Name: Rodrigo A.

Taipe The Stranger and Existentialism In The Stranger, Albert Camus uses Meursault and his experiences to convey the philosophy that man is full of anxiety and despair with no meaning in his life except for simple existence. The concept of existentialism is reflected through Meursaults experiences with his mothers death, his murder of the Arab, and his own trial. Camus uses the death of Meursaults mother to convey his existentialistic philosophy. When his mother dies, Meursault receives a telegram that notifies him of her death. However, he seems more concerned about the time of death, and not the fact that he has just lost a loved one. Meursault shows no compassion at his mothers funeral either. He does not cry or behave the way that society expects him to. Instead of being mournful and depressed, Meursault drinks coffee and smokes in a relaxed manner. This leaves the impression that Meursault is insensitive, or that he did not love his mother. As an existentialist, he accepts life and death without seeking a deeper meaning. Meursaults murder of the Arab is another example of existentialism in The Stranger. The absurdity of the murder is what makes it a good portrayal of the concept of existentialism. The Arab draws his knife and holds it up to Meursault, but this is not what seems to truly bother him. Instead, it is the intense heat and the light from the sun that shoots off the Arabs knife that irritates him. As this sensual feeling overwhelms him, Meursault says, My whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver (59). This part of the novel shows how Meursault is not only a stranger to his experiences in life, but also to nature. For the first time, the sun and his sensual pleasures begin to act against him, and cause him to lose control. Most of Meursaults actions have no true conscious motives. Meursault shoots the Arab because of his physical discomfort with his surroundings, but in any case he consciously makes the decision to shoot the Arab. Another example is when Meursault lawyer says to him, "Just keep quiet. Anything he could have said did not matter at this point during the novel. No matter what choices you make throughout life, it all ends in the same way. He probably could have learned to live a different life in Paris, but he saw no purpose. Meursault is already aware of the fact that no matter what choices he makes, he is still going to end up with the same outcome.