ipl-logo

Psychological Events In The Stranger

739 Words3 Pages

Coming from a mind set where everything has to be physically seen to be proven true; where the power of the mind and psychological events are only auditory, not taken into consideration is what we are taught to follow by society. However, in “The Stranger” this takes a great shift as it is set in an existentialist setting where constant struggles of being an “outsider” occur. In “The Stranger” by Albert Camus, Meursault, a psychological indifferent character, struggles with physically demonstrating emotions; however, manages to portray those thoughts mentally through the environment, rather than physical actions. Throughout the novel, it was evident that the psychological events were crucial; therefore providing elation through mental contemplation. …show more content…

Before the first confrontation, Meursault agrees to go for a stroll on the beach and states how “the sun was overpowering” (Camus 55). As the shifts in tone and setting have occurred, at this point it is evident how the power and the aspects in the environment itself mentally drove Meursault. They added onto his actions rather than the emotions themselves. This was demonstrated through the second confrontation as Meursault seemed to be driven by the sun itself. When Meursault finally reaches the point of confrontation, he seems to be well aware of what he is about to do; however, after he has shot he no longer seems to know why he did it. He is desperately driven by the environment once again as he states how “the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, was pressing on [his] back” (Camus 58). Camus was able to integrate suppence through this as he used vivid diction that allowed for the reader to dive right into Meursault mind and see what was his thoughts were. Also, Meursault, having been different from others, was easily pressured by the environment, which is confirmed later on in the novel when he is ask the reason for shooting the Arab and he states it was because of the sun itself. This being one of the most significant events in the novel, because of the great shift it caused in Meursault's life, it was evident that Camus decided to integrate the psychological aspects of consciousness within to make it stand out. Another aspect that is psychologically demonstrated throughout “The Stranger” is how towards the epilogue of the novel Meursault has a mental awakening, and a sense of realization comes along with it as well. At this point in the novel, being locked up in a cell has allowed Meursault to reflect on life and contemplate, which leads to him finally accepting rejection and personal

Show More
Related
249 Words | 1 Pages

During the beginning of the novel, Meursault goes to his neighbor Raymond’s house. The visit results into a physical fight due to insults made towards Meursault. Relating to aspects on violence, this scene was made to show simple

Read More
675 Words | 3 Pages

These two most often will correlate with each other. The aspect of sun and heat in this novel is very important. The most noticeable reason is the fact Meursault blames the sun for his actions. The sun symbolically represents a higher being or great source of power. This connects perfectly with Meursault’s claim for shooting the Arab.

Read More
731 Words | 3 Pages

One of the most important passages within the novel is when Meursault repeatedly defies the chaplain in the cell. It serves as a pinnacle for the entire story, and grants readers a look into the main characters state of mind. In this passage, Meursault comes to a dramatic realization of who he is through an existential epiphany, and with thorough analysis the overall significance of the passage to the story is revealed. In the passage the chaplain visits Meursault much to Meursault’s displeasure.

Read More
998 Words | 4 Pages

Meursault shows his lack of emotional attachment to people: "I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings"( page 41). Meursault shows the regrets of his nature but also, at the same time, explains that it’s not going to change. Rather than focusing on finding someone to spend his life with, Meursault would rather find someone who can always keep him pampered. Meursault again shows his regret for his actions when he says, "I wanted to try to explain to him that it was because of the sun, the sea, the light, in fact, everything, that I had simply loved him with no personal motive" (Page 68). Meursault shows his lack of care for those whom he loved, but at the same time shows that Meursault might not be able to fully control what he does, but rather does everything out of impulse, therefore making him regret his actions in some situations.

Read More
2595 Words | 11 Pages

Meursault constantly has varying thoughts dancing around his mind, one of which is the environment. The environment is behind all of Meursault’s struggles and problems in his mental world and interferes with his physical world as well, causing him to think that the world is irrational. Holden’s attitude toward the world is particularly similar to Meursault’s because nihilism and absurdism are quite similar. Both believe that the world is irrational and out to get them. The only difference between the two is that Meursault discovers that even though he believes that the world manipulated him and demanded to kill the

Read More
869 Words | 4 Pages

This simple fact keeps him so alienated from the rest of the characters in the book. To go in deeper with Meursault’s isolation, most of his attention was self created. Others, such as his “fiancee” Marie and neighbor Raymond, wish to associate with him, however, he lacks the fundamental skills required to maintain healthy relationships. His alienation becomes especially noticeable thought his time in prison. At one point, he addresses his views on the world after having killed a man on the beach.

Read More
671 Words | 3 Pages

This fight leads to Meursault going to a murder trial because he shoots one of the Arabs four times and kills him. Meursault shows importance of the physical world when he is at Maman’s funeral, while in a fight with the Arabs and when he is at his murder trial. Meaursault connects more to the physical world rather than to the

Read More
724 Words | 3 Pages

Meursault is not an emotional person. Meursault often seems not to react to major events that happen to him. For example when his mom dies, he says, “Really, nothing had changed”(24). There is an obvious emotional disconnect. Either he was not close to his mother or her death had little to no effect on him.

Read More
747 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel, a majority of Meursault 's actions are based upon his attitude that his presence ultimately does not “matter”. “‘But,’ I reminded myself, ‘it’s common knowledge that life isn’t worth living, anyhow.’ And, on a wide view, I could see that it makes little difference whether one dies at the age of thirty or threescore and ten—since, in either case, other men and women will continue living, the world will go on as before,” (Camus 70-71). The aforestated quote captures the quintessence of Meursault’s character and illustrates the reason for his disinterest with the injustices around him. With purely factual considerations, it is true that each human life is proportionally negligible.

Read More
1319 Words | 6 Pages

A society contained to a set of principles punishes the non-conformers this is what sociology calls social control; when conformity is rewarded, and non-conformity is punished. This is represented in Albert Camus ' The Stranger aptly named as Meursault the main character doesn 't abide by general societal norms and rather than getting convicted for the murder he did commit he feels he is sentenced because of not loving his mother as society expects and, in a way, he is. Through Meursault 's actions of killing the unnamed Arab, helping Raymond, not grieving his mother, and having no true wants but basic primal necessities the reader can consider him immoral or evil from his violence; however, with the full presentation of his character which the reader experiences, as Meursault is the narrator, when he is imprisoned the reader reacts more sympathetically than they would if they had been one of the jury members. From the beginning of The Stranger, the reader understands Meursault is a complex character. The very first line of the book is, "Maman died today.

Read More
932 Words | 4 Pages

Through the use of diction, Meursault perceives life is meaningless, which leads him to have the absence of strong bonding with acquaintance around him. He indicates that he lacks empathy from personal and social level. Meursault is a simple man who lives his life in a stickler type and changes annoy him. As the novel introduces Meursault mother being dead, he shows lack of concern and a burden to visit his mother for the last time. “Maman died today...

Read More
695 Words | 3 Pages

Finally, the major turning point for Meursault happens at the shooting of the Arab on the beach. From this point on his reflection of himself and human nature in trial and prison give the most substance to the themes of the book. We see some of his social and moral development at this time as he tries to understand the magistrate and his religious points of view. Meursault takes the steps to try to empathize with the man, yet he agrees with the man because the argument and long standing conflict starts to make him uncomfortable. This shows improvement in his moral dilemma and allows his experiences to aid him.

Read More
1196 Words | 5 Pages

(59) After long passages describing the painful violence of the sun, Camus’s transition into the murder is shockingly abrupt, provoking a sense of bewilderment at the unexpected randomness of the murder, conveying effectively the irrationality of Meursault’s murder of the man. However, during the trial, when Meursault reveals that he murdered the Arab only because of the sun, refusing to allow others impose their logical but false interpretations upon his life, “people laughed” (103) and even his own “lawyer threw up his hand” (103) as they are unable comprehend and accept such an irrational motivation. To protect themselves from this harsh reality of the universe, they can only fabricate and impose their own logical explanation for Meursault’s behavior. The prosecutor, for instance, is convinced Meursault murdered the man in cold blood, certain in the narrative he has constructed out of events completely unrelated to the murder, from Meursault’s “ignorance when asked Maman’s age” (99) to his association with a man of “doubtful morality” (99). In both cases, Meursault’s indifference for societal standards of morality has painted him as a man immoral and cold-hearted enough to premeditate the murder.

Read More
1491 Words | 6 Pages

The trial teaches Meursault to commit his wrongdoing and is aware of how each person has a different interpretation about him. It was hard for Meursault to

Read More
1118 Words | 5 Pages

Marxist Politics – Introduction Frederick Engels painted a clear picture of Marxist politics and the ultimate reason for revolution, “the State is nothing more than a machine for the oppression of one class by another. ”1 In Marxism, the struggle to control the forces of production is the dynamic force behind human development. The economic system determines other features of a society, including its political structure. To Karl Marx, the “economic structure of society [is] the real foundation on which rise moral, legal and political superstructures and to which definite forms of social consciousness correspond.”

Read More

More about Psychological Events In The Stranger

Related Topics

Open Document