ipl-logo

Meursault's View In The Stranger

1264 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays of the stranger albert camus

In the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, the protagonist Meursault is seen as an outcast and someone who does not fit with societies standards. He is someone who is rejected by society because of his philosophy and his way of life. Meursault is a man with a very straight and blunt personality and is not afraid to say what is on his mind. With such a strong and independent mindset, he does not allow anyone to change his view or opinion on the world. His meaning of life is much different than the masses, he is a man with no care in the world and believes that the world has no meaning or purpose. He believes that life’s inevitability is death, which means that all our lives are equally meaningless if everyone's collective potential ends in the same place. With this mindset, Meursault never seems to have any emotions which are highlighted throughout the …show more content…

At the funeral, Meursault is focused on things like the weather and the coffin rather than his mother being gone. The common consensus would that this is a very tough moment, but for Meursault, it just seems like any other day. He does not care that his mother passed away as he says, “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: "Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours." That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday.” (Camus 1). We see his emotional indifference and detachment from people. The common man would see this and assume a mental lapse in etiquette where a son has no remorse for their mother. This reaction completely reflects his philosophy and how he views the world. He believes that it is going to happen anyway, so why does it matter if it happened now or later. With this mentality and mindset, society begins to label him as an outcast and as someone who has no

Show More
Related

Meursault Dialectical Journal

395 Words | 2 Pages

2. Summary: Meursault, a shipping clerk living in Algiers, receives news of his mother's death. After hearing about the death of his mother, he travels to the nursing home that that he put her in after no longer being able to financially provide for the both of them. Unlike the traditional response to death by grieving for the deceased, Meursault continues on with his daily tasks as if his mother had never died. During a trip with Raymond and Marie, Meursault shoots the Arab, the brother of the mistress that cheated on Raymond, and is imprisoned.

Read More

The Stranger Rhetorical Analysis

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

How Is Meursault A Bad Person

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

Nihilism In Holden Caulfield

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

Mod World Lit Essay

869 Words | 4 Pages

Right away the death of Meursault’s mother joined with other very random occurrences seem to be everyday occurrences. Once again I noticed the similarities of the two main characters of the book, acting as if all the events in their lives seem to be normal. Meursault views life so simply, despite its irregularity. This can be seen in the quote in which he talks about life, “I said that people never change their lives, that in any case on life was as good as another and that I was not dissatisfied with mine her at all”. He really exerts no emotion towards anything in this life.

Read More

Meursault Quotes

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

Meursault's Emotions In The Stranger, By Albert Camus

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

Diction In The Stranger

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

The Stranger By Albert Camus Research Paper

1474 Words | 6 Pages

All of themes are evident with Meursault’s emotionless nature. Meursault lives his life as if none of the actions he commits or the events that happen to him will matter in the end. This is shown when Meursault’s mom dies. When this occurs, Meursault doesn’t appear to be sad or even care about his mother's passing, which is the main subject of his trial. Meursault was unable to communicate how he really felt about his mother's death which meant that he continued

Read More

The Stranger, By Albert Camus

690 Words | 3 Pages

The Stranger by Albert Camus analyzes many concepts but specifically focuses on existentialism. According to the Basics of Philosophy, existentialism is the “philosophy that emphasizes individual existence, freedom, and choice. It is the view that humans define their own meaning in life, and try to make rational decisions despite existing in an irrational universe”. Freedom and choice are rights that Meursault would be deprived of. He is currently placed in prison, his new "home" due to the events that occurred.

Read More

The Stranger Character Analysis

1437 Words | 6 Pages

Marie testifies that the day after Maman 's death, she and Meursault went swimming and watched a comedic movie. Rather than explaining what these events have to do with Meursault 's crime, the prosecutor has "nothing further to say" (94). Although the relationship between Meursault 's day out with Marie and his crime is non-existent, the prosecutor believes it is self-explanatory. Indeed, once the courtroom hears Marie 's testimony, it

Read More

The Themes Of Death In Meursault's The Stranger

1232 Words | 5 Pages

“Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know.” (Camus 1) If someone were to say this in our world, it would be condemned, and the person would be thought of telling a sick joke or having even a mental problem. In reference to an absurd world, though, this usage of extremist ideals about death can better explain the concept and how it is seen by the writer.

Read More

The Importance Of Existence In The Stranger By Albert Camus

1491 Words | 6 Pages

Mother is very important to our lives, being a mother is an important role. If it was not for our mother who gives us birth, we would not be breathing right now, the most essential are to thank her for everything that she does, even if she is not alive, and to do that it takes humility and love. Meursault does not have the love that he should have had for his mother because he is afraid of love, at the times of her death, he does not even her age, does not want to see his mother’s body in the casket and his visits were not till the cows come home. In substance, he does not care about his mother in plain English he is remorseless. Notwithstanding, the reader can see how the book starts with the word

Read More

Existentialism And Absurdism In The Stranger, By Albert Camus

1021 Words | 5 Pages

In his novel The Stranger, Albert Camus creates an emotionally incapable, narcissistic, and, at times, sociopathic character named Meursault to explore and expose his philosophies of Existentialism and Absurdism. Throughout the story Meursault follows a philosophical arc that, while somewhat extreme - from unemotional and passive to detached and reckless to self-reflective - both criticizes the dependent nature of human existence and shows the journey through the absurd that is our world. In the onset of The Stranger, following his mother’s death, Meursault acts with close to utter indifference and detachment. While the rest of “maman’s”(9) loved ones express their overwhelming grief, Meursault remains unphased and, at times, annoyed at their

Read More

The Stranger Research Paper

999 Words | 4 Pages

Meursault's indifferent attitude seems to work for him as a way to just get through his life and pass all of his thoughts on life’s

Read More

More about Meursault's View In The Stranger

Related Topics

Open Document