Essay on Camus The Stranger (The Outsider) Conformity

Conformity in Camus The Stranger (The Outsider)nbsp; Camus novel The Stranger presents the character of Meursault who, after killing an Arab, is sentenced to death. This conflict portrays the stark contrast between the morals of society and Meursaults evident lack of them; he is condemned to death, less for the Arabs murder, than for refusing to conform to societys standards. Meursault is an anomaly in society; he cannot relate directly to others because he does not live as they do. Meursault is simplistic, even detached; he speaks of his mothers death without regret for her loss, merely stating: Maman died today. He goes on to mention that perhaps it was yesterday - he is not sure which. He cannot abide by the same moral†¦show more content†¦No matter what he does, Meursault sees the outcome as inevitable, and invariable. He cannot perceive any right or wrong in killing the Arab. The action in itself was spurred not out of a deep-seated hatred for the man but, as Meursault reveals at the trial, because of the sun. The sun at the beach, similar to the sun at his mothers funeral, was beating down on him. Sweat trickled down his face, the scene began to reel as his vision blurred. The sun represents to Meursault emotions, which he cannot deal with. Likewise, he cannot deal with the intense heat, the light reflected off the Arabs knife which seems to stab at him. Meursaults finely-tuned senses are being overwhelmed, and the only way to handle the situation is to end it - so he fires the gun. We see the Arab sinking into the sand, as four more bullets lodge inside and disappear. The spell is broken. The death of the Arab in itself is not crucial to Meursaults fate. Around that time period in Algiers, Arabs were almost easily dispensed with - they were not high society. Meursaults true undoing comes from his lack of emotion. At the beginning of the novel, Meursault sits at his mothers funeral, quietly picking up the most minute details of the scene: wrinkles on the old mens faces, the way the womens stomachs seemed to bulge out from under their apron strings. Yet their eyes remained a glimmer amid all the wrinkles. Here Meursault was captivated by his mothers friends- their difference sparks hisShow MoreRelated Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): Finding a Rational God through Nature3501 Words   |  15 PagesFinding a Rational God through Nature in Camus The Stranger (The Outsider)    Turning towards nature for fulfillment, The Stranger’s Meursault rejects the ideology of God as a savior and is consequently juxtaposed against Jesus Christ’s martyrdom, Christianity and the infamous crucifixion. To the inexperienced reader, Meursault appears to be an extreme atheist. Later in Albert Camus’ novel, he is revealed as a humanistic soul that’s in touch with the universality of the earth and soil he treadsRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 Pagesamp; Phenomenology * Existentialist Philosophers * ------------------------------------------------- Absurdism * The idea of the  absurd  is a common theme in many existentialist works, particularly in  Camus. Absurdity is the notion of contrast between two things. As Camus explains it in  The Myth of Sisyphus: * The absurd is born out of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world. * This view, which is shared by  Sartre, is that humanity