The Stranger by Albert Camus introduces a character that is indifferent in any kind of situation and does not show any reaction to what happens in the world around him. Camus presents philosophical views through Meursault, however Meursault never talks ab

International Baccalaureate World Literature

Irrationality of Thoughts

Many European philosophers contributed to the philosophical movement during the 20th century. Their ideas have shaped the lives of thousands of people. Existentialism and Atheism were two of the most important. The Stranger by Albert Camus introduces a character that is indifferent in any kind of situation and does not show any reaction to what happens in the world around him. Camus presents philosophical views through Meursault, however Meursault never talks about any specific philosophical ideas and acts in the way he wishes to. In The Stranger Camus represents the irrational worldview of the main character, Meursault, his existentialist and atheist philosophy, and philosophy of the absurd.

The story of Meursault starts when he receives a telegram from the director of the old people’s home in which his mother died. Abnormally, he does not show sadness and does not cry. Instead he says, “That doesn’t mean anything” (Camus 3). This is an introduction to Meursault’s indifferent personality and how meaningless the human existence is. On his way to Marengo, where the old people’s home is located, Meursault spends the whole trip sleeping. After his mother’s funeral he gets back to Algiers; and the next day he goes to a public beach to swim, where he runs into Maria Cardona, his co-worker. He spends his time with Marie and the two spend the night together. Meursault does not see his mother’s death as part of a larger structure of human existence, so he feels free to make any date, have sexual intercourse the day after his mother’s funeral. Another example for indifference of Meursault is, when Marie asks Meursault if he loves her. He answers her question quite honestly, “I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so” (Camus 35). Moreover, when Marie asks Meursault if he wants to marry her, but his response, again, does not please Marie, “I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to” (Camus 41). Meursault does not care whether or not he and Marie marry. He does not think about what marriage with someone will be like. He lives the moment, in which he finds himself, and he does not think about what have occurred in the past, and what will be the consequences. He is just indifferent.

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The introductory paragraph gives some background about the twentieth century philosophical movements and important ideas of this period. Existentialism states that, “the humans exist first and then each individual spends his whole life changing his nature; and meaning of life through free will’s choice (Philosophical Matrix). Meursault realizes how similar the universe is to his own personality before the climax of the book occurs. Meursault starts to understand that not only does he not care what happens, but that the world does not care either (SparkNotes Editors). Meursault reflects on the moment when Raymond gave him the gun, Meursault says, “It was then that I realized you could either shoot or not shoot” (Camus 56). He means that there is no difference between the two. His free choice will mirror his life when he shoots the Arab. Meursault was thrown in a jail for killing the Arab. The examining magistrate asks whether or not he Meursault believes in God. He responds, with an atheistic manner, “I said no” (Camus 69). It is easy to understand from the context however Atheism is basically, “Believing in no God and not using God to explain the existence of the universe” (Philosophical Matrix). Meursault’s atheism challenges the magistrate’s belief – the belief that gives his life meaning, the belief that a rational universe is controlled by God. The magistrate relates him to the devil and sets a nickname for Meursault: “Monsieur Antichrist” (Camus 71).

Albert Camus’s philosophy of absurd indicates that the world and human existence do not have rational purpose or meaning. According to his philosophy, Meursault’s indifferent personality represents this philosophy as an example of someone who does not need a rational world view to function (SparkNotes Editors). In The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus the absurd characteristics are outlined as well. In The Myth of Sisyphus Camus claims that “there is a fundamental conflict between what we want from universe and what we find in the universe” (SparkNotes Editors). The book ends with a discussion of the myth of Sisyphus, who is punished to roll a rock up to the top of a mountain, however he never succeeds (The Myth of Sisyphus). There is no hope for the success. Camus comments, “Sisyphus can only find the happiness by admitting that there is nothing more to life than this absurd struggle” (SparkNotes Editors). The book’s end is particularly close to the end of The Stranger. Meursault opens himself to the reality of human existence and that way he feels he is happy.

And I felt ready to live it all again too. 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 – I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again (122, 123 Camus).

Meursault has indifferent personality, he is an atheist, and he is a great example of philosophy of absurdity. In The Stranger Albert Camus illustrates his absurdist world view through the main character, Meursault, as well as his inspirations from various twentieth century philosophers. Meursault is a good tool for Albert Camus to highlight the purposelessness and meaninglessness of human existence.

Word count: 937

Works Cited

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Stranger.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.
Camus, Albert. The Stranger. First Vintage International ed. New York: Random House, 1989. Print.
"The Myth of Sisyphus." The Literary Link: Home Page of Janice E. Patten. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. <http://theliterarylink.com/sisyphus.html>.