The Stranger and Absurdness

A detailed Summary of The Stranger and Absurdness

The Stranger is an exploration of Camus's philosophy of the absurd, not a morality tale containing a "lesson" for the reader's moral well-being. Camus's philosophy of the absurd characterizes the world and human existence as having no rational purpose or meaning. Despite the absence of a rational purpose or meaning, human beings demand that there be one. He suggests that human beings are thrust into life that can only end in death. Meursault's personality embodies this philosophy. In keeping with this philosophy, Meursault's simple, direct reporting of his mother's death and her funeral offers no coherent interpretation that ties his life together in any meaningful way. He enters the story without a past, and Camus does not use the technique of foreshadowing to hint at the

future events of the novel. Meursault's dialogue places him firmly in the present. He reports his impressions as they happen, marveling at the beauty of the day on the morning of his mother's funeral.

Meursault does not delve into psychological self-analysis, and he likewise does not judge or interpret the actions of others. Therefore, it is possible to assert that Meursault has not yet developed a full consciousness. He is not very self-aware, and he is not very aware of the workings that take place in the minds of others. He functions mostly as an observer of the world around him even as he participates in it. After his mother's death, he perceives no great change in life and thus assigns no meaning to her loss. Meursault would have to take interpretive control over

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Approximate Word count = 522
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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