The Stranger by Albert Camus, Term Paper Example

Plot

Meursault is the Stranger, the protagonist, and the narrator of the novel. He undergoes hostility from the world and himself. His story is split into two parts. The first part is concerned with Meursault’s routine affairs, except for two important events. The story starts with the demise of Meursault’s biological mother. Given that Meursault is a common man earning hardly adequate for him, he sent away his mother to a home taking care of the elderly in Marengo, which is an action that brought criticism to him (Camus 16). Then when Meursault is attending his mother’s funeral, he feels as if he is not so much grieved, and he is not worried about the observation of mourning’s social formalities.

The day after the burial of his mother, he starts an affair with a lady called Marie, who at one point was his office typist. Both Meursault and Marie go swimming together, watch a comic movie, have lunch together, and are involved in lovemaking. The general public is shocked because he did not observe his mother’s mourning period. He is referred to as insensitive, a social monster, and ill-mannered. The first part also makes a revelation of the involvement of Meursault with Raymond Sintes, who is his neighbor who is employed as a pimp (Camus 28). Raymond hits his girlfriend since she cheated on him, but Raymond wants to give her more punishment. Raymond convinces Meursault to draft a mocking letter to his girlfriend on his behalf. The letter results into another argument between Raymond and the girl in which the girl is beaten brutally (Camus 48).

Meursault agrees to give testimony on behalf of Raymond, stating that Raymond was provoked by his girlfriend into the argument. Meursault as well agrees to take a journey with Raymond Masson’s beach house. Masson is a friend of Raymond. While at the beach, they meet Arabs. One of the Arabs is the beaten girlfriend’s brother. A fight starts and the Arabs stab Raymond in the mouth and arms. Meursault is dragged into the conflict and ends up murdering the Arabic brothers (Camus 65). This is the second important event of the first Part. Both his mother’s death and the Arab’s murder have straight bearing on the second Part’s events.

Meursault is captured and taken to prison for the killing. Meursault is not concerned about the case facing him because he has a feeling that it will be comprehended by the jury that the shooting was unintentional. He does not seek the services of his personal attorney but accepts an attorney given to him by the court. The attempt of the attorney to make Meursault state the truth about how he reacted when his mother died is futile as he declines because he is true to himself and considers honesty as important. He also does not see the connection between how he feels for his mother and his case. He refuses to seek an audience with the chaplain as well, who finally barges into the cell of Meursault. When he says no to confessing his guilt and begging for pardon, the chaplain does not believe (Camus 90). The chaplain tries to pray for Meursault, and he yells at him. Similarly, Meursault says no when he reacts to the crucifix shown to him by the magistrate and makes a revelation that he has no faith in God.

The magistrate agrees that he has not encountered a more naïve, taciturn, honest, self-centered and frank criminal by any means. The reaction of the jury on Meursault is the same. All of them do not understand any of the explanations of Meursault and have a feeling that him not having emotions and regret is heartless. Consequently, they find him responsible for the murder and give a death sentence on him by the guillotine. He finds it hard to believe the ruling because he has by no means considered himself as a criminal (Camus 111). However, finally Meursault takes his death just the way he had taken his life with no difference. He possibly believes that after dying his subsistence could be less ridiculous.

The Stranger Meanings

Alienation

Camus ascertains Meursault as an outcast early on within the story. The initial few pieces of paper place Meursault at his biological mother’s memorial service. Meursault watches persons and incidents without a specific connection. This makes him isolated, inappropriate, and nervous seeing that he believes people are intently looking at him. Meursault does not show some kind of sadness when his mother passed away. As the narrative develops, it is noticed that he understands the truth but not feelings. Meursault spends a lot of time preoccupied with insignificant physical characteristics compared to content that is emotional (Camus 54). He is well-mannered and reflexive, but does not have empathy. Meursault comprehends that he is disliked because he is different from other people. The neighbors condemn him for the way he treats his mother, keeping in mind that Marie specifies that she became infatuated with Meursault since he is unusual. The comprehension that is an outcast makes him feel additionally alienated. This makes him unable to form actual human associations. It is evident that Meursault suffers from segregation and deficiency in emotion, making his character within the story not to really evolve.

Universe Irrationality

Although The Stranger is fictional, it has a strong character of the philosophical Camus’ view of irrationality. Camus in his essays stresses that the lives of individuals and existence of human beings generally have irrational order and meaning. Nonetheless, because people find it difficult to accept this view, they continuously try to create or identify rational meaning and structure in their lives. The term irrationality gives a description of humanity’s pointless effort to get an order, which is rational where none is in existence. The society nevertheless tries to force or engineer rational explanations for the unreasonable actions of Meursault. The thought that sometimes things happen without a reason and that sometimes events do not have meaning is threatening and troublesome to society. The sequence of the trial in the novel’s second Part is a representation of the society’s effort to create rational order. The whole trial is an illustration of irrationality, a case of the fruitless effort to enforce rationality on a universe, which is irrational (Camus 43).

Human Life is Meaningless

The second major part of the absurdist philosophy of Camus is the thought that the life of human beings has no purpose or meaning which is redeeming. Camus makes an argument that the only sure thing life has is death’s inevitability, and, as all human beings will finally die, life is equally meaningless. Meursault slowly goes towards realizing this all through the novel, though he does not entirely take hold of it until after he argues with the chaplain at the last chapter. Similar to every person, Meursault has been given birth to, he will die, and he will be of no further importance (Camus 76). Paradoxically, just after Meursault attains this seemingly dismissal understanding is he in a position to achieve happiness. When he fully understands that death is inevitable, he comprehends that it matters not whether his death is by execution or lives to undergo a natural death when he becomes old. This understanding allows him to set aside his imaginations of getting away from being executed through filing a victorious legal appeal.

Analysis of Characters

Meursault is not psychologically attached to the world around. Very significant events for most people, like proposing to marry, or the death of a parent, do not matter to Meursault, even at a sentimental stage (Camus 59). Meursault simply is not shocked with his mother’s death, or that he is loved by Marie. He is also sincere, meaning he does not imagine of concealing the fact that he has no feelings by pretending to shed tears over the death of his mother. Meursault is equally moral and immoral. Instead, Meursault is amoral which means that he simply cannot distinguish between bad and good in his own senses (Camus 38).

Raymond Sintes

Raymond works as a catalyst to the plot of The Stranger. After beating and abusing his mistress, he is not in good terms with her brother, who is an Arab. Raymond draws Meursault into conflict with the Arab man and finally the Arab is killed in cold blood by Meursault (Camus 60). He is evidently immoral. He his cruel and violent to his mistress, and he almost murders the Arab personally before he is talked to by Meursault. In addition, while the reaction of Meursault to events around him is passive, Raymond starts action. He appears to be feeling loyal to Meursault. He declares the innocence of Meursault at his murder trial, stating that the events that led to the murder were by chance (Camus 59).

Marie Cardona

Just as Meursault, Marie glees in physical contact. She frequently kisses Meursault in public, and she enjoys having sex. Nevertheless, unlike the physical affection of Meursault for Marie, her physical liking for Meursault is an indication of a deeper emotional and sentimental attachment. Although Marie is saddened when Meursault conveys his apathy towards marriage and love, Marie does not stop the relationship or think otherwise of her urge to marry him. Whatever motivates her to enter into the relationship, she remains faithful to Meursault when he is seized and charged (Camus 65). In the perspective of the absurdist philosophy of Camus, the loyalty Marie has is a representation of mixed blessings, as her feelings of hope and faith stop her from arriving at the understanding that is attained by Meursault at the conclusion of the novel.

Comparing and contrasting Camus to Marx and Kant

The philosophy of Albert Camus in the book concentrates on Meursault’s isolation from civilization, from acquaintances, from his partner, from human sentiment, and ultimately from normal judgment. This can be compared to the existentialism philosophy through the emotion that life is worthless. This is because these features are so unusual from the standard; Meursault is rejected and estranged from the social order. This seclusion is self-prescribed considering that the major character is not cast out by whichever means he detaches himself.

The ideas of Karl Max in regard to alienation are that the progression of alienation is articulated within work and labor division. Whereas man, therefore, becomes estranged from himself, the result of labor turns out to be an unknown object that controls him. This affiliation is similar to the association to the intense external globe, to normal objects, as a strange and antagonistic world. For instance, in The great Gatsby Meursault is alienated from his individual creative influences, and the matter of his individual work become strange beings, and finally rule over him, turning into powers that are autonomous of the creator. Karl Max believes that religion is essential for the development of man since it gives an individual such as Meursault a sense of belonging instead of alienation. Meursault does not believe in God and his mind is not developed explaining the alienation.

In Kant’s hypothesis, the individual is not separated from their subsequent intention volitions within following the ethics demands. This is because the subsequent intention volition that is pertinent to morals is that lone act from responsibility; and so an individual might declare that, inconsequentially, this does not create alienation. Kant’s idea of inclination refers to an ability that inspires an individual act within a heteronomous manner. Kant’s idea of inclination destroys my choice since it is not ethically good or bad. Kant’s inclination idea prevents Meursault from acting in a way that is expected of him. This means that Meursault chooses to follow an inclination, which goes against ethical law.

Works Cited

Camus, Albert. The Stranger. New York: Random House LLC, 2012. Print.