Author Bio/Link to Lit and Topic:
Albert Camus was born on the 7th of November 1913 in Drean (Mondori) in French Algeria to a settler family. His mother was of Spanish descent, and his father died in the Battle of the Marne in 1914 during the first world war. Camus and his mother lived in the slums during his childhood. In 1923, Camus was accepted into the Lycee and then later on into the University of Algiers. While in school, he contracted tuberculosis and was forced to become a part time student due to his illness. After getting an M.A., he became heavily political associating himself with the French Communist Party where he fought for equal rights between Europeans and the indigenous people. Later on he became associated with the French anarchist movement, where he supported the uprising of 1953 in East Germany. His life experiences helped him develop his literary skills which allowed him to make a significant contribution to philosophy which was the notion of the absurdity of the universe, which is related to existentialism. The absurd refers to the classh between the human tendency to seek some fundamental meaning in the universe and human impossibility of finding that meaning. The main idea of Camus' existentialism is that because there is no meaning to life, one ought to create meaning for themselves.
All of Camus' books have at least some absurdism in it. He also wrote essays defining what exactly absurdism is. In his essay, "The Rebel," he reveals that his whole life is devoted to opposing the philosophy of nihilism while still reaching further into individual freedom. His beliefs had a major impact on his morality and religion. As for most part he was an atheist, but later realized that the absence of religion can be accompanied by a longing for "salvation and meaning." This notion created a paradox, which became a major thread in defining Camus' idea of absurdism.
Albert Camus was born on the 7th of November 1913 in Drean (Mondori) in French Algeria to a settler family. His mother was of Spanish descent, and his father died in the Battle of the Marne in 1914 during the first world war. Camus and his mother lived in the slums during his childhood. In 1923, Camus was accepted into the Lycee and then later on into the University of Algiers. While in school, he contracted tuberculosis and was forced to become a part time student due to his illness. After getting an M.A., he became heavily political associating himself with the French Communist Party where he fought for equal rights between Europeans and the indigenous people. Later on he became associated with the French anarchist movement, where he supported the uprising of 1953 in East Germany. His life experiences helped him develop his literary skills which allowed him to make a significant contribution to philosophy which was the notion of the absurdity of the universe, which is related to existentialism. The absurd refers to the classh between the human tendency to seek some fundamental meaning in the universe and human impossibility of finding that meaning. The main idea of Camus' existentialism is that because there is no meaning to life, one ought to create meaning for themselves.
All of Camus' books have at least some absurdism in it. He also wrote essays defining what exactly absurdism is. In his essay, "The Rebel," he reveals that his whole life is devoted to opposing the philosophy of nihilism while still reaching further into individual freedom. His beliefs had a major impact on his morality and religion. As for most part he was an atheist, but later realized that the absence of religion can be accompanied by a longing for "salvation and meaning." This notion created a paradox, which became a major thread in defining Camus' idea of absurdism.
Plot Summary:
The story is about a man named Mersault who kills an Arab for almost no reason at all. Throughout the story, Mersault seems emotionless and detached from the rest of society. He always sees the logical conclusion before anyone else and barely explains his actions to anyone. Mersault makes friends through coincidental meetings who don't seem to mind his indifferences to them. He gets engaged to a coworker named Marie who cares for him and loves him but Mersault just gets engaged just because she asked him. In the end when Mersault is sentenced to death, he does not feel fear but hope that he is going away from a society that cares so much about meaningless life.
Character Analysis:
Meursault, the protagonist of The Stranger, simply can't conform to the system. His inherent honesty disturbs society and his simple inability to tell even a white lie stops him from being accepted into society. The punishment for his crime was then decided not on the basis of murder but, instead, because of his indifference to his mother's death, therefore making him a social exile.
As for Meursault's morality it is undefined, he is completely amoral--being completely indifferent between writing a hate letter to Raymond's mistress and doing something good. For Meursault, it did not register whether he did something or something bad.
As for religion, his character is presented as an atheist and other than that makes a few assumption about the nature of the world. After a conflicting spiritual discussion with a pastor telling Meursault to consider a path to redemption, and still refuses to "accept" salvation. Instead he embraces the "gentle indifference of the world" as an act which only furthers alienates him from society which could not accept his moral behavior.
As for Meursault's morality it is undefined, he is completely amoral--being completely indifferent between writing a hate letter to Raymond's mistress and doing something good. For Meursault, it did not register whether he did something or something bad.
As for religion, his character is presented as an atheist and other than that makes a few assumption about the nature of the world. After a conflicting spiritual discussion with a pastor telling Meursault to consider a path to redemption, and still refuses to "accept" salvation. Instead he embraces the "gentle indifference of the world" as an act which only furthers alienates him from society which could not accept his moral behavior.
Analysis of Elements that Relate to Topic:
Meursault recognizes that morals exist but doesnt really believe in religion. For Meursault, life is about self satisfaction and self pleasure. Meursault challenges society’s accepted moral standards, which dictate that one should grieve over death. Because Meursault does not grieve, society sees him as an outsider and even a monster. Meursault is neither moral nor immoral. He's actually amoral, he does not decide what is good or bad.
Meursault recognizes that morals exist but doesnt really believe in religion. For Meursault, life is about self satisfaction and self pleasure. Meursault challenges society’s accepted moral standards, which dictate that one should grieve over death. Because Meursault does not grieve, society sees him as an outsider and even a monster. Meursault is neither moral nor immoral. He's actually amoral, he does not decide what is good or bad.
