Existentialism And Absurdism In Jean Paul Camuss The...

Camus’ novel The Stranger exemplifies his philosophy of absurdism. At first glance, it appears to be similar, if not the same, to Jean Paul Sartre’s philosophy of existentialism. However, the two are, in fact, significantly different in thought. While existentialism suggests that a person can create their own meaning in life, absurdism states that the search for significance is foolish because there is none to begin with, but people should still accept (and indirectly reject) what life has to offer. The apparent absurdity in life is represented by Meursault’s life-changing events, which expose the possibility that there are underlying values that exist that can make life more satisfying. Through his depiction of events that most others†¦show more content†¦Perhaps it is because his mother’s life confirmed to him that life is indeed meaningless and bland. Around the middle of the novel and at the end of part one, Meursault, though perhaps unintenti onally, commits the greatest cardinal sin of murder by shooting the Arab. The action itself is seemingly nonchalant and thoughtless, and Meursault has no real reason for killing the Arab, which appears to highlight the futility of human life. However, the opposite is true. The events leading up to and following the murder, as well as Meursault’s unseen emotions, show that a human life is extremely valuable. If Meursault was as heartless as, for example, a nihilistic interpretation of absurdism would suggest and life had absolutely no significance in the grand scheme of everything, then Meursault would not have felt so disappointed in his apparent inability to feel. Meursault attempted to show more emotion in the scene of the death of the Arab than the death of his kin, his mother. This elicits that murder or killing (unnatural death) is more absurd than a normal passing that results from the ebb and flow of time. In the first circumstance, the human search for meaning is quic kly and unexpectedly pulled from underneath them; in the second, the person who was searching simply ran out of time. Meursault seems to understand this, as he at least tries to be unhappy after he kills the Arab. Instead of merely shrugging his actions off, as if nothing hadShow MoreRelated Futility of Human Existence Exposed in The Guest by Albert Camus2321 Words   |  10 Pagesfool† (Wyatt). As this quote by Albert Camus suggests, he was not a very optimistic writer. His gloomy look on life itself can be seen all too clearly in â€Å"The Guest†. The story itself deals with Camus’s idea of the futility of human existence: the only rational thing anyone can expect is death. Camus’s underlying philosophy is revealed from the very beginning of the story. The French title, â€Å"L’hote†, translates to mean both â€Å"guest† and â€Å"host† simultaneously, which implies that the mutually respectful