Camus’ “The Stranger” is brilliantly as it crafts Camus’s absurdist view of the world. The novel came out in 1942, and tells the story of Meursault’s , an emotionally detached, but amoral young man. Meursault does not believe in God. Camus shows the main character’s callous nature as he does not cry at his mother’s funeral and he kills a man he hardly knows. Due to his crime, the society sees Meursault as a threat to the society, and as such, he faced death. Nevertheless, he comes to understand the simple coldness of the world. He eventually finds peace within himself as he accepts the persecution of the society. Critics note that Camus’s absurdist philosophy suggests that ethical orders have no coherent or natural foundations. But, Camus does not look at the world with moral unconcern, and he embraces the idea of a “higher” meaning which does not lead to despair. In contrast, literary critics note that Camus was an unrelenting humanist whose faith in man’s dignity in the hardship of the world creates leads to his belief in a cold and indifferent universe.
The Stranger is an “existential” novel because of its far-reaching and broad classification that suggests many different things to different people. Philosophically, existentialism represents the idea that there is no “higher” meaning to man’s existence and the universe. In addition, there is no rational array to the various events in the universe. A number of ideas in the novel come close to basic philosophy of existentialism. Consequently, Camus rejects the claim that existentialism exists in the novel. Camus’s philosophical beliefs reverberates throughout the text and one must keep in mind that “The Stranger” is not a philosophical essay but instead it is a novel with some philosophical ideas.
The story begins with Meursault receiving information about his mother's death. He goes to the funeral but shows no sorrow. Instead, he complains about the heat. His lack of remorse continues when he goes on a date with Marie Cardona. She is his former co-worker, but he has a sexual relationship with Marie. The following day, Meursault comes across Raymond Sintes, a suspected pimp. Raymond asks Meursault to write a letter to tempt his mistress return to him so that he can torture her. Raymond wants to do this because he finds out that she is unfaithful in the relationship. Meursault has no qualms about writing the letter and he agrees to do so. Marie questions Meursault about his love for her in the relationship, but he not say how he feels. He responds indifferently to Marie’s question about marriage and tells her that if she wants marriage then he would oblige. The reader sees the cruel side to Meusault when he kills Raymond's mistress's brother for no apparent reason.
Meursault says “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday,” (Camus, p.4). These form the opening of the novel and gives the readers an insight into Meursault’s emotional indifference. The reader sees “that doesn’t mean a thing” from two perspectives. On one hand, his straightforward manner suggests that this is a part of his discussion about when his mother dies as the telegram does not relay any meaningful information concerning the time of her death. That is, Meursault could mean that the telegram does not reveal any meaningful information about the date of his mother’s death. On the other hand, his comments are significant as it implies that Meursault does not care that his mother dies at all. Either way, the opening lines gives the reader the clear picture that of how the events unfolds as Meursault does not care much about his mother’s death.
In the Book two, the reader sees Meursault in jail while he awaits his trial. Meursault is not on trial for the murder, but he is on trial for his values or his lack of remorse at his mother’s death. The courts find Meursault guilty and he faces conviction based on his lack of moral sensitivity. In addition, Meursault faces execution, but while he awaits his execution, he begins to reflect on the fact that his life is meaningless. Meursault concludes that he lives his life as it comes and that he does not fear death. With this awakening, Meursault gets angry and grabs the chaplain when the chaplain asks him to reform to Christianity. Arguably, it is Meursault’s acceptance that the world is irrational that makes his acceptance of death an easy task.
The title of the novel suggests that if one lives a different from what the society embraces, then one becomes a stranger and face punishment from the rest of the society. In essence, the title suggests that Meursault deviates from the norms of the society and becomes a stranger to the society. The fact is that during Meursault's there was no discussion of the murder. Instead, the trial centered on Meursault’s actions and the way he behaves differently from the rest of the society. Camus uses the opportunity to show the readers that individuals who deviate from the acceptable behavior in the society face judgment on their characters and not on their actions. One sees that the society holds fast in their Christian values. The society believed in life after death and a heaven, but Meursault’s atheist’s belief does not allow him to embrace these ideas.
The fact is that the society does not understand Meursault, and as such they treat him like a stranger. The title of the novel also suggests that Meursault a stranger to himself. He does not make personal connections to the number of things that he does, but instead he makes unsympathetic observations. Being a stranger to him, suggests that he is a stranger to life. However, Meursault finally understands the meaning of life because of his impending death which is an existentialist belief that death is the only conviction of life. This understanding allows Meursault to accept his destiny. During the novel, the reader sees a number of characters watching Meursault and vice versa. The motif of watching highlights many aspects of Camus’s philosophy of absurdity. The incessant watching represents humanity’s never-ending search for a purpose in life.
In addition, Book Two shows the values of visible and tangible details of the material world where there is no grander importance. Meursault watches the people from his balcony and absorbs the details of their actions. He does not judge them based on what he sees, yet the people in the courtroom observe Meursault as an integral part of the progression of condemnation and judgment. In the scene in court, the reader learns that Meursault’s prior actions came under scrutiny. The neighbors watch the continued dispute between Raymond and his mistress, and the Arabs observe Raymond and his friends. Clearly, Camus shows that the instances of watching are a reflection of mankind’s never-ending search for meaning, and as such are absurd.
Meursault is the main character and he has a number of vices rather than virtues. His lack of emotion at his mother’s death is a virtue. One of Meursault chief virtue is honesty. He is very honest with Marie and tells her it does not matter if he says he loves her or casually mentions that they get married. Although he could have lied in court, he remains honest, and still the society shuts him down. In the eyes of the society, one of the main vices is that Meurault is an atheist who does not believe in an afterlife. In fact, he formed his beliefs on the philosophy of existentialism in which one controls one’s life. Marie is one an important character. She is the opposite of Meursault, and loves him deeply. Her love becomes clear after Meursault goes to jail for murder. She visits him in jail and supports his every move. Arguably, Marie is a fool because she stays with him even though he does not show her an intense form of love. One could say that Marie is young and her age allows her to feel an attraction to Meursault’s habits and characteristics
Finally, Raymond’s vices lies within his aggressive nature as he beats his mistress. In addition, he gets into a fight with two Arabs. Alan Gullette writes “it is when he is on the beach with Raymond Sintès and M. Masson and they confront two Arabs that Meursault first seems to think about the insignificance of human existence,” Gullette, par.3). Interestingly, “has a gun and it occurs to him that he could shoot or not shoot and that it would come to the same thing,” (Gulette, par.3). The harsh reality is that Meursalt believes that life is not significant, and therefore, one is free to take a life as such actions have no effect on life as a whole.
Raymond has a virtue to Meursault as he tries to help him in court with his testimony. One can say that Raymond Sintes is loyal to Meursault. Camus’ philosophy in the novel is similar to the philosophy of existentialism. This philosophy is responsible for the belief that an individual is responsible for the choices that they make in their lives. In addition, Camus shows that there is no predetermination or any supreme creator who make the ultimate decision morality. One could say that the existential philosophy and the philosophy of the absurd, intertwines to show that human beings embrace an essential remoteness in a meaningless world. In fact, Meursault lives his life on the premise one cannot control everything in one’s environment.
The influential German political economist and philosopher, Karl Marx, believed socialism should replace capitalism. He looks at the capitalists who own and sell workers in the labor force. The fact is that factories that the capitalist creates do not give workers the freedom. Workers come to work and work towards putting products on the assembly line. In addition, Karl Marx generates a number of existentialist beliefs as he suggests that individuals work endlessly even though they face oppression from the society. Marx believes that one way to liberate the society through work if one sees the final product of one’s work. Furthermore, Marx believes that when one becomes a "machine" on the assembly line, one becomes alienated from the workers, self, and the product.
In previous times, workers were free because they were involved in the world of work. These workers lived on the farms and integrated themselves in the complete process of work. In fact, the workers saw the end product. In contrast, those who work in factories cannot focus on their jobs as they become engrossed in the issues associated with low wage, and find little or no time to socialize. Interestingly, these factory workers find no interest in the final production of these goods. Therefore, the reader sees that Marx's philosophy of freedom integrates with existentialism as it emphasizes the idea of society having unlimited responsibilities and total freedom. Similar to Marx, Camus showed that there is a limit to the freedom that individuals enjoy. His main character, Meursault has no freedom and suffers the consequences.
In concluding, Camus novel shows the contrast between Marx views on freedom and Camus’ philosophy on absurdity and freedom. Meursault is not free to live his life on his personal principles as the society dictates that one must follow the conventions of the society. Marx’s philosophy on freedom shows that one cannot be truly free if one does follow through on the various activities in life. In essence, both writers believe in the ultimate hope that mankind becomes free to enjoys life as it unfolds. Meursault aggression mellows in the end as he accepts that life has no rational principles or beliefs. In the end, everyone dies regardless of how one lives life.
Works Cited
Camus, Albert “The Stranger” Translated from the French by Stuart Gilbert. Vintage Books. A
Division of Random House, New York. Viewed at https://archive.org/stream/ost-english-
camusalbert-thestranger/CamusAlbert-TheStranger#page/n15/mode/2up Accessed
November 13, 2014
Gullette, Alan, (!979) “Death and Absurdism in Camus's The Stranger” University of
Tennessee-Knoxville Spring 1979 (March 5, 1979) English 3237: Fiction of the Absurd
November 13, 2014
