Existentialism and Nature.
Ian Clubb Yr. 12 Existentialism and Nature 'The Outsider' or 'L'Etranger' was written by the French author Albert Camus and was published in 1942. Albert Camus lived in Algeria, where the location of his story is set. Camus believed in existentialism, a belief that life had no meaning and there was no existence of an afterlife. The protagonist in the Outsider is Meursault, who Camus uses to portray existentialist beliefs. Meursault was a working class man living in Algeria. During that period racial and religious discrimination was a common occurrence. Meursault eventually kills an Arab man during his vacation by the beach, not a particularly heinous crime at that time if you are white and a Christian. However, Meursault gives his motive for the murder as the power of the sun. His attorney and the police offer him a chance to get away with the crime by manipulating the truth and repenting his acts. Being an existentialist and with strong individual moral beliefs he chooses not to repent or lie and takes the full punishment. Throughout the book Meursault responds to nature as if he himself is part of it. At crucial moments in the novel, such as the murder of the Arab, natural imagery is used to reinforce Meursault's personality. (quote) The Outsider begins with the death of Meursault's mother; this is the first sign that Meursault does not fit into society, as an
Alternate Trial Verdict: Society's Hostility, Irrationality, and Fathomlessness in Albert Camus's The Stranger
Alternate Trial Verdict: Society's Hostility, Irrationality, and Fathomlessness in Albert Camus's The Stranger Statement of Intent Albert Camus's The Stranger presents an Existentialist point of view of life through its protagonist, Meursault. From the start, his indifference towards life is established via his reaction to the news of his mother's death. While visiting the retirement home, it is made apparent that his physical condition overpowers his emotional state. Later, in jail, he explains to his lawyer that his "physical needs often got in the way of [his] feelings" (p. 65). This is clearly shown when he is at his mother's vigil, in which he is too weary to do much else except sit and eventually fall asleep. Not only that, but he never once feels or shows grief for his deceased mother. It is for this that society sentences him to death at the trial, not the fact that he has murdered an Arab. I shall write a pastiche that takes place during the defending lawyer's speech, revealing how Meursault's sentencing could have differed. This allows me to explore Meursault's character and style and some of the central themes in the novel. Since The Stranger is written from Meursault's perspective, this pastiche will imitate his generally indifferent style and, as a result, grants me the opportunity to explore his language. His vocabulary is reminiscent of the vocabulary used in
The Language of Prosecution in Albert Camus's 'The Outsider'
World Literature Essay 2 The Language of Prosecution in Albert Camus's 'The Outsider' Meursault is brought to the Algerian court a murderer. The public prosecutor and his own defense lawyer, who has been appointed to him by the state of Algeria, are brought in front of a public jury and three judges to determine whether Meursault shall be convicted of this crime with or without mitigating circumstances. When the prosecution is able to convince the jury that the murder was premeditated, Meursault is sentenced to a public decapitation. This sentence is largely due to the incompetence of Meursault's own defense lawyer as well as the cunning use of language and subtle comprehension of public sentiment which faces Meursault in the form of the court's public prosecutor. This essay will attempt to examine the prosecution's effective use and understanding of the language of the Algerian courtroom. This essay will also explore the impact of this use of language on Camus's message and protagonist. The defense and prosecution attempt to use an intricacy of courtroom babble in the cross-examination of their witnesses. The first witnesses subject to this are Thomas Perez, the warden and the caretaker from Meursault's mother's home for seniors. These men can only base their accounts on the one day they encountered Meursault, the day of his mother's funeral. These witnesses, called by
A Comparison Between the Coping Mechanisms and Realisations Made While in Prison by Alba in House of the Spirits and Meursault in The Outsider
Barbara Schmidt IB1 Supervisor: Dr. Kerry Vincent Developed Piece A Comparison Between the Coping Mechanisms and Realisations Made While in Prison by Alba in House of the Spirits and Meursault in The Outsider Alba in The House of the Spirits and Meursault in The Outsider display several survival strategies that are contrasting, yet there are some undeniable similarities worth noting. They come to contrasting realisations on the ultimate meaning of life, as Alba takes the decision to fight at all costs to preserve her life, while Meursault makes the opposite choice in taking a despondent attitude towards life and a fatalistic one towards death. Another contrast is that Alba's life has a definite cyclical nature, whereas Meursault's follows a typically existentialist linear form. Also, Meursault's acceptance of his guilt and his inability to form emotional bonds with people contributes to his resignation towards life, whereas Alba's knowledge of her innocence and her compassion towards others fuels her fight for life and her optimism. But both characters experience, to some extent, an alteration in personality as a result of their incarceration. As well, both characters occupy their minds with listing things and writing on imaginary paper in order to escape the horror of their ordeals. Alba and Meursault both emerge from their incarceration with new realisations on
The Outsider
The Outsider "A world that can be explained even with bad reason is a familiar world. But, on the other hand, in a universe suddenly divested of illusions and light, man feels alien, a stranger [...]This divorce between man and his life, the actor and his setting, is properly the feeling of absurdity." (Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus) Along with the birth of mankind came religion, and with religion came the tendency to invest life with meaning and a sense of order. Since life in it self has close to no impact on the world, people feel the need to give their life a meaning or a purpose, and believe all happens for a reason. Meursault is truly an outsider since he doesn't feel a need to do this. From the very start of the novel we understand that Meursault isn't like others. The way he responds to the death of his mother is by the world questioned, and suggests that Meuraults views on life are quite different from the rest of the world. When confronted by Salamoano on how the local people "thought badly" (p. 48) of him for sending his "mother to a home" (p. 48), and may have believed that it was a result of Meursault not loving his mother. Meursault was shocked and said he "hadn't realized" (p. 48) that people had thought badly of him for doing as he did, it was the natural thing for him to do. Even though he does care for and love his mother in the sense the other people in the
This is the commentary on the book "The Outsider" written by Albert Camus. I decided to set up my commentary writing about: characters, theme, style, time & place and symbolism
This is the commentary on the book "The Outsider" written by Albert Camus. I decided to set up my commentary writing about: characters, theme, style, time & place and symbolism. The Outsider is a story about a man called Monsieur Meursault, who lives his life in total simplicity and simple enjoyment, but whom society eventually roots out, humiliates and crushes. He lives for the truth. The novel is divided into two parts. In part one his mother dies and he has to go to the funeral. He does not about his mother, so he does not mourn his mother at all. Next day he meets a woman called Marie, with whom he used to work with and they start dating. Meursault invites her out, they go to the cinema and afterwards they sleep together. Later Meursault helps his neighbour Raymond to write a letter to his girlfriend, which leads to the culmination of the book. Raymond and Meursault are now friends and they go to a party where they meet Raymond's girlfriend's brother and the Arab, a fight breaks out and the brother attacks Raymond. Meursault goes back to the beach and kills the Arab. Part two is about his trial for murder. The prosecutor is very cruel and Meursault is to be guillotined. At the end he argues with prison chaplain about God and religion. Finally, Meursault finds peace and he thinks perhaps after death his existence may be less absurd; he may be more closely aligned with the
English World Literature Essay
English World Literature Essay: The Outsider and The Metamorphosis Comparisons between the relationships that the protagonists had with their parents and how these defined their characters. In the novels, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and The Outsider by Albert Camus, there are many important relationships that help define the protagonists. The protagonist in The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa, and the protagonist from The Outsider, Meursault, both had significant relationships with people that helped develop and define their character, the most important of these being their relationships with their parents. I will compare the two protagonists in their relationships with their parents and explain how these relations define aspects of their character. Firstly, in the novel, the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Gregor Samsa is a travelling salesman who hates his job but is forced to keep it in order to support his family and pay off his father's debts. Gregor has only one sister, so their family is quite small. Immediately at the beginning of the book, Gregor is transformed into a giant insect. He never comes to terms with his metamorphosis and struggles with intense feelings of guilt as if his inability to support his family were his own fault. Though he is now free from having to go to work, Gregor is now a liability to his family who keep him locked up in his room. Isolated
The main character's relationship with others in Albert Camus 'The Outsider' and Franz Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis'.
English IB Ranjit Amar March 2003 Grade 11 The main character's relationship with others in Albert Camus 'The Outsider' and Franz Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' Franz Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' and Albert Camus 'The Outsider' are two novels which present different views of the main protagonist's relationships with others. Kafka mainly focuses on the relationships that exist within a family whereas Camus focuses on relationships that exist in the broader society. In Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' Gregor Samsa, the main protagonist was the primary bread winner in the Samsa household. He was a traveling salesman who was taking care of the family's debt. Gregor was respected and valued in his family; he did not have an active social life because of his work. His only companions were his mother, sister and father; if at all Gregor had any social relationship it was with his family. The day Gregor metamorphosized, his social relationships with his family changed dramatically; he was no longer respected in his family because of his monstrous physical appearance and his inability to work. The metamorphosis of Gregor may be seen as the point at which his relationships began to break up. In 'The Outsider', Meursault, the main protagonist, is a man for the moment and doesn't think about his future. When Meursault loses his mother in the
The Portrayal of Society in The Sound of Waves and The Outsider
World Literature Paper One The Portrayal of Society in The Sound of Waves and The Outsider Miyuru Fernando June 16, 2002 Word Count: 1,230 The Portrayal of Society in The Sound of Waves and The Outsider Society often plays a major role in many novels, and can be portrayed in a variety of ways. In The Sound of Waves and The Outsider, two opposing views on society are displayed. These books show how one person's moral actions can be regarded as highly acceptable by society, while another person's still moral actions can result in rejection and loathing. In The Sound of Waves, Mishima illustrates the norm: society is acceptant of moral individuals. Using Shinji as an example, it is apparent that Shinji has been accepted by society when he earns the right to marry Hatsue, thanks to his show of honour, purity, and courage. Compared to the other young men, Shinji is an exceptional fisherman. At the plot's climax, Shinji's morality becomes glaringly apparent since it is to be blamed for his right to marry Hatsue. Over the course of the plot, Shinji always displays the utmost honour, always deserving of what he earns. Shinji works hard on the fishing boat, and pays his respect for the lighthouse keeper by dropping by with fish every now and then. He earns a decent living, and nothing more. Another example of his honour would be when he lies to Yasuo about not having a
Franz Kafka and Albert Camus were two writers whose work flourished as part of the existential movement.
Eileen Carey March 27, 2003 Franz Kafka and Albert Camus were two writers whose work flourished as part of the existential movement. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in a hostile or indifferent universe. It regards human existence as unexplainable, and stresses freedom of choice and responsibility for the consequences of one's acts. Kafka's literary piece, entitled The Metamorphosis, is the story of a man's transformation into a bug in Prague at the beginning of the 20th century. Camus novel, The Stranger , depicts the life of an aloof human being in Africa during the 1940s. Solitude is the act of distancing oneself from his or her surroundings. Both Gregor, the protagonist in The Metamorphosis, and Meursault, the protagonist in The Stranger, demonstrate their own form of seclusion from society. In The Metamorphosis, the theme of isolation is manifested through the life of Gregor, the protagonist, who becomes a bug. Even before his metamorphosis, Gregor lives a transient life staying for short periods in hotels during many nights due to his work life. While at home, Gregor locks the doors in his room, a habit he claimed to have picked up from staying at so many hotels. Gregor's behavior of locking his bedroom door symbolizes how he isolates himself even from his own family. After