Albert Camus The Stranger

A Discussion of Absurdity in Albert Camus 's The Stranger

The novel tells the story of Meursault , a murderer awaiting his execution brought about by an apparently meaningless crime . It is a story that touches on the concept of absurdity and humanity 's search for purpose and meaning

The absurd stems from the human need for and purpose in an utterly meaningless and indifferent world . This emphasizes the innate incompatibility in our existence - conflict arises when one desperately tries to impose meaning where meaning does not exist . The philosophical idea of

the absurd then , is a form of defiance to ones true nature of existence

This understanding of the absurd and the absurdist philosophy is expressed through Camus 's portrayal of the character Meursault . He represents man who is alienated by and is perpetually at odds with a world that is devoid of meaning

In the story , Meursault 's beliefs and actions lies in contradiction to how a rational person would normally think or act . His actions seem to have no rational explanation--he seems to be only moved by sensory stimulus rather than reason . There is no apparent logical cause why he decided to marry Marie or kill the Arab - he himself gives no acceptable rationale as to why he did these things and this makes him strange to the world

Meursault lives in a society that wants to think that there is meaning behind every action , so when faced with his case , society attempts to impose reason to his irrational deeds . The fact that Meursault 's conviction was due to his lack of remorse rather the the actual murder reflects this attitude

To solve the dilemma of the absurd , a supernatural solution is often adopted (for example , in the story , the priest urges him to repent and profess his faith in God - if he does this , then he can be spared of the guillotine . However , to accept God would mean to Meursault the destruction of reason . For him this would be false and hypocritical - to believe ' would only mean deluding one 's self and replacing the disagreeable truth with a farcical alternative

In a way , it is an act of rebellion in the face of different types of authority , those that impose what one must think and do . It affirms the idea that it is the individual that gives meaning to an act . Consciously or subconsciously , Meursault is aware of the absurdity of human existence and by going contrary to the society 's expectations of proper human behavior , affirms his humanity

In this regard , Camus 's shows the readers that eschewing a cosmic purpose need not strip a person of the reason to exist , rather , it should make living more easier - having one 's own purpose should be sufficient and this is better than believing in something that wasn 't really there to begin with

Since the absurd is , in Camus 's view , an intrinsic characteristic of human life , the solution to this existential dilemma therefore is to...