The idea of existentialism is used throughout the literary work The Stranger by Albert Camus to expose the true self and cold nature of human beings, contrary of Camus’ original writing style of absurdism to show Mersault’s realization of the meaningless of human life.
Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes a number of points, such as the freedom to choose and the choices and individual makes should be made without the consent of another person or standard. Existentialists accept the perils and consequences of their choices and actions then keep their commitment to wherever it leads. A commonly used situation that appears often in existentialist writing is death. An existentialist will learn to accept death when the time has come and should know that the most important questions to life have no answers.
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Throughout The Stranger examples of existentialism can be further analyzed to expose the true self and cold nature of human beings. During the second beach fight when Meursault shoots the Arab with Raymond’s gun one of the Arabs draws his knife and holds it up to Meursault, Meursault isn’t bothered by the Arab’s threatening action, it was the light from the sun that reflected into his eyes along with the intense heat that was bothering him “The scorching blade slashed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes.” (Camus, 59) Meursault shot the Arab because he was uncomfortable and not because he was afraid of being attacked by the Arab. In any case Meursault decided to shoot him. After the incident Meursault is sent to jail for murder. “Then he wanted to know if I had hired an attorney (the magistrate). I admitted I hadn’t and inquired whether it was really necessary to have one.” (Camus, 63) Meursault didn’t understand why he would need an attorney for his case because it was simple to him, he had murdered a man and was now ready to pay his action. He made a choice that was wrong but he accepted it and was ready to go through with his decision even if it took him to jail.
In the beginning of part two Meursault expresses his true feelings for Maman’s death, those of hate and dislike. “I probably did love Maman, but that didn’t mean anything. At one time or another all normal people have wished their loved ones were dead.” (Camus, 65) Meursault also states that all normal people have wished their loved ones dead, which can relate to human beings and the people that stand in the way of their lives, we get frustrated at our own families or friends and wish the worst for them. “I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings,” (Camus, 65) Meursault shows this characteristic throughout part one of the book, during Maman’s burial he was very tired and kept falling asleep and was only aware was Maman’s death and the people that were in the same room as him.
Perhaps the most important example of existentialism in the book is presented at the end of the novel when Meursault is sentenced to death, he faced it as an existentialist would have. When the time came for Meursault had accepted his death. “I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again.” (Camus, 123) There was no difference between life and death, everything was the same to him such as when Marie asked if he would marry her and he said “I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to” (Camus, 41) Meursault would not care what happened in the end. For the first time in the entire novel he realized what his mother felt before she died, “So close to death , Maman must have felt free then ready to live it all again” (Camus, 122) throughout the entire book his mother’s death had absolutely no meaning to him at all but now when he is put in the same situation, facing death, he finally realized what it must have been like for her. “I felt as I understood why at the end of her life she had taken a ‘fiancé.’ ” (Camus, 122)
All of these examples demonstrate that The Stranger could be a novel with the theme of existentialism but Albert Camus was an absurdist writer and the novel’s intended theme was the philosophy of the absurd. The absurd refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any, absurd does not mean “logically impossible,” but rather “humanly impossible.” (Kierkegaard, 19) Most of the Absurdist content of the novel comes near the end, where Meursault sits in his cell awaiting his execution, and gets in heated debate with the prison chaplain who tries to convert him to Christianity. “I explained to him that I wasn’t desperate. I was just afraid, which was only natural.” (Camus, 116) Meursault rejects the chaplain’s offer telling him that he has no interest in God. He wants to live with the certainties of this life, even if his only certainty is the death that awaits him “But if I don’t die today, you’ll die tomorrow, or the next day.” (Camus, 117)
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Meursault is an absurd hero figuratively and literally. Figuratively he is condemned to death and awaiting execution, is a metaphor for the human condition. On a literal level, he exemplifies the absurd characteristics of revolt, freedom, and passion outlined by Camus in “The Myth of Sisyphus.” Meursault prefers to be different than the rest of the world, and demonstrates his freedom by doing what feels appropriate to him at any given moment. This includes, smoking, falling asleep during the vigil of his dead mother and going to the beach the next day.
Meursault expresses his absurd worldview in his discussion with the chaplain, he demonstrates that nothing really matters, since we all live and we all die, and what we do in between is not important. After the chaplain leaves, Meursault has a small revelation “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.” (Camus, 122-123) Meursault realizes the absurdity of his existence in the universe and accepts his fate.
In conclusion Meursault portrays many existentialist characteristics and actions throughout the literary work and it can be inferred that The Stranger was an existentialist novel when his writing style was one of an Absurdist. Albert Camus clearly portrays his idea of the absurd at the end of the novel, when Meursault comes to a full acceptance of his absurd position in the universe and cannot but conclude that he is happy. Meursault accepts his own death and the indifference of the world to his death.
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