The Analysis of the Stranger, John Wilson in The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson Heroes in literary works were once referred to as the "rebel"; however, the rebel has been replaced by the "stranger" in recent literature. In Lois Simmie's The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson, the novel centers on the title character who is alienated, disaffected and an outsider. The author’s depiction of the central character of Wilson as a stranger engages the reader in a different way, by having the reader want to know more about this mysterious and striking figure.
“Existentialism is a philosophy concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. The belief is that people are searching to find out who and what they are throughout life as they make choices based on their experiences, beliefs, and outlook” (Clifton). Grendel’s
Existentialism is a philosophical theory that was developed by Nietzsche and many other philosophers in the 19th century. In the first four chapters of the novel Grendel by John Gardner, the protagonist and the narrator, Grendel tells a story of his adolescence. Like any teenager, Grendel encounters multitude of events which molds him into what he is; an existentialist. Through the use of diction, personification, and simile in the narration of Grendel, John Gardner illustrates the cause of Grendel’s existential outlook.
Kierkegaard (cited by Smith, 2015) claimed that existentialism is the freedom to rule your own life. An existential hero makes his own choices independently by creating a life that is moral (Gutek, 2009: 109). This hero is also accountable for his own
The mysterious Meursault While reading the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, I immediately noticed the main character Meursault’s and how odd he acted. His lack of emotion and desire towards physical aspects of life caught my attention. I never really heard or read about someone with such a meaningless attitude towards life. I began to think that it was my fault and I wasn’t interpreting the text right, but I wasn’t crazy after all. I understood that Meursault wasn’t your everyday character and I couldn’t quite understand why he was this way.
What if life contributed to no meaning and the only point which matters is the existence happening during the present? To make things worse, as humans live, they breath, but as they die a salvation is received to their soul, and their existence is over. The Stranger by Albert Camus illustrates that the human soul exists in the world physically, therefore the presence or absence does not contribute to any particular event in life. Through, this thought the novel introduces Meursault, who alienates himself from society. He lacks concern for social conventions and is deprived of the physical bounding from people around him.
Pulsing With Heat Albert Camus wrote The Stranger, or L’Étranger, embodying the idea of existentialism. He includes a range of symbols, particularly sun, sunlight, and heat, all directly related in a meaningful way, that correspond to the larger theme of the book, in this case a universal idea exploring existentialism. The sun opposes its usual warmth and beauty in Camus’ novel. Although the symbol of the sun reoccurs in many instances throughout the book, there are three times when the images are extremely significant to the plot. Camus creates a character, Meursault, a very honest yet very indifferent man.
In Kafka 's work The Metamorphosis and in In the Penal Colony the themes and ideas portrayed are nothing less than chaotic. But it is in this chaos that he creates an efficient way of portraying the ideas of philosophical thought to his readers. He shows these ideas without directly stating any one track of thought to follow which allows each reader to form the book to their ways of thought rather than molding their outlook to existential thought. Kafka chooses to convey the messages of absurdism, essentialism and existentialism through the protagonist 's reactions when their purpose is brought into question. He does this by completely revoking purpose in The Metamorphosis and question the legitimacy of the officer’s purpose in In the Penal Colony.
Existentialism is a philosophy that invites us to find purpose and meaning in life by thinking independently and acting deliberately, without overt influence from social norms. This philosophy manifests in Albert Camus’s novel The Stranger in the strange character of Meursault, who defies many major social norms throughout the novel. He places no faith in justice or authority figures. He does not pretend to grieve for his dead mother.
Albert Camus Contents Context Plot Overview Character List Analysis of Major Characters Meursault Raymond Sintes Marie Cardona Themes, Motifs & Symbols Summary & Analysis Part One: Chapter 1 Part One: Chapters 2–3 Part One: Chapters 4–5 Part One: Chapter 6 Part Two: Chapters 1–2 Part Two: Chapters 3–4 Part Two: Chapter 5 Expand Important Quotations Explained Key Facts Study Questions & Essay Topics Quizzes Suggestion for Further Reading How to Cite This SparkNote Share this Sparknote Share on Twitter Character List Meursault - The protagonist and narrator of The Stranger, to whom the novel’s title refers. Meursault is a detached figure who views and describes much of what occurs around him from a removed position.
Anita Brookner describes existentialism as “being a saint without God; being your own hero, without all the sanction and support of religion or society.” The viewpoint of an existentialist was a common way of thinking during the Modernist Period of literature. One particular writer who held this modernism viewpoint was Joseph Conrad. This multicultural artist advanced his existentialism through his literary works. In such works, Conrad took on a whole new writing prose, one which upon first glance is seemingly awkward, but upon examination is found to have been masterfully knitted together.
In The Stranger by Albert Camus: the protagonist, Meursault, appears to be indifferent to everything throughout the book. Even on fundamentally important concepts such as death, love, and time. Because to Meursault, “we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how doesn’t matter (2.5.114).” This general lack of interest is similar to the Universe because if the grand scheme of things, our lives, and our deaths mean nothing and would have no real impact on the future of the Universe. Our deaths turn meaningless over time, eventually love will fade away, and time will blur together to the point that 100 years will seem like a millisecond.
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion” –Albert Camus (Albert Camus Quotes). Camus utilized this freedom in all aspects of life, namely in his relationships with women, which shaped him into an obsessive womanizer who engaged in multiple affairs. His distorted view of women was communicated in his novel, The Stranger, through Meursault, a particularly emotionless main character with similar thoughts on love. Both Meursault and Camus were Existentialists at heart, for they only found value in the physical world and believed that the universe was irrational. Meursault had few interactions with women, and those he had existed to serve his materialistic, sexual
Marcel considered one of the most significant existentialists in his time. In 1910, Marcel received his doctor's degree in logic from the Sorbonne, as he became interested in the intellectual life. Marcel and many of European writers influenced by the World War I, so he became fascinated with matter of death. He was one the famous figures in renaissance as he became superior in drama, philosophy, music, politics, and theology. Throughout his adult life, he addicted to piano.
The argument Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, presents on existentialism helps to prove the foundation which is “existence precedes essence”. Existentialism is normally understood as an ideology that involves evaluating existence itself and the way humans find themselves existing currently in the world. For the phrase existence precedes essence, existence’s etymology is exsistere or to stand out while the term Essence means “being” or “to be” therefore the fundamental of existentialism, literally means to stand out comes before being. This can be taken into many different ideas such as individuals having to take responsibility for their own actions and that in Sartre’s case the individual is the sole judge of his or her own actions. According to him, “men is condemned to be free,” therefore “the destiny of man is placed within himself.”
