The stranger themes. Themes in The Stranger with Examples and Analysis 2022-11-02
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The Stranger, written by Albert Camus, is a novel that explores the theme of absurdity and its effects on the human condition. The novel's protagonist, Meursault, is a man who is completely detached from the world around him and seems to have no concern for societal norms or values. This detachment leads to his eventual demise, as he is unable to connect with others or understand their motivations.
One of the main themes in The Stranger is the idea of the Absurd, which is defined as the conflict between the human desire for meaning and the inability to find it in the world. Camus believed that life is inherently meaningless and that individuals must create their own meaning in order to cope with this fact. Meursault, however, is unable to do this and instead lives in a state of constant detachment and indifference. He is unable to form meaningful relationships with others and is unable to understand their emotions or motivations. This leads to his eventual execution, as he is unable to understand or defend himself against the charges brought against him.
Another important theme in The Stranger is the idea of morality and its relationship to society. Meursault is a man who seems to have no sense of right or wrong, and he is able to commit a murder without any remorse or guilt. This lack of morality is seen as a threat to society, and Meursault is punished accordingly. However, Camus suggests that this punishment is not justifiable, as it is based on societal norms and values that Meursault does not understand or value. This highlights the idea that society's definitions of right and wrong are arbitrary and that individuals should not be punished for failing to conform to these norms.
The theme of death is also prominent in The Stranger, as Meursault's detachment from the world leads him to view death as a natural and inevitable part of life. He is unable to understand the grief of others when his mother dies and is indifferent to his own impending execution. This highlights the idea that death is a fundamental part of the human experience and that it is ultimately meaningless.
Overall, The Stranger is a powerful exploration of the theme of absurdity and its effects on the human condition. Through the character of Meursault, Camus illustrates the dangers of detachment and the importance of creating meaning in an otherwise meaningless world. The novel also highlights the arbitrary nature of societal norms and values and the dangers of blindly following them without questioning their validity.
The Stranger: Themes
Conversely, when Marie stops writing, he is not at all disturbed to imagine she may have taken up with a new man or be dead. Although he is fond of her and enjoys her company, he is indifferent towards her essential being and is not in love with her as a unique individual. His casual attitude towards these relationships enables him to treat the people in his life according to his…. When he loses his dog, he is distressed and asks Meursault for advice. Like all people, Meursault has been born, will die, and will have no further importance.
He brings up the rear in the funeral procession for Meursault's mother, and Meursault describes in a great amount of detail the old man's struggle to keep up. Throughout the whole absurd life I'd lived, a dark wind had been rising toward me from somewhere deep in my future, across years that were still to come, and as it passed, this wind leveled whatever was offered to me at the time, in years no more real than the ones I was living. L'Étranger and L'Étranger" in the philosophical context of the Absurd. The Stranger Should Be". He demonstrates that he is not attached to his mother by performing her funeral rites coldly. But today, with the sun bearing down, making the whole landscape shimmer with heat, it was inhuman and oppressive.
His mother dies-a certainty he has had his whole life is gone. Theme 9 Alienation Alienation is another minor theme of the novel shown through Meursault. Therefore, it seems irrational to him to explain his position. Camus was influenced by American literary style, and Ward's translation expresses American usage. These attempts, which Camus believed futile, exemplify the absurdity Camus outlined in his philosophy.
His liberation from this false hope means he is free to live life for what it is, and to make the most of his remaining days. Lacking goals and desires of his own, Meursault rarely seems to care how events turn out and acts simply to satisfy his immediate physical needs, allowing his life to flow by as it will. That was his belief, and if he were ever to doubt it, his life would become meaningless. Back in Over the next few days, Meursault helps Raymond Sintès, a neighbor and friend who is rumored to be a Raymond's girlfriend visits him on a Sunday morning, and the police get involved when he beats her for slapping him after he tries to kick her out. But I couldn't hear them, and it was hard for me to believe they really existed.
The reason for the match is that the essay collection explained the philosophy of the absurd while the novel demonstrated the theory. This dynamic recurs much more starkly at the trial, where the account of Meursault's "insensitivity" towards his mother's death proves to be what ultimately turns the jury against him. Camus was one of the pioneers of this form of philosophy and used it as the guiding principle in the conception and creation of The Stranger. Irrationality The irrationality of human actions and decisions is one of the major themes of The Stranger. Meursault gradually moves toward this realization throughout the novel, but he does not fully grasp it until after his argument with the chaplain in the final chapter. Yet these explanations have no basis in fact and serve only as attempts to defuse the frightening idea that the universe is irrational.
That means life is just what one makes of it while being conscious of two certainties-life and death. He asked me if I could say that that day I had held back my natural feelings. English translations have rendered the first sentence as 'Mother died today', 'Maman died today', or a variant thereof. To the first he responds with no, the second he seems indifferent to the idea. He abuses it but is still attached to it. She just wanted to know if I would have accepted the same proposal from another woman, with whom I was involved in the same way.
The prosecutor waved his hands and proclaimed my guilt, but without an explanation…In a way, they seemed to be arguing the case as if it had nothing to do with me…There were times when I felt like breaking in on all of them and saying, "Wait a minute! The events of his story only make sense that way. He asks Meursault to testify that the girlfriend had been unfaithful when he is called to the police station, to which Meursault agrees. Watching and Observation Throughout the novel there are instances of characters watching Meursault, or of his watching them. Seeing the rows of cypress trees leading up to the hills next to the sky, and the houses standing out here and there against that red and green earth, I was able to understand Maman better. To him, it's only a matter of chance that events turn out as they do.
Paradoxically, only after Meursault reaches this seemingly dismal realization is he able to attain happiness. His final assertion is that a large, hateful crowd at his execution will end his loneliness and bring everything to a consummate end. She has no name. People's surprise and dismay at novel's start implied they were judging Meursault based on his indifferent attitude. It is this nameless group of Arabs who Meursault, Masson, and Raymond encounter at the beach. Looking back on it, I wasn't unhappy. As Meursault nears the time for his execution, he feels a kinship with his mother, thinking she, too, embraced a meaningless universe.
I explained to her that it didn't really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married. Raymond, too, misinterprets him despite his close friendship. There is no real rational explanation for how or why Meursault responds to the death of his mother, or Marie, or even his decision to murder the Arab. Meursault says he does not believe in God and is not even interested in the subject, but the chaplain persists in trying to lead Meursault away from After the chaplain leaves, Meursault finds some comfort in thinking about the parallels between his situation and how he thinks his mother must have felt when she was surrounded by death and slowly dying at the retirement home. His thoughts on the beach steps as he decides whether to return to Masson's bungalow or to go back down to the beach could summarize his attitude towards every… The novel opens with Meursault's indifference at his mother's funeral and the consternation it provokes among the people around him.
All of his relationships — from the filial relationship he had with his mother to his friendship with Raymond to his romantic relationship with Marie — are passionless, determined much more by incidental, superficial impressions than by deep-felt emotional bonds. This dynamic recurs much more starkly at the trial, where the account of Meursault's "insensitivity" towards his mother's death proves to be what ultimately turns the jury against him. It is important to remember that Camus was a philosopher who described the irrational aspect of existence. This crisis is resolved when he comes to understand the utter meaninglessness of his individual life within the mystery of life. Translated four times into English, and also into numerous other languages, the novel has long been considered a classic of 20th-century literature.
