Essay about The Absurd Morality of Death in The Outsider

The Absurd Morality of Death in The Outsider In The Outsider by Albert Camus, death can clearly be seen as a significant image - there being six deaths mentioned in total. In Part One we are shown the natural death of Meursaults mother and Meursaults murder of the Arab, and in Part Two we are presented with the parricide of a brother/son and the subsequent suicide of the perpetrators, another parricide that is to be tried after Meursaults case and the death penalty pronounced on Meursault. Through these depictions of various deaths, Camus shows clearly the conflicting and often arbitrary treatment of death within society, a treatment that reveals a confusion between the motives behind acts and the subsequent response to†¦show more content†¦Added to this pattern are the responses to the event. Meursault is unexpectedly passive towards the event. On first hearing the news he comments, For the moment, its almost as it mothers still alive,[7] and when he returns from the funeral to his normal life he adds to this sentiment, I realized that†¦mother was buried†¦and that, after all, nothing had changed.[8] Other peoples responses to this death are much more what the society of the time would expe ct. Cà ©Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‹Å"este sympathises before Meursault heads for the funeral with the comment, Theres no on like a mother,[9] a comment that prevents Meursault from returning to Cà ©Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‹Å"estes for Sunday lunch, because I knew theyd ask me questions and I dont like that.[10] Meursaults unusual way of dealing with this death is seen in his exchange with Salamano, an exchange that concludes with, He seemed to assume that Id been very unhappy ever since mother had died and I didnt sayShow MoreRelatedAbsurdity Between Kafka and Camus4307 Words   |  18 Pagesthe philosophical views of two great philosophers, namely Albert Camus and Franz Kafka. The works involved in this argument are Kafkas The Metamorphosis and Camus The Outsider. The chief concern of both writers is to find a kind of solution to the predicament of modern man and his conflict with machines and scientific theories. Death, freedom, truth and identity are themes to be studies here in the sense of absurdity.    Kafka was born in Prague in 1883. On the Surface, it would seem that he led aRead MoreHow Does Camus Present The Irrationality Of Normal Human Life Through The Character Of Meursault1429 Words   |  6 Pages2015-02-06 Word count: 1,401 The outsider written by Albert Camus is a brilliant piece of science fiction. It explores the indifference the main protagonist, Meursault has with the society that he is a part of. Albert Camus idea of morality in The Stranger is completely unconventional and this can be seen through the protagonist actions and emotions. The title of the book is â€Å"L’etranger†, which directly translates to the outsider in English. The title is of very little significanceRead MoreA Outsider Of The Stranger By Andre Gide And Albert Camus1850 Words   |  8 Pagesthat society foists upon them, their stories are far from similar. 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Something in Meursaults character has appealed primarilyRead More Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): Reader Response Criticism2226 Words   |  9 PagesReader Response Criticism to Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider)  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Stranger (The Outsider), Albert Camus anticipates an active reader that will react to his text. He wants the reader to form a changing, dynamic opinion of Meursault. The reader can create a consciousness for Meursault from the facts that Meursault reports. By using vague and ambiguous language, Camus stimulates the reader to explore all possibilities of meaning. Camus also intends to shock the reader into rereadingRead More Urban Alienation in Ian McEwans The Cement Garden Essay2761 Words   |  12 Pagesprocesses which lends the children and the universe they inhabit the feeling of ordinary actions and responses becoming sordid, intense and grotesque. The first sentence of the novel expresses Jacks feelings of reluctant guilt towards his fathers death: I did not kill my father, but I sometimes think that I helped him on his way. (p.9) McEwan thus catapults the reader directly into the tormented mental world of Jack. We then only observe the external world of Jack and his siblings from his