Role of Absurdity in Shaping Meursault’s Worldview
In Albert Camus’s The Stranger, absurdity plays a central role in shaping the protagonist Meursault’s worldview. Absurdism, a key concept in Camus’s philosophy, refers to the conflict between human beings’ search for meaning and the indifferent, meaningless universe they inhabit. Meursault embodies this philosophy through his detached perspective on life, emotional indifference, and eventual acceptance of life’s inherent absurdity.
From the beginning of the novel, Meursault’s reaction to his mother’s death signals his unconventional worldview. Rather than expressing grief, he is more concerned with the heat, his physical comfort, and the practical arrangements of the funeral. This emotional detachment is not a sign of cruelty, but a reflection of his rejection of social conventions that demand a scripted, meaningful response to death. To Meursault, life events do not carry intrinsic significance—they simply occur.
Meursault’s confrontation with absurdity becomes more explicit following his arrest and trial for the murder of an Arab man. Throughout the legal proceedings, he is judged not only for his crime but also for his behavior during his mother’s funeral. The court, representing society, demands meaning, remorse, and moral alignment. Meursault, however, refuses to feign emotions or provide false justifications. This resistance highlights the absurd nature of societal expectations and its discomfort with those who challenge normative values.
The most profound transformation occurs as Meursault awaits execution. In solitude, he reflects on life and embraces the absurd condition of human existence. He realizes that the universe is indifferent, that death is inevitable, and that life, in a cosmic sense, is without purpose. Instead of despairing, Meursault finds a sense of liberation. By accepting the absurd, he is freed from the illusion of meaning and the fear of death. In the final lines of the novel, he looks forward to his execution with a sense of peace, feeling that the world’s indifference matches his own.
Thus, absurdity is not just a philosophical backdrop in The Stranger—it is the lens through which Meursault understands existence. His transformation from emotional detachment to philosophical clarity illustrates Camus’s message: only by confronting the absurd and accepting life’s lack of inherent meaning can one achieve true freedom and peace.
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