Existentialism in Camus' "The Stranger"

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Existentialism in The Stranger The idea of existentialism originated as a sort of response to the long-standing norms. For as far back as one could remember, the accepted belief was that there is some sort of supreme being watching over the world and preserving order. Existentialism questioned this faith, pointing out war and other tragedies. Above all, existentialists stress individuality and believe that there is nothing more to life than what one makes of it (Existentialism). In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, Meursault constantly shows his existential principles, such as his indifference toward anything and his belief that there is no afterlife. Camus informs the reader very little of Meursault’s character in The Stranger. The first person narration allows Meursault to tell the story through his own perspective, and he does not divulge much of his background or childhood. The most striking aspect of his personality is his apathetic attitude towards everything, introduced in the first paragraph of the novel: “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know” (Camus 1). He cannot muster up any sort of emotion even when his mother dies. This is Meursault’s first demonstration of existentialism: even after the death of a loved one, life goes on unchanging. Other events which would normally elicit some enthusiasm from most people are unremarkable for Meursault. When his girlfriend Marie, one of the few people about whom he goes into detail, asks him to marry her, he nonchalantly agrees. “Then she wanted to know if I loved her. I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t love her…I explained to her that it didn’t really matter and if she wanted to, we could get married” (Camus 41). Meursault shows an incredible indifference toward one of the most joyful experiences in a man’s life, when he has a

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