An Analysis of Camus The Stranger - 411 Words

Camus The Stranger is a wistful writing that carries a sense of detachment along throughout the story. The main character, Meursault, explains a series of events that resembles the workings of a dream and puts the reader in a dazed trance as the adventure grows into the deadly conclusion. The purpose of this essay is to examine and interpret the symbol of light and how it affects the story of The Stranger. The sun and the light may be interchanged in this story as Meursaults constant commenting about the sun continues throughout the tale. The sunlight affects Meursault in many differing and unique ways. He commented at his mothers funeral that The sun was now a little higher in the sky: it was starting to warm my feet. This trend continues as the main character uses the sun to describe his attitudes and behavior throughout the story. Much like Meursault, Camus presents the sunlight in a very neutral, yet powerful way. The light is merely a reflection of the demeanor of Meursault throughout the story and when he is experiencing joy the sun is helpful, but when encountering danger, as in the murder scene, the sun causes him much discomfort, confusion and is ultimately laid as the scapegoat for the motivation behind the murder. The light is a metaphor for Camus main message of absurdity. Camus believed in challenging the notions of life and death in order to truly understand their meanings. Committing suicide or not, to Camus, was a legitimate question that helpedShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Stranger By Albert Camus1526 Words   |  7 PagesArab, Meursault, would never have gone to prison, and never be tried for murder. Part C: Foil Character In literature, foil characters are used to bring out the distinctive qualities of another character by contrasting with them. In The Stranger, by Albert Camus, Marie Cardona plays the role of a foil character as she brings out Meursault s emotional characteristics. When she told him that she loved him and asked if he loved her, Meursault responded: I answered the same way I had the last timeRead MoreTitle and Character Analysis of The Stranger by Albert Camus784 Words   |  3 PagesThe Stranger: Character and Title Analysis In Albert Camus’, The Stranger, the characters in the novel are individually unique in ways that bring out the positive and negative aspects of each other. When examining their traits you get the deeper meaning of things and what they stand for. The major characters in this novel are Meursault, Raymond Sintes, and Marie Cardona. Meursault shows no emotion through everything that goes on in his life such as a death. Raymond Sintes is a rude person and onlyRead MoreAnalysis Of Albert Camus s The Stranger 1008 Words   |  5 Pagesother side of the rainbow. The outcome is always the same: Death. No human is exempt. No matter what we do in life, how hard we work, the ending is the same. So why do it? Is life even worth living? This is the fundamental question Albert Camus asks in The Stranger. During the trial, once people realized Meursault was different, it seemed like they were out to get him, looking for reasons to execute him. This is irrational. The crime Meursault committed in the first place was irrational, he didn tRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Stranger By Albert Camus977 Words   |  4 PagesNatalie Comella â€Å"The Outsider† Introduction â€Å"Life has to be given a meaning because of the obvious fact that it has no meaning.† Henry Miller â€Å"The outsider† also commonly known as â€Å"The Stranger† is written by Albert Camus. It is a book that explores the many concepts, understandings and overall idea of human life. As my group and I take time to break down the varies aspects of the book, please take time to reflect, and understand your own meaning of humanRead MoreThe Stranger By Albert Camus Critical Analysis971 Words   |  4 PagesThe Stranger, by Albert Camus tells the story of a man named Meursault who is consumed with the pleasures that life has to offer. In an unusual ending, Meursault’s fate is ultimately decided based on his actions he has made throughout his life, in which he blatantly ignores the 1940’s social norms of the French colony, Algiers. The story is told from an Absurdist point-of-view, which ultimately affects the meaning of the novel. This is present when unknowingly to Meursault, Absurdist philosophy dictatesRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Stranger By Charle s Camus2947 Words   |  12 PagesAlbert Camus’ â€Å"The Guest†. This story centers on a character, an outsider, who is trying to fit into the society in the story. It may not be the fact that the stranger is different in looks, culture, or language like it is in this short story, but it is just the fact that they are not the same, which causes them to be the outsider and fulfill the role of the otherness. As we look through the short story ‘The Guest’, and through the short novel ‘The Stranger’, we can see that Albert Camus is workingRead MoreLiterary Analysis: How Meursault Is Indifferent in the Stranger, by Albert Camus874 Words   |  4 PagesLiterary analysis: How Meursault is indifferent in The Stranger, by Albert Camus Although Meursault is the title character and narrator of Albert Camus’ short novel The Stranger, he is also a somewhat flat character. His apparent indifferent demeanor may be a convenience to Camus, who mainly wanted to display his ideas of absurdism. And as a flat character, Meursault is not fully delineated: he lacks deep thought and significant change. His purpose is that of a first-person narrator whose actionsRead MoreAlberts Aimless Absurdity898 Words   |  4 PagesIn Albert Camus’ novella, The Stranger, he exposes his beliefs on absurdism through the narration of Meursault. Camus’ definition of absurdism is a philosophy based on the belief that the universe is illogical and meaningless. Camus, founder of absurdism and French Nobel Prize winning author, sends the reader his underlying theme that life is meaningless and has no ulti-mate significance. This underlying theme of life’s absurdity is extremely personal to Camus through his own individua l experiencesRead MoreThe Stranger By Albert Camus Essay1546 Words   |  7 PagesBarthes, literature often raises a question, but leaves it up to the reader to determine the answer. The Stranger by Albert Camus is an excellent example of how a central question, â€Å"Is there value and meaning to human life?† is raised and left unanswered, resulting in different interpretations of the answer, depending on the viewpoint of the reader. Although the question is never explicitly answered, Camus offers perspectives on what French society regarded the answers to be, such as connections with othersRead MoreThe Stranger By Albert Camus1365 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout The Stranger, Albert Camus uses routinesituations to demonstrate how the protagonist, Meursault is not just another ordinary individual. Camus depicts Meursault as an independent being, disinterested in his surroundings, contrasting him with the majority of his peers. Meursault traverses the entire novel, exhibiti ng little to no emotion. Instead, he displayscharacteristics synonymous to someone suffering from psychopathy. Regardless of the situation, Meursault refrainsfrom assigning meaning