Nothing but a Metaphor - 'The Outsider'.
Alyssa Al-Dookhi December 13, 2003 Nothing but a Metaphor "Why are we here?" The trivialities of man's existence and this question in particular have plagued philosophers and laymen alike for centuries. In The Outsider, the author-and existentialist-Albert Camus states his answer to this question and illustrates his belief that there is no meaning to life and that mankind lives only to die. The author's beliefs are most clearly illustrated in his manifestation of the unimportance of acquaintances, the role of institutions in society, and the people in society themselves. Throughout the novel, many characters are introduced and seen through the eyes of the protagonist, Meursault, who is the voice of the author in the book. As one goes through the story, the author clearly distinguishes that acquaintances are of no consequence since life itself is pointless. When the "peculiar little woman" (45) arrives at Celeste's, the main character is fascinated by her "but fairly soon [forgets] about her" (46). Camus shows that even someone who is fascinating is ultimately of no importance and has no significance in an already insignificant life. Even in more prominent characters and the way they are treated or how their questions are answered-such as when Marie asks Meursault if he wants to marry her, the author states in the narrative that "it [does not] mean anything" (44). Meursault
Meursault and the Arab: A Detailed Study of Pages 57-60 of The Outsider
Meursault and the Arab: A Detailed Study of Pages 57-60 of The Outsider Adam Blake D0555006 World Literature Assignment Two Word Count 1188 The last pages of the first part of The Outsider, by Albert Camus, are critical to both the themes and the plot of the book. This is a pivotal moment within the book; all that has occurred before this point culminates during these few pages, and all that comes after is shaped by this moment. This point also serves at a division between Meursault's life as a freeman and his life as a prisoner. To have any meaningful comprehension of the books plot or themes one must understand this passage. Depending on one's interpretation of this passage, we can see Meursault as a victim of circumstance, or as a cold detached killer. By examining this passage and is relation to the rest of the book one obtains a unique insight into the books meaning. Also, a careful examination of this passage suggests that Meursault had no intension to kill the Arab. When one examines this particular passage of the play one begins to see the death of the Arab as a tragic accident. We see from the beginning that Meursault has no real intension of killing the Arab. He in fact says to Raymond "It'd be unfair to shoot just like that," (Camus, pg 57) and proceeds to convince Raymond to confront the Arab unarmed. These do not seem the actions of one who is
"Death" and the Protagonists views on "Death" in "The Outsider" and "Perfume".
"Death" and the Protagonists views on "Death" in "The Outsider" and "Perfume" In The Outsider by Albert Camus, death is a main feature especially with imagery. There are six different deaths referred to in the novel, although three are clearly represented and immediately affect Meursault. They are, the murder of the Arab, the death of Meursault's mother, and finally in the second part of the novel, the death sentence given too Meursault. Using these examples, Camus clearly shows how changeable peoples views and behaviour towards death, and the uncertainty of the reasons for peoples actions and there responses to there actions afterwards. Death enters the novel immediately in the first sentence "Mother died today." This is a short and direct statement which forces the reader to think, and although it is so direct and firm, the following sentence is far more confused, "Or maybe yesterday, I don't know." This confusion clearly interprets Meursaults views on the death as being insignificant to his life, and spreads through to other details surrounding the death of Mrs Meursault, such as the cause, and her precise age, not a vague estimate, "About sixty". Meursault's relationship with mother must have been distant, as there was no show of any kind of emotion during the funeral or the time surrounding. This would be hard to accept in our society as it would be deemed normal
The Stranger.
Jose Acosta October 22, 2003 AP English - Mr. Fidemi The Stranger The Stranger exhibits a society that has confined itself with a specific set of social standards that dictate the manner in which people are supposed to act. This ideology determines the level of morality, and how much emphasis should placed on following this certain "ethical" structure. Albert Camus's main character, Meursault, is depicted as a nonconformist that is unwilling to play society's game. Through Meursault's failure to comply with society's values and conform to the norm, he is rejected and also condemned to death by society. He is tried for the crime of murder, but is not judged solely on his actions during the aforementioned crime. He is judged on his specific actions that society regards as absurd according to its social standards. Meursault's different outlook on life differentiates him from the society around him, and as a result, he is deemed a threat to society's moral standard. He is unwilling to relinquish his philosophy and subsequently is convicted due to his inability to conform as society intends. "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know." Meursault's character is unable to physically express emotion regarding any situation. Even through the first person narrative that Camus employs, the reader is unable to get a grasp as to Meursault's personal feelings regarding certain
A Comparison of the Narrative Structure of ‘The Outsider’ (Camus) and ‘Metamorphosis’ (Kafka)
A Comparison of the Narrative Structure of 'The Outsider' (Camus) and 'Metamorphosis' (Kafka) Narrative structure is an important element in every book written, it contributes to both layers of meaning and the readability of the book. Through this essay I will explore the narrative structure of Metamorphosis and The Outsider and the layers of meaning that it adds to these two books. The Outsider is carefully and formally organised. The two main parts of the novel are of equal length. Death is a central motif; at the beginning there is the mother's death, in the centre that of the Arab and at the end Meursault himself is awaiting execution. Each of these deaths affects Meursault in a different way. Although the first is the death of his own mother he appears to show no emotion and to have no experience of how to show emotion. At the second death, the murder of the Arab, he also shows very little emotion, he believes the case to be 'very simple' and he has to remind himself continuously that he is a murderer, 'On my way out I was even going to shake his hand, but I remembered just in time that I'd killed a man.' At the end his own impending death causes him to feel and show emotion, then accept the inevitable, death. After the novel is finished Camus has included an Afterward, which ensures that the reader understands his view of Meursault and the message of the book The
The Stranger.
The Stranger Derek Goff English 24104 Mr. Venza 14 April 2000 Meursault as "The Stranger" The way a person reacts to ordinary situations determines the opinions of others based on their behavior. Yet, when this behavior is abnormal or different from the rest of society, it causes society to form an opinion based totally on a person´s behavior not their true personality. In Meursault´s case, his strange opinions and unexpected remarks put him in this position, without ever really giving him an opportunity to be truly understood. However, Meursault cannot change his actions and behaviors from the past, therefore making him responsible in the society he freely chooses to live in. Meursault´s complete indifference to society and human relationships causes him to appear as the actual "stranger" with those he encounters, which eventually leads to his incarceration and inevitable date with the guillotine. Meursault is definitely a man who is set in his ways. He has his own opinions and outlooks on life and because of that fact he is constantly reminded of his inadequacies within society. His refusal to look at his mother one last time after she had passed away seemed pointless to Meursault at the time, where as the funeral director viewed this as extremely odd: "We put the cover on, but I´m supposed to unscrew the casket so you can see her." He was moving toward the casket when
The Stranger by Albert Camus
To: Mrs. Hesse From: Audrey Attardo Date: 11 February 2002 The Stranger by Albert Camus Word Count: 557 . Synopsis: Meursault, Marie, Raymond got ready to do down to the beach. Raymond tells Meursault that a group of Arabs is stalking him, one of which is his mistress's brother. They got on the bus and headed for the beach. When they get there, Raymond takes them to meet his friend Masson and shows them his beach house. Marie, Meursault, and Masson decide to go for a swim. They got hungry and went in for lunch. After lunch, Meursault, Raymond, and Masson went for a walk on the beach. While walking they see the same group of Arabs. Being provoked by one of the men, Raymond began fighting. The Arabs eventually run off and Raymond is badly cut. Later that day, they go for another walk, see the Arabs, but don't start anything with them. Then while going back to the bungalow, Meursault sees "Raymond's man" and, with Raymond's gun, shoots and kills him. Meursault is arrested then questioned by an attorney. Afterwards, he is taken before the examining magistrate where he is investigated on how and why he did what he did along with his religious beliefs. 2. Figurative Language: There is an instance in chapter six, in which Camus uses a series of metaphors to depict the situation. It begins with a simile. Meursault states, "The light shot off the steel and it was