Blog Response 1: Camus and Existentialism

Existentialism is a concept created by philosophers in which they basically ask if there is a reason why we exist or if life is simply meaningless. In other words, they try to understand human existence. Albert Camus, with his novel The Stranger gives us a very accurate example of an existential approach.

At first when I started reading this book, I came across a thought that Meursault, the main character, was a lonely man who was constantly depressed. However as we started studying existentialism, it became more complex than that. He only cares about the present and anything that happened in the past does not matter, or bother him anymore.

For example, after Maman dies, we expect Meursault to be mourning. However his reaction is the total opposite. He just accepts it and lets it go to continue on with his life.

“It occurred to me that anyways one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I   was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed.”(The Strangers Pg. 24)

It is clear that he only cares about the present and that he has to go on with his life without being affected by the past. He does not see any reason why to grief his mother because after all, that is what will eventually happen to all human beings.

Meursault doesn’t seem to care about what is morally right or wrong. That is one of the main characteristics of most existentialists, they are amoral and atheists, which explains why they do not have a sense of what a religious person or a person that acts on his values and morals considers good or bad. An example of this is when Raymond is hitting the woman and he goes to see with Marie.

“Marie said it was terrible and I didn’t say anything. She asked me to go find a policeman, but I told her I didn’t like cops.” (The Strangers Pg. 35) “I told him it seemed to me that she’d gotten her punishment now and he ought to be happy” (The Stranger pg. 37)

No matter how much you dislike cops, when someone is physically abusing another person you should do something about it. Instead, Meursault shows a lack of interest and how he doesn’t really care about it, because he doesn’t have morals. Therefore, this doesn’t seem wrong to him and is the reason why he does not act.  He is actually supporting Raymond by telling him that the woman and him are equal and that it wasn’t bad because she had to have her punishment and he had to give it to her someway.

He obviously doesn’t care about the past or future, only the present. Everything that happens is meaningless so why deal or loose sleep over it. Camus is clearly showing us his existential views through Meursault and the situations he encounters.