and stresses freedom of pick and duty for the effects of one’s Acts of the Apostless. But what made this theory come about in the 19th century when it could have been realized centuries before? Both of these are related to Modernism, which was the aftermath of the industrial revolution. Is there some higher order or law governing it? Perhaps the most important example of existentialism in the book is presented at the end of the novel when Meursault is sentenced to death, he faced it as an existentialist would have. Existentialism focuses on the existence of free will and the development of the self through a person’s actions. Study for free with our range of university lectures! We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. Existentialism makes the point that there is no purpose or meaning in the universe. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. Copyright © 2003 - 2021 - UKEssays is a trading name of All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. In his story “The Things They Carried”, Tim O’Brien, enlightens the reader with the many faces and emotions of men. level of absurdism to the next level so it can really be seen. This perspective undoubtedly set the foundation for his adoption of the theory of existentialism. Existentialism and its brother philosophy Absurdism are philosophies that emphasize the uniqueness and isolation of the individual in a hostile and indifferent world, and stress the fact the universe has no discernable purpose. However, it is not necessarily found as an element in all existential thought. He doesn’t care when his mother died, in fact the fact that he has to attend the funeral altogether is the most troubling part of this whole ordeal to him. This book used both Existentialism and Absurdism to promote Meursault 's problem throughout the book. Absurdism goes a step further to say that not only is life purposeless, but any attempt at finding meaning is utterly absurd. After the incident Meursault is sent to jail for murder. But the philosophy of existentialism is not free of criticism. A significant event from the novel would be when the magistrate in the story brings out his crucifix and revealed it to the protagonist, Meursault. “Death and Absurdism in Camus’s The Stranger.” University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Spring, 1997. We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. As opposed to the multitude of books and manifestos approaching existentialism from an academic perspective, The Stranger approaches the philosophy by detailing a character with the belief innately in him and showing how someone like this might behave. The Stranger reflects Camus’ philosophical stance as an absurdist. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe, regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one’s acts. Similarly, is the stranger absurdist or existentialist? While Absurdist might seem like a synonym for Existentialism, the two are slightly different. 6.White, Ray. Camus is known for his conception of the absurd, which is a main theme of existentialism. Camus’ most prominent works – such as the novels The Plague, The Stranger, The Rebel, and … Abstract : Albert Camus’s present novel The Stranger widely considered as the true representation of his philosophical movement Existentialism and Absurdity. The idea of existentialism is used throughout the literary work The Stranger by Albert Camus to expose the true self and cold nature of human beings, contrary of Camus’ original writing style of absurdism to show Mersault’s realization of the meaningless of human life. A commonly used situation that appears often in existentialist writing is death. I was just afraid, which was only natural.” (Camus, 116) Meursault rejects the chaplain’s offer telling him that he has no interest in God. “Then he wanted to know if I had hired an attorney (the magistrate). During the second beach fight when Meursault shoots the Arab with Raymond’s gun one of the Arabs draws his knife and holds it up to Meursault, Meursault isn’t bothered by the Arab’s threatening action, it was the light from the sun that reflected into his eyes along with the intense heat that was bothering him “The scorching blade slashed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes.” (Camus, 59) Meursault shot the Arab because he was uncomfortable and not because he was afraid of being attacked by the Arab. In 1914, Camus’ Father was drafted into WWI and killed in France. Some rational explanation to the chaos and nonsense? “If there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much in despairing of life as in hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life.” The point illuminated in this quote by Camus is that although some consider viewing life with despair to be wrong, or sinful, in reality hoping for an after life, “another life”, or living a life of implacable grandeur is the real sin. If we take a look at the life of Albert Camus himself, it’s hard to deny the fact that there is a connection between the existentialism’s inception and personal tragedy. In any instanceThe Strangerprice reductions both the value of any workss and the hope of internal felicity based on a belief of divinity. London: NLB, 1972. p. 1613.Camus, Albert. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Rather than focusing on what is important-his mother’s death-Meursault is focused on when exactly she died; whether it was yesterday or today, since the telegraph only stated the funeral would be tomorrow. Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher? If one were to truly take a look at the universe, it would seem purposeless. Likewise, the war has a similar effect, but a much more powerful impact. An existentialist will learn to accept death when the time has come and should know that the most important questions to life have no answers. World is the one we create for ourselves” ( Moser 2 ) “For! He wrote an essay on existentialism and absurdism in the stranger existence of free will and the essential meaninglessness of the but! To live it all again too 2 ) the best user experience possible might seem a! Choices and actions then keep their commitment to wherever it leads smoking, falling asleep during the vigil of thoughts! 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