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The Stranger By Albert Camus: Literary Analysis

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Existentialism is the stress on individual existence, subjectivity, and freedom of choice. Existentialist texts often present many different conflicting issues relating to the individual and the choices one can, or must, make. In the book The Stranger, it is clear that Meursault is involved in different situations in which he is faced with existential choices and conflicts. One recurring and important existentialist subject that troubles many characters is the belief in God or Atheism. Through symbols, dialogue, and character’s actions, Albert Camus successfully exhibits existentialism in terms of the belief in God versus Atheism. Symbolically, Camus illustrates how strongly for or against characters are when it comes to God. For example, while he questions Meursault, the examining magistrate gets frustrated with the lack of information he is receiving. “Suddenly he stood up, strode over to a far corner of his office, and pulled out a drawer in a file cabinet. He took out a silver crucifix… waving his crucifix almost directly over my head” (Camus 68). The magistrate pulling out …show more content…

Meursault is infuriated with the chaplain as he continues to talk about how he should turn to God. He states that he has had enough. “... something inside me snapped. I started yelling at the top of my lungs, and I insulted him and told him not to waste his prayers on me. I grabbed him by the collar of his cassock… Nothing, nothing mattered…” (Camus 120-121). All the chaplain’s talk about God and life having higher purposes turned the reserved Meursault into a violent person full vehement words. By having Meursault physically attack the priest, Camus truly reveals how little of an impact believing in God has on him. This is the final act that Camus included in this story to show how ready Meursault is to give up, not pray for forgiveness from God, or believe in any sort of life after

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The Stranger Rhetorical Analysis

731 Words | 3 Pages

Even though Meursault makes it perfectly clear that he does not believe in God, does not need help, and does have time to waste on him the chaplain still engages with him. He insists on Meursault giving some faith and repenting his sins, but Meursault’s defiance remains solid. He even calls the chaplain “monsieur”, explaining that he is not and never will be his father. Meursault’s resistance and refusal are almost a sort of ‘opposite reflection’ to the chaplain’s notions. Every time he proposes a religious idea, Meursault is quick to retort with a worldly alternative.

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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.

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Diction In The Stranger

932 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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The Myth Of Sisyphus And The Stranger, By Albert Camus

436 Words | 2 Pages

In greek mythology there is exists a man named Sisyphus, who was sentenced for eternity by the Gods to rolling a boulder to the top just to have it fall back to the bottom. On the other hand, there is Meursault, a man condemned by the people for his indifference towards his mother's death. Camus, a French novelist bases both “The Myth of Sisyphus” and “The Stranger” on the philosophy called Existentialism, which states that there is no God that exists that gives humans a reason and mankind solely search for meaning throughout their lives. One of the major characteristics of existentialism is absurdity, which says that in a world where there is no deity to determine the purpose of life or what is morally just or unjust, there is essentially no meaning to life.

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Dostoevsky And The Stranger By Camus: Literary Analysis

619 Words | 3 Pages

Notes From Underground by Dostoevsky and The Stranger by Camus are two very different books discussing existentialism. Camus argued that everything is meaningless, so it did not matter when he died. Dostoevsky argued that there was futility in life, but through God one could find meaning. Both Dostoevsky and Camus discussed the concept of the futility of life, but only Dostoevsky offered a solution to this meaninglessness.

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The Stranger Albert Camus Symbolism

538 Words | 3 Pages

Albert Camus’s use of symbolism and characterization in “The Stranger” represents the temptation of evil and how religion plays a major role in the way humans accept life. Often humans choose to see the world through a religious lens, which promises that good deeds in this life will bring a good afterlife. Perhaps the belief that something or someone larger than themselves determining the outcome is comforting, because fear of the unknown is extremely powerful and what comes after death is unknown. For Camus’s character Meursault, who is not sure he believes in God or afterlife, signifies something larger than humans, can still effect and change the life of a non-believer.

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Social Norms In The Stranger, By Albert Camus

1196 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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The Stranger By Albert Camus Research Paper

484 Words | 2 Pages

“People who hide their feelings usually care the most.” Meursault is a lackadaisical person. Meursault didn’t show too much emotion, he didn’t let much of, anyone know how he really felt, and he didn’t really show concern or emotion to certain things and situations.

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Camus And Nihilism

1090 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the novel “The Stranger”, Albert Camus uses Meursault to illustrate nihilism and absurdism, ideas that his society conspicuously opposes. Nihilism embraces life as meaningless while absurdism acknowledges the death of hope. Camus introduces the theory of acceptance without resignation, which in his opinion, allows one to reach closest to freedom; he believes that without higher powers, one can only be truly free if one accepts absurdism. Meursault, highlighting insincerity, forces meaning upon chaos with hope. He denies faith, overwhelms hope, and gets furious and offended that anyone would go as far as to believe that people can change and save him.

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The Stranger, By Albert Camus

459 Words | 2 Pages

"The stranger" by Albert Camus is an ideal example for existentialism. Concepts, actions, behaviors and relations of the main character, Meursault, with others around him, all have existentialism touches. He is a man who believes that life and the universe are meaningless, and therefore, what matters is the individual's existence and not the judgments made by others, for existence precedes essence. The novel starts with a letter to Mersualt telling him that his mother has died at the old persons' where she lives. Unlikely to normal person, he shows carelessness, with no sadness for the death of his mother.

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The Stranger Character Analysis

1437 Words | 6 Pages

The Stranger by Albert Camus follows the daily life of Meursault, a French-Algerian that embodies Camus’ philosophical views of absurdum. Meursault’s life is a simple one; at first glance, he is like any other working, middle class man. However, through the first person narration, we gain insight into his unconventional thought process. He does not place value on anything, including, possessions, love and ambition. Nevertheless, he is content with his life.

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Value Of Religion In The Stranger, By Albert Camus

528 Words | 3 Pages

The infamous court scene where the main character Meursault, attacks the magistrate out of frustration is relatable in my case. With the hyper religious and seemingly ridiculous nature of the courtroom, Meursault’s reaction is almost appropriate. When reading the text, I imagined what it would be like to have a lifestyle literally forced upon me as if I were satan himself and realized, if it were me, I’d have done the same thing. Another aspect of Meursault I admired was his respect for others’ faith regardless if their attitudes towards his. For example, when the magistrates says to him, "Every man I have known in your position has turned to Him."

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The Importance Of Existence In The Stranger By Albert Camus

1491 Words | 6 Pages

As the French, absurdist philosopher Albert Camus once said, “Being different is not a bad thing. It means you are brave enough to be yourself.” That summed up with our topic, which is absurdity through human existence, a human being should tolerate the absurd condition of human existence. Albert Camus introduces Meursault the protagonist and narrator of the book The Stranger, who is a stranger through society eyes and the title point out his personality in the world of absurdity. Meursault is indifferent and alienates young man to others.

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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

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A Hanging By George Orwell

710 Words | 3 Pages

"A Hanging" by George Orwell is a shocking non-fiction text describing Orwell's experience as a police officer in Burma in the 1930's. following the story of a Hindu man on his way to his execution through the eyes of Orwell as he discovers the great value of human life as he is a witness to the mistreatment of the Burmese prisoners. He expresses his views through symbolism, structure, setting and turning point to convey the horrific reality of capital punishment. Orwell establishes the poor treatment of the prisoners at the very beginning of the text by using setting as he describes " A sodden morning of the rains" This gives the reader a very clear image of a dark and dreary jail yard as "sodden" suggests something wet and cold.

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