'The Stranger'

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews and discusses the book 'The Stranger' by Albert Camus. According to the paper, absurdity is an important existential theme that appears in the book, comprising the sense of conflict between desire for rationality and the experience of irrationality. The paper further discusses how the sensibility and atmosphere of the novel is pervasive, creating a sense of unreal/surreal by favoring, up to a certain point, the irrationality and sense of absurd in human life.

From the Paper:

"The trial is absurd in that the judge, prosecutors, lawyers and jury try to find meaning where none is to be found. There can be no rational motivation behind irrational actions. This is another great illustration of the absurd in this novel. Absurdity is a philosophical perspective which may appear as a result of a very repetitive existence (in Camus' opinion). However, as an existentialist theme in The Stranger, it is connected with the search for meaning. Meursault is a human who found himself "thrown" (Heidegger) into a world with no clear logical, ontological, or moral structure (A. Irvine 1998). This is the context that favors ultimate questions by the very nature of our lives. Meaning can be constructed by making a choice in such an absurd situation."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Camus, A., The Stranger, New York: Vintage Books, 1946.
• Valentine, J., "Prototypes of Existence and Essence in Camus's The Stranger", Florida Philosophical Review (2006) Volume VI, Issue 1, Retrieved from: www.cas.ucf.edu/philosophy/fpr/journals/volume6/issue1/valentineabs9.pdf
• The Albert Camus Society, "The Stranger", Retrieved from, http://www.camus-society.com/the-stranger-albert-camus.htm
• Irvine, A. "Existentialism", Last retrieved from site December, 18, 2006, http://people.bu.edu/wwildman/WeirdWildWeb/courses/wphil/lectures/wphil_theme20.htm

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