Meursault Justifies Murder - 1107 Words

The emotionless anti-hero, Monsieur Meursault, embarks on a distinct philosophical journey through The Stranger. Confident in his ideas about the world, Meursault is an unemotional protagonist who survives without expectations or even aspirations. Because of his constant indifference and lack of opinions about the world, it can be denoted that he undergoes a psychological detachment from the world and society. It is through these characteristics that exist in Meursault that Camus expresses the absurd. Starting from the very first sentence of the book, â€Å"Maman died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.† (Camus 1) The indifferent tone from these short sentences convey a rather apathetic attitude from Meursault’s part. Not only does he not†¦show more content†¦Society was unable to comprehend Meursaults apathetic reasons for the murder and attempts to rationalize with it through the trial to try to come to an understanding as to what may have incited his actions. Meursault experiences a philosophical triumph as his execution dates nears, due to his acceptance of the absurd, which confirms his identity; much like the absurd world, he doesn’t acknowledge human experiences and relationships. He is content with this, and welcomes the crowd, confident that nothing can take away his satisfaction. This shows that while he gains philosophical peace, he still is unable to grapple with interpersonal relationships and the role he was intended to play in society. Meursault does not overcome society’s judgment, but rather revels in the hatred. Through his conversation with the chaplain, Meursault discovers happiness in the fact that the absurd world mirrors his own indifference. Meursault compares his beliefs about life to those the chaplain holds, and comes to some finality in his thought process. He settled on a firm stance, â€Å"sure about [himself], about everything, surer than [the chaplain] could ever be, sure of my life and sure of the death waiting for me† (Camus 108). Meursault becomes infatuated with the absurd world, rather than rejecting it in disgust or horror. He strongly identifies with the absurdity, â€Å"opening up to the gentle indifference of the world† (CamusShow MoreRelatedThe Stranger by Camus1492 Words   |  6 Pagescontinue the pattern and attempt to create a sense of rational structure. Albert Camus explores this theory of â€Å"absurdity† in his narrative novel The Stranger, through his character Monsieur Meursault. The novel follows Meursault through his seemingly senseless life which perpetuates to his senseless murder of another man. Throughout his trial, the reactions to his lack of reasoning display this particular theory front center. Within a excerpt from the latter of his trial chapter, Camus’s use ofRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel The Stranger988 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, ‘The Stranger’, by Albert Camus, the author creates an abs urd anti-hero in Meursault to demonstrate that, because life is random and inexplicable one has to acknowledge that they don’t have control over events that transpire and that only with hope can one can contribute meaning to a meaningless existence. The randomness of life is demonstrated through the events in Meursault’s life. Meursault is thrown into the situation where he is given a promotion by his boss. â€Å"He was planningRead MoreThe Futile Search For Reason1348 Words   |  6 PagesMeursault’s lack of motive in the murder of the Arab man illustrates how there is no logical reason behind the events of life. After the fight against the Arab men, Meursault follows Raymond back to the beach, when Raymond contemplates whether or not to shoot them with his gun. Meursault recounts, â€Å"I thought that if I said no he’d get himself worked up and shoot for sure. All I said was, ‘He hasn’t said anything yet. It’d be pretty lousy to shoot him like that’† (56). Meursault has always looked at situationsRead MoreMeursault Is An Absurdism1499 Words   |  6 Pagesnovella by Albert Camus, takes place in the early 1940s and revolves around Meursault, a French Algerian. Developed through a presentation of his own thoughts, it grows clear that Meursault is an absurdist. He believes that his actions lack significance, refuses to analyze himself beyond his physical needs, and does not find logical meaning within the surrounding world. As a result of these components of his character, Meursault repeatedly fails to adopt the norms of others. His existence consequentlyRead MoreEssay on myth of sisyphus975 Words   |  4 Pagesoutside influences. We create our own human nature through these free choices. We also create our values through these choices. Paragraph 1: Transition statement: These prominent ideas have been analyzed in various texts to specifically justify a philosopher’s interpretation for the life of an individual. This particular theme can be seen Through the comparison between Myth of sisyphus and Dostovesky’s works. Though they both believe in the existence of an individual that the societyRead More The Stranger Essay879 Words   |  4 Pagesmorality, and how much emphasis should placed on following this certain ethical structure. Albert Camuss main character, Meursault, is depicted as a nonconformist that is unwilling to play societys game. Through Meursaults failure to comply with societys values and conform to the norm, he is rejected and also condemned to death by society. He is tried for the crime of murder, but is not judged solely on his actions during the aforementioned crime. He is judged on his specific actions that societyRead More Comparing Albert Camus The Stranger (The Outsider) and Jean-Paul Sartres Nausea2131 Words   |  9 Pagescause and effect by providing no motive for the murder of the Arab, and resists a reductive reading of itself as a case history of a monster. The novel contrasts its refusal to interpret with the coherent narrative that the prosecutors create. The Stranger and Nausea explore similar strategies as they interrogate ways to view the world without a system of interpretative illusions. Nausea refuses to assign order to its events by choosing not to justify them with psychology or cause. Roquentin findsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Way Meursault 1335 Words   |  6 PagesThe way Meursault reacts to his surroundings throughout the first part of the book is especially noticeable in chapter 1. Within this chapter, you may notice that he talks more about the setting of places and the moods of others than he does his own emotions. The story starts off with Meursault stating that his mother died that day. Following this, he attends a vigil which he says is fifty miles away. Instead of telling us how he feels about the loss of his mother, he proceeds to tell us that heRead More The Stranger Essay1301 Words   |  6 PagesWhile reading The Stranger I noticed that traits that Albert Camus character depicts in the book are closely related to the theories of Sigmund Freud on moral human behavior. Albert Camus portrays his character of Meursault as a numb, emotionless person tha t seems to mindlessly play out his role in society, acting in a manner that he sees as the way he’s supposed to act, always living in the moment with his instincts driving him, and if the right circumstance presents itself the primal deep seededRead More Absurdity in Albert Camus’ The Stranger Essay2431 Words   |  10 Pagesof absurdity, that person may appear to be alienated or exiled or a stranger, much like Meursault in The Stranger. For Woelfel, what is later described as absurdity by Camus comes out in two passages in The Stranger. When Meursault is asked why he shot the Arab, because of his understanding of himself and the world being absurd, he answers it was because of the sun (Camus 103). Also just before Meursault is being executed, he thinks to himself about the gentle indifference of the world (Camus