...A Happy Death “When I look at my life and its secret colors, I feel like bursting into tears. Like that sky. It’s rain and sun both, noon and midnight. You know, Zagreus, I think of the lips I’ve kissed, and of the wretched child I was, and of the madness of life and the ambition that sometimes carries me away. I’m all those things at once. I’m sure there are times when you wouldn’t even recognize me. Extreme in misery, excessive in happiness—I can’t say it.” “Believe me, there is no such thing as great suffering, great regret, great memory…Everything is forgotten, even a great love. That’s what’s sad about life, and also what’s wonderful about it. There’s only a way of looking at things, a way that comes to you every once in a while. That’s why it’s good to have had love in your life after all, to have had an unhappy passion – it gives you an alibi for the vague despairs we all suffer from.’ After a pause, he added: ‘I don’t know if you understand what I mean.’” “You make the mistake of thinking you have to choose, that you have to do what you want, that there are conditions for happiness. What matters – all that matters, really – is the will to happiness, a kind of enormous, ever-present consciousness. The rest – women, art, success – is nothing but excuses. A canvas waiting for our embroideries.” Is it possible to die a happy death? This is the central question of Camus's astonishing early novel, published posthumously and greeted as a major literary event. it tells the...
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...THE STRANGER PART I CHAPTER 1: REACTION TO TONE AND OPENNING BY CAMUS The opening to Camus’ The Stranger, has, ever since the novel’s publication, been a recurring aspect and reference in existential literature. The novel opens to the death of the protagonist, Meursault’s, mother. Her death plays a major role which recurs through the plot, but in the essence of the opening to The Stranger, it already introduces readers to the indifference of the protagonist and the initial tone at which the story is told. From the first paragraph, Camus lets the reader already establish an initial tone; through which he establishes thru many ways. Primarily in the texts structural level, Camus established the tone with the use of short, declarative sentences with no emotion. The narration is done in a matter of fact way creating the detached tone which resonates throughout the whole chapter. The detached tone allows no medium for which emotion is to pass. No matter the event the text maintains this structure of declarative, short clauses bearing no emotion- thus adhering to the tone of detachment. Secondly, Camus also uses digression as a method of establishing the detached tone. Digression serves as a method for Meursault to go to his own world: one he could call his own, with his own norms and beliefs. The motif which recurs as a medium for Meursault’s digression is the weather. This is witnessed initially in the bus trip as he dozes off from glaring at the sky (Pg4). This occurs just pages...
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...Major Themes and Symbols by Scott Charles This chapter is a free excerpt from Quicklet on Albert Camus' The Stranger. * * There are five main themes in The Stranger: 1. Alienation. Camus establishes Meursault as an outsider early on in the narrative. The first few pages of the book show Meursault at his mother’s funeral. Meursault watches people and events with no particular connection -- he is distant, feels out of place, feels nervous as he thinks people are staring at him. He does not exhibit any particular sadness at his mother’s death. As the story develops we notice how he comprehends facts but not feelings. He spends more time fixated on trivial physical characteristics than he does on emotional content. He is polite, and passive, but lacks empathy. He is like this throughout the narrative; his character doesn’t really evolve. 2. Time and circumstance. Camus uses some subtle literary tricks to get the reader to imagine that random events strung together are fateful. Meursault’s mother dies, he sees a movie with his girlfriend, he’s walking up a flight of stairs and a neighbor invites him to dinner, a man’s dog goes missing. In between unrelated events like these Camus weaves a simple story about a man who makes the fatal mistake of getting involved with a small-time gangster and ends up murdering someone almost by accident. Camus’ narrative brings the random events full circle as Meursault is convicted for being cold-hearted. In other...
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...continuously a boulder up a hill, only for it to inevitably fall right back down every single time he reaches the top. While these two scenarios may seem to be completely unrelated, they are in fact only separated by one distinct difference: consciousness towards their situation. In “The Myth of Sisyphus”, Albert Camus asks us the fundamental question of whether or not life is worth living once man discovers that life is absurd. Camus defines absurdity as a futile search for the meaning of our existence. It seems to me, that there are only two ways of handling life once one has come to the realization that life is absurd: We can act like the man stuck in a monotonous daily routine, believing that there is no reason for living, bringing him one step closer to suicide, or we can act like Sisyphus, a man Camus describes as an absurd hero, a man who despite being condemned to an absurd task, redeems himself by making the choice to revolt rather than kill himself. (http://thecynicalgirl.com/the-myth-of-sisyphus/ ). I believe that to survive in this absurd and meaningless world, one must act like Sisyphus, one must own their fate, stay determined, and never ask the question of “why?” Camus states in the “Myth of Sisyphus” that he is intrigued by Sisyphus’ ability to continue with his absurd task. He says, “It is during that return, that pause, that Sisyphus interests me. A face that toils so close to stones is already stone itself! I see that man going back down with a heavy yet measured...
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...approach to life. Paragraph How the characteristics of hard-boiled fiction relate to The Stranger by Albert Camus can be seen easily throughout the entire story. Knowing that this form of writing was widely popular during that time period where dark fiction promoted readers to dive into a world where conventional attitudes and ways of life were being contradicted. This novel achieves the contradictions of a hard-boiled fictional piece and targets masculinity making it play a large role in the reasoning behind events. Firstly the male centeredness along with the hostile and violent environment typical of hard-boiled fiction is portrayed in The Stranger using the characters of Raymond and Mersault himself both showing different versions of male violence within the environment of the story. Raymond, a domestically violent individual who believes women who cross him deserve beatings as a form of punishment, perfectly sets the brutal theme that later leads into Mersault’s crime of murder. “The sun glinted off Raymond’s gun as he handed it to me.”(Camus 56) Raymond provides the hostile and violent environment in the story. The isolation and alienation of characters are present through Mersault’s behavior and attitude towards some of the other characters. “As always, whenever I want to get rid of someone I’m not really listening to, I made it appear as if I agreed.” (Camus 69) The attitude that...
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...Existentialism can be defined as a philosophical and literary tendency that typically displays a dismal of abstract theories that seek to disguise the untidiness of actual human lives and emphasizes the subjective realties of individual existence, individual freedom, and individual choice. Runaway by Kanye West is a great example of this philosophical theory and many connections can be made to his work and the work of Soren Kierkegaard, Franz Kafka, and Albert Camus. These four artists apply existentialist themes in their literature and even their private lives. The two themes that I found preeminent in these artists work are isolation and death. The four artists have a very philosophical cohesion between them. They all have a sense of isolationism in their works which makes their creations so unique. In Runaway by Kanye West, a phoenix falls to earth like a meteor and doesn’t know where she has ended up. The phoenix attempts to fit in with our society but she doesn’t know how to act in front of all these people so she is isolated. When the phoenix is at Kanye West’s dinner party, she sees a turkey that is about to be served for dinner and she is shocked and shrieks obnoxiously in front of all the guests and they look at her very differently and isolate her. In Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Gregor Samsa is portrayed as a bug and people look at him very differently. Gregor is isolated in his home and can’t leave because he doesn’t want his parents to look bad. “During the day...
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...In the article, the author put the reader in an impossible situation to analyze about the important role of ads in a social. He puts us in a world without advertising which I think will be boring! If we live in advertising world, we know who we are because the advertising will reflect who we are because what we see, look in the ads will make us want to become like that or buy that products, for example, you want to become success, beauty, confident … because what you see in the ads is all about that characters, you will buy a cookie, a pizza… because you see it everyday, you want to taste how it feel, you want to try that dress to look like that celebrities, so advertising help our world more develop, modern. According to the author, we live in a develop world because of advertising, Our world coexist with the presence of the advertising, if there’s no advertise we will live in a medieval times. In the article, the author say that he likes to live on an island in Croatian where there is no modern technology exists there but he still wants and lives in an advertise world because if not his “interior life would be impoverished in no significant way.” In the article, he mention, “advertising is energetic,” we can understand that the development of a country or the economic by look at the commercial culture. We all know, ads regarded as the life-blood of modern business, when society and economic growth up quickly at the same time supply of people will increasing, it required...
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...His morals led him to his own execution. In the novel, The Stranger, by Albert Camus the main character, Meursault, was charged for murder for killing the Arab. His meaning of life including his indifferent attitude at his Mother’s funeral was used against him which led him to his own execution. The final event reveals that the individual is the one who makes meaning of their own life as can be seen through Meursault's interaction with authority, his attitude towards Marie, and his attitude towards his own death as a means of summarizing the major message of the book. Meursault is uncaring for his actions towards the authority strengthening the theme. Going through the case, Meursault did not seek the Chaplain’s empathy to convince them he was innocent, rather he did the opposite. The chaplain asked if Meursault believed in God because his belief was that, “... all men believed in God… and if he were ever to doubt it, his life would be meaningless. ‘Do want my life to meaningless?’ he shouted… It didn't have anything to do with me, and I told him so” (69). His response reveals that no one should be able to control another person’s life and beliefs; even if it was the authorities or a greater power. If he chose to change his belief and...
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...Each individual has distinguishing characteristics that can either separate them from the majority or can place them in the majority. What may seem different may actually be very common with another. Being human in society one must adapt to social norms or be look at as an outcast. Although an induvial may try to adapt to social norms they will always be targeted for not being born normal. In the book The Stranger by Albert Camus and film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser by Werner Herzog, the main characters Meursault and Kasper Hauser show how individuals can be detached from the world or reality in different stories but have a similarity where they challenge society norms and seen as an outcast. The novel and film display the contrast on how...
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...Night: The “dark” or “night” represents Meursault’s fear of death. It is at the conclusion of the night that Meursault could be picked up for his execution. He is unable to sleep due to fear that each night may be his last: “After midnight, I would wait and watch” (113). There is some irony in this use of darkness because normally Meursault is comforted by the dark, but here it portends his greatest fear, his execution. () Sounds: Meursault is hyperaware of himself within his environment while awaiting execution. “Footsteps”, “small sounds”, “slight shuffling” are the sounds Meursault feels are a threat to his life. They intensify his anxiety, which causes him to be acutely aware of even the sounds he produces such as his breathing and his heart beat. The words of sounds are used ironically because Meursault is usually looked at to be insensitive to things. He notices his surroundings, but usually doesn’t connect with them. In this case, he notices and connects with them in the sense that noticing the little sounds intensify his anxiety. () Light: The “dawn” and the “light” symbolize survival. When Meursault sees the sun rise this means he has survived another day. It is only during the day Meursault is able to sleep: “That's why I ended up sleeping only a little bit during the day, and then, all night long, waited patiently for the first light to show on the pane of the sky” (113). His ability to sleep during the day is due to the relief of living through another night...
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...L’Étranger the original name of the book “The Stranger” explores the French novelist, Albert Camus, own philosophy on the absurdity of life. In other words, an absurd word is devoid of rational meaning. The protagonist, Meursault, is created, as an existentialist character showing us how Camus see’s the world, even if he later swore he wasn’t an existentialist. The themes of the novel are mostly based on the everyday life such as religion, the natural world, isolation, mortality, and the absurd life we live on. This plot is aligned with many events that occur by the cause of Meursault’s character to pursue the nonsensical things. The conclusion of this book is based on the fact that the world’s absurdity leads us to find out that there is no...
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...In Albert Camus' The Stranger the Meursault is clearly disillusioned of life and two examples of this disillusionment occurred in the instances of his mother's death and an offer to be transferred to another work environment. The novel The Stranger by Albert Camus portrays how Meursault is disillusioned about things that seem to be the most normal basic human concepts of understanding such as his mothers death. With his mother's death, he seemed indifferent at the loss of her life in every way possible. He was so uninterested in her funeral that he remarked the following: "...I can be there for the vigil and come back tomorrow night" (Camus 3). His mother appeared to slow him down. As if he felt he had better things to do. He claimed he never went to visit her in the nursing home because she enjoyed it too much. Nonetheless, he admitted, that the visit "took up my Sunday -- not to mention the trouble of getting to the bus, buying tickets, and spending two hours traveling" (Camus 5). This shows the true lack of care in his mothers death. To further define his insensitivity, Meursault shed not even one tear in this part of the novel; moreover, he expressed no form of sorrow whatsoever. Secondly, Meursault's attitude and reaction toward an offer to be relocated to a Parisian location was a monumental indicator of his insensitivity. One would expect him to accept or decline the offer graciously and respectfully. Meursault proved, again, to be unpredictable when he states, in...
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...What is Existentialism? , Existentialism is a way of life, for example some people who live a life of an extensialist don’t care about anything or anyone. They take each day as it comes. They don’t worry about anything and act like their okay when they really aren’t. In the movie “The Dark Night” by Christopher Nolan’s and the book “The Stranger” by Albert Camus gives great examples of people who live the life of extensialist. Living an extensialist life comes with many consequences. Good or bad it doesn’t really matter. “I guess the joker is as crazy as they say” (Nolan). In the movie the Dark Night a man who works for the joker says how the joker is actually crazy like everyone says. Now in the story the stranger Mersault is crazy when he doesn’t cry or grief because his mother has passed away. They look at both of these characters as crazy. But are they actually crazy? Or are they crazy because society says they are? In a society many people see who is crazy who is not, but in these both stories they really aren’t, the joker just does things as they come and people are the ones who actually cause the crazy ness he just takes the blame for it, well that’s how I see it. In the book Mersault doesn’t cry for his mother’s death because he says they never really had any relationship at all. Society says he’s a jerk and he’s heartless for not doing so but he’s an estensialist and they really don’t show emotions at all. An extensialist does things as they come, they don’t plan...
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...Jean-Paul Sartre 1905-1980 Sartre questions the radical determinism and materialism of the nineteenth century. Emerging from the World Wars in Europe, Sartre wonders what is wrong with the world. Looking for an alternative to determinism, Sartre will not hearken back to Christian metaphysics, but take Husserl’s intentionality and Heidegger’s concern for Being. Sartre is an atheistic existential writer that is concern with freedom and responsibility. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964 but refused it because it appeared to him as a petty bourgeois honor. Most of the characteristics we associate with Existentialism are from Sartre. His analysis of human nature congealed during the years in France of the German occupation. He found the French collaboration and their refusal to take responsibility for wrongdoing abysmal and to join “The Resistance.” Their excuses included: appeals to innocence: “I didn’t start the war;” appeals to impotence: “What could I as one person do;” appeals to the “herd” mentality: Everyone else did it;” appeals to self-preservation: “I was looking out for myself; appeals to emotions: “I was afraid.” Yet these excuses seemed hollow and hypocritical. Thus, his philosophy can be best summarized as “no excuses!” He famously said harshly, “We always get the war we deserve.” In another way, we always get the life we deserve. Against all such excuses, Sartre argued that we are never determined, that we are “absolutely free.” This...
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...have been an excellent pirate, giving both blowjobs and sandwiches to the seagulks (l. 36, p. 3). The character Dot has, like many of the other workers, lost her soul by the monotonous work at the factory and she is now giving blowjobs to strangers at the local nightclub. We also hear of another co-worker who looks afraid every time he interacts with our narrator (l. 42, p. 3) - he is not used to human contact and is alienated from his colleagues. The narrator has not turned completely into a zombie yet and still contains some human characteristics - for example his shyness with women. In addition his cultural flavor has not been erased: he listens to Joy Division, a former post-punk band whose lead singer committed suicide, he reads Camus and a Japanese novel from the 1940’s. His cultural flavor seems avant-garde and very intellectual...
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