Alyssa Stefanie Peter
11JLa
English Higher Level
The Outsider
To what extent is Meursault a representation of Camus’ TOK?
Existentialism
“Existentialism is a philosophical movement which posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives, as opposed to it being created for them by deities or authorities or defined for them by philosophical or theological doctrines” quote from Wikipedia.
In the Outsider, the issue of someone trying to break free from conformity and rule and staying true to himself is addressed. Camus uses many events in the book to convey his philosphy: his mother’s death, the killing, the trial and hs interactions with people around him. For existentialism, he uses Meursault’s mother’s death. Meursault shows “no compassion or grieve” at his mother’s funeral. He does not follow social norms like, “mourning for a long time after a death of a close one, showing remorse at the funeral”.
He creates his own meaning and essence of his life by doing anything he pleases and not doing something just because the law or society says so. This has led him to being discriminated and excluded from society, thus the title “The Outsider”. Through the idea of existentialism, Camus engages the reader in thought provoking questions about the purpose of life and if one should follow what society does to lead a meaningful life.
Camus’ own theory includes certain methods and ideals of science which are deemed unattainable from the existentialists point of view. Camus says that sensation, perception and construction are sources of knowledge. This can be clearly seen in The Outsider where much of the paragraphs are made up of decriptions, imagery and vivid colours, “blue and white sky overhead, sticky black tar, dull black clothes, room bathed in beautiflu late afternoon sun”. Camus also believes the human consciousness is passive and can only record facts, not idea. This can be seen throughout the whole book leading up to the shooting which is written in first person, and Meursault describes everything that happens to him in a very detailed way but without any reference to any of his emotions and using past present tense, “Mother died today.” This aspect forces the reader to try and put meaning into Meursault’s actions, yet at the same time creating an unsettling effect which is further increased by the recurring topic of death.
At the trial, Meursault agrees to take full responsibilty for his actions and to die for the truth. He is asked to tell the court that he regrets his actions, but says instead that he feels more annoyance with what he did than true regret, and, as Camus says, “it is this nuance that condemns him”. He refuses stick to society’s strict rules and commands and participate in events that occur cause he to be deemed by society as an “outsider” and “existentialist”. However, at the end, Meursault starts showing emotions and recognizes his feelings for Marie, his girlfriend, “I have looked for a face in them. But that face was the colour of the sun and burning with desire: it was Marie's face.” This makes him an existentialist as he creates his own meaning and joy in life.
