Group items tagged

Argument: The author explains that though Camus was labeled as an existentialist, he rejected the title and called himself an absurdist. Claims: Camus believed that life was devoid of meaning and purpose and rejected any idea that attempted to apply meaning to life beyond physical existence and human connection. What was most important was living in consciousness of the absurdity; he criticized existentialists for merely recognizing the absurdity of life and often taking a pathetic leap of faith to apply meaning. Camus disagrees with the idea that life is not worth living simply because it has no meaning. Sysiphus is Camus's depiction of a man of full consciousness, aware of his reality. Such a life may seem torturous and worthless to many, but Camus was a staunch believer in the value of life. Evidence: "Absurdism is an off-shoot of Existentialism and shares many of its characteristics. Camus himself was labeled as an 'Existentialist' in his own life, but he rejected this title. He was not the first to present the concept of Absurd but it was owing to him that this idea gained popularity and influence, and it transformed into a proper philosophical movement of Absurdism" (Aftab). "Kierkegaard describes the Absurd as a situation in life which all thee rational and thinking abilities of a person are unable to tell him which course of action to adopt in life, but in this very uncertainty he is forced to act or make a decision. He has to do something but his reason offers him no help. He writes in one of his journals: "What is the Absurd? It is, as may quite easily be seen, that I, a rational being, must act in a case where my reason, my powers of reflection, tell me: you can just as well do the one thing as the other, that is to say where my reason and reflection say: you cannot act and yet here is where I have to act"" (Kierkegaard qtd. in Aftab) "Even in the latter case, the question arises: what is the purpose of God? And it is this question which a

In the literary critique Heroes of Our Time: The Stranger, written by Germaine Bree, the author discusses the characterization of Meursault as the "absurd" hero. She claims that he is content to live and ask no questions, refusing to make any concession to the norms of society. Meursault's development throughout the course of the novel is also tracked. Bree claims that Meursault's error lies in his disassociation from society. She describes him as an individual whose story is used by Camus to ridicule modern man's strive to put meaning to their lives, emphasizes Camus' absurdist philosophy. Furthermore, she tracks the development of Meursault's characterization in order to emphasize Meursault's innocence in the fact of society. "In L'Etranger Camus thus suggests that in the face of the absurd no man can afford passively just to exist. To fail to question the meaning of the spectacle of life is to condemn both ourselves, as individuals, and the whole world to nothingness"(Bree). "Meursault's attitude at first merely reveals how arbitrary and superficial are the codes with which we cover up the stark incomprehensibility of life" (Bree). "He is a stranger to society, because he refuses to make any concession whatsoever to its codes and rituals. He sees no relation at all between his mother's death and the fact that he goes to see a comic film two days later, and he establishes none" (Bree).

Argument: In the literary critique Camus' The Stranger, written by Arthur Scherr, the concept of Meursault's characterization and the misinterpretations that result due to this characterization are discussed. The author discusses and dismisses the various viewpoints of literary scholars in regards to discussing the intellectual competence of the main character. Claims: The author claims that many literary scholars view the existential hero as an "irrational, unintelligent child" due to his inability to emphasize with others and rationalize his own actions. However, Scherr claims that no such correlation between Meursault's irrationality and intelligence exist. More so, the author discusses how Camus actually presents the stranger as an individual of high intelligence, citing interactions Meursault has with other characters as prime examples. Evidence: "Meursault's ephemeral comrade…Raymond Sintes…trusts that Meursault possesses sufficient intellect and verbal acuity to compose a convincing letter for Raymond to send to his unfaithful girlfriend" (Scherr). "Meursault's boss recognizes his abilities and offers him a promotion" (Schell). "Appropriately enough, the last person to remark on Meursault's intelligence is the prosecuting attorney at his trial for murder. 'The prisoner is an educated man,' he tells the jury. 'You havee observed the way in which he answered my questions; he is intelligent and he knows the value of words'" (Scherr).

Argument In this article, author Susan Tarrow, contrary to the common belief that Meursault maintains the same passive attitude throughout the book, argues that he is instead a dynamic character who evolves through the course of the novel. She explains that Camus's clever use of language establishes a tone that forces many readers to be frustrated with Meursault. Claim Tarrow explains that Meursault is introduced as passive character whose attitude allows him to act with total disregard for others. By the end of the second part, he develops into a  staunch defender of his individuality; he maintains his right to not admit to believing in concepts that do not seem logical to him. Camus's use of passe compose, or compound past tense, maintains a passive tone and establishes the theme of absurdism. Meurasult does not make emotional connections to events which frustrates many people. His lack of language, or rationale for his action, seems insane but he simply does not feel the need for it. Evidence "If the hero Meursault has a moral message-and the reference to him as a Christ figure would suggest that he has-it is one that plays a constant role in Camus's thought; there are no absolutes to which one can adhere, only limits, and the vital nuances are played out within those limits. Total indifference and apathy allow others to act without limits. Meursault develops from an acquiescent figure who admits no limits to a combatant who claims the right to be different" (Tarrow). "When The Stranger was first published in 1942 the aspect that evoked the most interest among critics was the use of the passé composé, the compound past tense, since the traditional tense used in literary narrative is the passé simple. Sartre, in his review of the book, comments that the effect of the passé composé is to isolate each sentence, to avoid giving any impression of cause and effect" (Tarrow). "Meursault, who places no reliance on language, throws down