Albert Camus's "The Stranger"

THE STRANGER

Albert Camus’s “The Stranger” is universally recognized as one of the few “stepping stones” from existentialist ideology to absurdism. There is no question that Camus had an absurd outlook on life. He struggled to find meaning in human existence. In fact, he believed that death was the ultimate end and that the events that we experience in our lives serve the sole purpose of living in that exact moment, and nothing further.

It is clear that Camus imbedded his ideology in his novel, “The Stranger”. The protagonist, Meursault, elects not to show emotion, even in the most severe situations. For example, he did not openly grieve when his mother died. Further still, the next day he went on a date to a comedic film. This lack of sentiment was not too concerning initially. However, later on in the novel, Meursault murders a man for no apparent reason. He shows no remorse for his unprovoked actions. After refusing to seek repentance from God, Meursault is labeled the Antichrist. While awaiting his execution, he finds it difficult to accept the inevitable reality. However, he comes to the conclusion that there is no greater meaning to human existence. This thought comforts him.

Camus has intricately strewn his philosophy of human existence through his characterization of Meursault. I once read somewhere that absurdism is the ultimate form of atheism, and that statement rings true in this novel. Meursault denies the opportunity to be “saved” by the church and he even tells the chaplain that he does not believe in God, a shocking and bold statement from a man on death row in early 20th century Algeria.

Although the man that Meursault murdered had previously attacked his friend, he still had no reasonable motivation to kill a complete stranger. This random act portrays the arbitrary actions in the world. As the absurdist’s philosophy states, mankind will never be able to understand the “bigger picture”. Thus, the audience (as well as Meursault himself) may never actually KNOW why he murdered that man.