Meursault's Response In Part One example essay topic

The Meaninglessness of Human Life - A second major component of Camus's absurdist philosophy is the idea that human life has no redeeming meaning or purpose. Camus argues that the only certain thing in life is the inevitability of death, and, because all humans will eventually meet death, their lives are all equally meaningless. 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. Meursault realizes that, just as he is indifferent to much of the universe, the universe is indifferent to him. Like all people, Meursault has been born, will die, and will have no further importance to the universe. Paradoxically, only after Meursault reaches this seemingly dismal realization is he able to attain happiness.

When he fully comes to terms with the inevitability of death, he understands that it does not matter whether he dies by execution or lives to die a natural death at old age. This understanding enables Meursault to put aside his fantasies of escaping his execution by filing a successful legal appeal. He realizes that these illusory hopes, which had previously preoccupied his mind, would do little more than create in him a false sense that death is avoidable. Meursault sees that his hope for sustained life has been a burden. 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. Decay and Death - The different characters in The Stranger hold widely varying attitudes toward decay and death.

Sal amano loves his decaying, scab-covered dog and he values its companionship, even though most people find it disgusting. Meursault does not show much emotion in response to his mother's death, but the society in which he lives believes that he should be distraught with grief. Additionally, whereas Meursault is content to believe that physical death represents the complete and final end of life, the chaplain holds fast to the idea of an afterlife. An essential part of Meursault's character development in the novel is his coming to terms with his own attitudes about death. At the end of the novel, he has finally embraced the idea that death is the one inevitable fact of human life, and is able to accept the reality of his impending execution without despair. The Courtroom - In the courtroom drama that comprises the second half of The Stranger, the court symbolizes society as a whole.

The law functions as the will of the people, and the jury sits in judgment on behalf of the entire community. In The Stranger, Camus strengthens this court-as-society symbolism by having nearly every one of the minor characters from the first half of the novel reappear as a witness in the courtroom. Also, the court's attempts to construct a logical explanation for Meursault's crime symbolize humanity's attempts to find rational explanations for the irrational events of the universe. These attempts, which Camus believed inevitably futile, exemplify the absurdity Camus outlined in his philosophy.

Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know. I got a telegram from the home: ! SSM other deceased.

Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours. !" That doesn't mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday Spoken by Meursault, the novel's narrator and protagonist, these are the opening lines of the novel.

They introduce Meursault's emotional indifference, one his most important character traits. Meursault does not express any remorse upon learning of his mother's death! The merely reports the fact in a plain and straightforward manner. His chief concern is the precise day of his mother's death!

Xa seemingly trivial detail. Mersault's comment, ! SS That doesn't mean anything, !" has at least two possible meanings. It could be taken as part of his discussion about which day Madame Meursault died.

That is, Meursault could mean that the telegram does not reveal any meaningful information about the date of his mother's death. However, the comment could also be read more broadly, with a significance that perhaps Meursault does not consciously intend. Meursault might be implying that it does not matter that his mother died at all. This possible reading introduces the idea of the meaninglessness of human existence, a theme that resounds through the novel.

She said, ! SS If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church. !" She was right. There was no way out.

As Meursault eventually realizes, the nurse's words describe the human condition: man is born into a life that can only end in death. Death, like the harsh effects of the sun, is unavoidable. This idea is central to Camus's philosophy in The Stranger, which posits death as the one central, inescapable fact of life. A minute later she asked me if I loved her.

I told her it didn't mean anything but that I didn't think so. In this passage from Part One, Chapter 4, Meursault relates an exchange he has with Marie. With characteristic emotional indifference and detachment, Meursault answers Marie's question completely and honestly. Always blunt, he never alters what he says to be tactful or to conform to societal expectations. However, Meursault's honesty reflects his ignorance. His blunt words suggest that he does not understand fully the emotional stakes in Marie's question.

Also, in Meursault's assertion that love! SSdidn't mean anything, !" we see an early form of a central idea Meursault later comes to understand! The meaninglessness of human life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn't dissatisfied with mine here at all This quotation is Meursault's response in Part One, Chapter 5, to his boss's offer of a position in Paris.

Meursault's statement shows his belief in a certain rigidity or inertia to human existence. His comment that! Stone life was as good as another!" maintains that although details may change, one's life remains essentially constant. The comment also implies that each person's life is essentially equal to everyone else's.

At this point in the novel, Meursault offers no explanation for his belief in the equality of human lives. In the novel's final chapter, he identifies death as the force responsible for the constant and unchangeable nature of human life. A comparison of this quotation to Meursault's ideas following his death sentence highlights Meursault's development as a character whose understanding of the human condition deepens as a result of his experiences. As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself! So like a brother, really!

XI felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate These are the last lines of the novel. After his meeting with the chaplain, whose insistence that Meursault turn to God in the wake of his death sentence puts Meursault into a! SS blind rage, !" Meursault fully accepts the absurdist idea that the universe is indifferent to human affairs and that life lacks rational order and meaning. He moves toward this revelation through the course of the novel, but does not fully grasp it until he accepts the impossibility of avoiding his death.

Meursault realizes that the universe's indifference to human affairs echoes his own personal indifference to human affairs, and the similarity evokes a feeling of companionship in him that leads him to label the world! SSa brother. !" As opposed to earlier in the novel, when Meursault was at best passively content, Meursault finds that he is actively happy once he opens himself to the reality of human existence. Meursault finds that he is also happy with his position in society. He does not mind being a loathed criminal. He only wishes for companionship, !

SS to feel less alone. !" He accepts that this companionship will take the form of an angry mob on his execution day. He sees his impending execution as the! SS consummation!" of his new understanding.