Disconnection From Humanity
A Stranger is someone unknown and lonely, and they are all by themselves. In the novel by Arthur Camus, The Stranger, the same idea is demonstrate through existentialism, that man has the free will to control his destiny and is responsibly for his actions in a purposeless universe. The main character, Monsieur Mersault, believes in existentialism and finds himself all alone when he is separated from society and humankind. Mersault takes the reader with him as he goes through his mother's death, a relationship and a murder that he commits. After the murder, Camus takes you through Mersault's mind in jail. Through out the novel, Camus portrays that Mersault's disconnection with humanity is caused by his view on life, that nothing matters and what you do doesn't make a difference. Camus portrays that Mersault's disconnection with humanity is caused by his view on life, that nothing matters and what you do in life doesn't make a difference in the end. Camus shows signs of disconnection by the first-person thought process of what he lacks. This disconnection from humanity, and society, can be viewed from the very beginning. Instead of acting with emotion: sad, mad, angry, gloomy, when his mother die
This finally knowledge showed him the unity of life and so he need even though his connection with humanity was lost, his connection with life itself was always there. So he dies not a stranger anymore and happy. His life is complete and now he is not trying to escape death, but escape into it. s, it seems he is emotionless. "It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, nothing really had changed." (24). Mothers gave all humans life and most of them raised their child to adulthood, so when one dies, why would their child not cry or say nothing happened? Camus uses these actions to show his lack of emotion. So Mersault felt no sorrow or pain at his mother's death, he also does not feel any emotion after he killed an Arab. The Arab already stabbed Mersault's friend Raymond the day of the murder however Mersault was not looking to kill, he just got into the situation. Camus shows that Mersault had no regrets for the murder or any feelings for his mother's death. "What did other people's death or a mother's love matter to me..."(121). Another characteristic of his disconnection is that he has no spirituality. Every time he is asked about god, he cannot answer because he does not believe in god. After his first interview, the judge went through a great deal to break Mersault down and asks for forgiveness. Still, Mersault doesn't give up and the judge comments on this by saying, " I have never seen a soul as hardened as yours. The criminals who have come before me have always wept at the sight of this image of suffering." (69). It is not that he has a hard soul, it's just he has no connection to his soul. At the end when the chaplain tried to help Mersault, he was in disbelief for the reason that Mersault did not believe in an afterlife and when you die, that's it. So he obviously believes that the soul does not life on, however Mersault has talked about his soul and knows one exists. So without emotions, no concept of an afterlife, and without spirituality one might conclude that Mersault has anim
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Approximate Word count = 1419
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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