mother’s funeral. He is indifferent to the idea of marriage to Marie, to the possibility of a job position in Paris, as well as to his verdict of the death penalty. Meursault is judged to be an anti-Christ because he chooses not to believe in God. He refuses to lie or pretend to be something that he is not, simply to please others and to conform.…
When Meursault is talking to his lawyer, he is ridiculed for saying that he was ‘tired and sleepy’ on the day of Maman’s funeral, “He thought for a minute. He asked me if he could say that that day I held back my natural feelings. I said, ‘No, because that’s not true.’ He gave me a look, as if he found me slightly disgusting” (Camus 63). A man vs. man conflict is created by Meursault’s honesty and his lawyer;s aversion to his answer. Meursault’s own lawyer expresses his hostility towards Meursault, and therefore can no longer objectively and fairly defend Meursault. In addition to his lawyer’s hostility, Meursault experiences condemnation from the Magistrate after revealing he is an atheist, “… the judge would lead me to the door on his office, slap me on the shoulder and, and say to me cordially, ‘That’s all for today, Monsieur Antichrist.’ I would then be handed over to the police” (Camus 68). By using a critical tone to an ideal that all people should have faith, and those who don’t are wrong, the magistrate created an unjust prejudice against Meursault. Similiarly, during Meursault’s trial, the funeral director is testifying about the events at Maman’s funeral. “… and said that I hadn’t wanted to see Maman, that I hadn’t cried once and that I had left right after the funeral without paying respect to her grave…the prosecutor exclaimed, ‘Oh no, that is quite sufficient!’… I had this stupid urge to cry, because I could feel how much these people all hated me” (Camus 86). By using a harsh tone towards Meursault, a despairing mood is created regarding Meursault’s fate. The prosecutor knows that because man is subjective, a jury…
Meursault’s reactions are rarely what the reader envisions as appropriate. People feel disconnected-- disheartened and confused-- when Meursault claims his Maman’s death “doesn’t mean anything” (3). The level of indifference he feels and the actions he performs: making excuses to his boss, having lunch at Celeste’s, going to swim and a movie with Marie, all have the readers questioning Meursault’s character. This displeased feeling continues through the first half of the novel with Meursault’s uncaring and robotic behaviors of watching “families out for a walk… the local boys [going] by… the shopkeepers and the cats” (21-22). One then starts to wonder. One…
Meursault faced a lot of things like an existentialist. For example, he was ready to accept his consequence after he shot the Arab. He also was ready for death, knowing it is inevitable. Some existential themes include freewill, controlling your own fate, accepting your fate, and taking responsibility for your own actions. These themes are all present in The Stranger. It was the freewill that led him to shooting the Arab, because he was in total control. He chose his fate, accepted the consequences, and took responsibility for what he did. For example, he realized he was going to die, and accepted…
Throughout The Stranger by Albert Camus, the protagonist, Meursault, is worried about being judged. The reader does not realize that Camus sets us up to constantly judge Meursault. Meursault is very analytical and can seem to be insensitive at times. However, Meursault’s actions can be taken many different ways. The ending leaves the reader to give a final judgment on whether Meursault is a menace to society or not. Meursault should not have received the death sentence because he was judged for his behavior leading up to his crime, not the murder itself.…
Meursault's sentence was death, the inevitable was occurring, except this time the inescapable had now been given a time. Meursault faced with the reality of death makes a statement. He says, "Well, so I'm going to die.' Sooner than other people will, obviously...deep down I know perfectly will that it doesn't much matter whether you die at…
In 1793, he was imprisoned in Paris for not favoring the execution of Louis XVI. During his time in jail, he began to write the first part of “The Age of Reason” and when he was bailed out of jail, he stayed in France continuing on to the second part of “The Age of Reason.” Here, he defends deism and deeply writes about anti-Christianity and the mind of free thoughts…
The story of The Guest is about Daru, a lonely schoolteacher in Camus’ boyhood home of Algeria. Daru likes living in solitude, but he must learn to recognize that choices are unavoidable and that his choices matter. The story takes place in the middle of the nineteenth century when Algeria is still a land full of conflict between the oppressed Algerian people and their French colonial rulers. At the beginning of the story the French send the gendarme, Balducci to Daru with an Arab convicted of murder. Through Balducci the prisoner comes under the charge of Daru, who must choose whether to turn him over to the law or act according to his honor and let him go free. During the Arab’s overnight stay, Daru and his guest develop a bond that teaches Daru about the brotherhood of humankind and his equality with this prisoner, a criminal from a different race.…
Edmond Dantes, the protagonist in Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, credits God for being very important in his life. Since the beginning of time, religion has been a foundation in many people’s lives. Because of this, people adopt rules based on not just their religion, but on the beliefs of the Gods involved, promising to value and stand firm in adhering to such beliefs. These beliefs are subjective, leaving the role of the Divine in people’s lives to be up for interpretation. Two roles that God could play—giving mercy or overseeing justice—are debated, with people strongly supporting both sides. With that being said, God gives mercy in people’s lives, but, in Edmond Dantes’ life, God not only gives mercy, but also an “eye for…
Initially, he states "I shall coordinate conditioned reflex". This is the first indication of his reasoning behind this blatant disregard of living things. By developing his learned trait of killing he now feels he has "qualified" as the Modern Man. The second stanza offers a grotesque description of the murder. Then the speaker confirms his infatuation with gaining superiority through death by naming this killing the "Audubon Crucifix". This name contains the word crucifix because, according to the popular belief, the only death that brought life to this earth was when Jesus Christ was crucified. Religious connotations are involved in the name because by justifying and validating his violent act he can feel like a "Modern Man". In the third stanza he goes even further in an attempt to relate his somewhat small scale kill to the few major slaughters of our history. First, with the word pious he again relates to religion by referring to his title as holy. Then he adds three examples of dramatic violence. The first of which is Arbeit Macht Frei, an ironic motto for the holocaust meaning work brings freedom. In the concentration camps prisoners were worked so brutaly, almost all of them died, therefore death becomes freedom. This idea supports the speakers application of life by saying death is the only freedom and by killing you are given the power to grant that freedom. The last two examples…