The Stranger by Albert Camus opens up a whole new world to me exposing the thoughts and behavior of a man living and breathing an existentialist mind set. In the first pages of the book we encounter few emotional responses from our character presenting very interesting insight on what true existentialism represents.
"It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, an that, really, nothing had changed." (24)
Camus portrays Meursault's character as a direct, almost indifferent man who only carries an objective view to his world. Maman dies and his lack of emotion almost shocks the reader as he clearly says its really just as if everything remained the same when we could categorize a parent's death as one of the most tragic events in one's life. The ideas reflected in existentialism, in which we're suppose to enjoy moments and live only in the present showing few concerns for past or future really end up isolating Meursault and creating this abstract character that seems to view his life extracted from it. Its Camus's own way of bringing along the whole existentialist concept that creates such bizarre character.
"A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn't mean anything but that I didn't think so. She looked sad. But as we were fixing lunch, and for no apparent reason, she laughed in such a way that I kissed her." (35) We find ourselves tied up once again in Meursaults detachment from his life and from one of the most basic feelings of all. Love. He managed to hide away from it when his mom died and once again we encounter him hiding away when Marie asks him. Its a relationship he only bases on desires and impulses bring forth existentialism once again. He's a complete stranger to his life and that of the people around him.
"It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, an that, really, nothing had changed." (24)
Camus portrays Meursault's character as a direct, almost indifferent man who only carries an objective view to his world. Maman dies and his lack of emotion almost shocks the reader as he clearly says its really just as if everything remained the same when we could categorize a parent's death as one of the most tragic events in one's life. The ideas reflected in existentialism, in which we're suppose to enjoy moments and live only in the present showing few concerns for past or future really end up isolating Meursault and creating this abstract character that seems to view his life extracted from it. Its Camus's own way of bringing along the whole existentialist concept that creates such bizarre character."A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn't mean anything but that I didn't think so. She looked sad. But as we were fixing lunch, and for no apparent reason, she laughed in such a way that I kissed her." (35) We find ourselves tied up once again in Meursaults detachment from his life and from one of the most basic feelings of all. Love. He managed to hide away from it when his mom died and once again we encounter him hiding away when Marie asks him. Its a relationship he only bases on desires and impulses bring forth existentialism once again. He's a complete stranger to his life and that of the people around him.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario