Religion And Philosophy

The StrangerThe Stranger (1942 ) by Albert Camus opens with this now infamous verge obtain died today . Those three simple words atomic number 18 clean-handed of any of the feelingal turmoil that usually accompanies the sad exit . In many ship canal how the novel s opening line reflects the underlying sentiment of the entire narrative : languorThis novel is told through the first-person voice of Meursault . A man delimitate against the backdrop of pre-war Algeria . The destruction of his mother is the starting point of this tale . Meursault s persona behind reveals itself with each scene . He sheds non unrivalled draw out during the funeral and plane politely refuses to see his mother s body . there is no outward display of any single sensation that usually accompanies the passing of a family member . Some readers would venerate , Where is the grief ? The hysteria ? Where are the emotions that make a macrocosm , well , humanThe novel goes on to document the next a couple of(prenominal) days of Meursault s sprightliness after his mother s funeral . His fri eradicateship with unmatched Raymund Sintes leads him to a dramatic turn-of- crimsonts . Raymund suspects that his Arab girlfriend is being unfaithful to him and sought-after(a) Meursault s help plotting r neverthelessge . Raymund , a region with few save qualities confronts and beats the girl . As the story progresses , he and Raymund brood paths with the girl s brothers at the beach . The brothers enraged at the dismiss to their sister s honor , manage to wound Raymund with a knifeThe events that excrete after the knife fight both perplex and bewitch readers this is where the story really begins . After the fight Meursault returns to the beach , his tenderness to the hell of the sun leads him to kill star of the brothers . As if to vehemence other deep-seated frustration in his life , he shoots the man a few more than times even after death came . In so many ship canal , his stumbleous reaction is unexpected and definitely un adjureed for . But even while pulling the trigger , an act usually come with by a surge of emotions , Meursault is indifferent to everything everything except the glare of the sun . This moment emphasizes that to Meursault , his physical comfort and welfare is the net aim . Society might judge this as self-loving , and it probably is . However , Meursault was prepared to pay the price ---and he did--- of the au and thentic way in which he personifyd his lifeDuring the trial run for the murder of the Arab man , it is interesting to n oneness that the prosecution emphasized Meursault s inability to show grief for his mother s passing . This display of uncivilized indifference , they argued , was just as criminal as showing no remorse for the murder of the Arab . Hence , they conclude , that he is non that a murderer but worse , a delinquent from societal norms that deserves to be executed---in to rotary an casing to corresponding-minded individuals . Time and time again history has shown us that humans fear close to what they do non empathize Instead of trying to find a common pull up of reference , our instincts tell us to shun , ostracize and ping that which we perceive as different . At this juncture , it would be total(a) to level that it was our race that crucified Jesus Christ . Although Meursault s character definitely braves for himself while Jesus is remembered for his selfless acts , they have one thing in common : they were both authentic and died for what they believed was trueThe trial was a masterful re proveation of the everyday judgment calls that bon ton makes on those they deem as delinquent . There is more than meets the eye to the trial . In truth , it is not Mersualt the murderer that is on trial it is Meursault the non-conformistSociety has developed a set of norms with a silent edict that these moldiness be adhered to . A set of sanctions---legal and social---should violations take place . If one does not consider the apparent legal consequences for murder , what is it intimately Meursault that has smart set enraged ? What about the fact that he does not seem caught up with dis playacting emotion ? What exactly has been his social transgression for which he is on trialIt is his legitimacy that has people fearing him and others like him It is his overly-truthful manner that finds him outcast from a decree that is constantly playing mind-games . Meursault is not interested in playing the game . Hence , according to the rules of society , he must be executed . And even to the very last succor , he did not conformThe idea of a `disconnection from society was articulated by sociologist Emile Durkheim . He introduces the term anomie as a condition where social and /or object lesson norms are confused , unclear , or simply not present . Durkheim tangle that this lack of norms- or preaccepted limits on behavior in a society--led to deviant behavior ( HYPERLINK hypertext transfer protocol /durkheim .itgo .com /anomie .html hypertext transfer protocol /durkheim .itgo .com /anomie .html ) According to Durkheim Man is the more vulnerable to self-destruction the more he is detached from any collectivity , that is to say , the more he dies as an egoist (Giddens 1972 ) This approach presupposes that in to live a meaningful life , one must not live it for oneself but for the greater number or even a utmoster beingMeursault s every thought and action and so painted a character of a man that was set to live life by his own rationality . Nearing his carrying out time , the chaplain urged Meursault to repent and to give himself up to mercy of the comprehend . Meursault , in true character , refused . He articulates the idiocy of living by society s rules and norms when at the end of it all , you should live true to yourself as the universe is indifferent . Indifferent to our moral standards , our collective code of ethics .the universe and all that is comprehend , does not actually care It does not see good or evil . It does not see justice or injustice . It sees nothing but a set of already prescribed physical laws where morality plays no role . So this then begs the question , if the universe is so indifferent , why should we strive to be anything but ourselves To find joy in something truly your own , without having to worry about how society settle you or how history will remember you is living a true and meaningful lifeSociety has indeed created such arbitrary rules of demeanor . And if one analyzes this further , there is truth AND logic to Meursault s cerebration : there is no difference in the midst of the arbitrary and the nonsense(a) .The idea of the divine , a supreme being , call it Jesus Christ , Allah or Buddha really find root in common ground . Karl Marx once said that ` piety is the opium of the poor Religion and faith have been mangled into concepts that hush up each individual of personal responsibility .

If one were to be fatalistic about everything , that if it is God s will then so be it , then the responsibility shifts from human hands into the divine realmMeursault s lack of faith further distances him from the society he lives in . And even in the face of his impending death , Meursault did not succumb to the so-called absurdity of faith . When the Chaplain urged Meursault to repent and situate himself to the judgment and mercy of God , he replied that since he did not want to waste the little time he had left on this earth on GodAt this moment , one sees the humanitarian disposition of Albert Camus himself It would be unfair and in fact , ill-considered , to think that both Camus and Meursault thought very little of life and the human spirit . It is quite the opposite . So high is there regard of human life that they refuse to be bogged down by what they consider as absurd ideas like faith and societal norms . This calls to mind one of the sayings that one is most himself when he is alone and no one is considering . If one were to feel and believe that after death nothing awaits us , no judgment nor paradise then our lives---each second of it---would be too precious to waste on absurdityTo Meursault , believing in the divine and life after death automatically subscribes one to the idea of living by the rules because if one were to violate these rules then the gift of eternity is lost . For him faith in a universe , which to him is an indifferent one , represses the true human authorization for authentic and unconditional happiness . We see this in Meursault s character as he revels in the physical joys of the earthIt is interesting to note that the original French version , L Etranger has been translated into two prenomen versions : The Stranger or The Outsider . In many ways , Meursault is both an outsider and a stranger Stranger in the sense that he is not connected emotionally by anyone in his life not his mother , his girlfriend or his friend Raymund Although he does go through the motions of these relationships , there was never an instant that the reader could feel an actual connection between the characters . Almost as if he surrounded himself with people who did not know him and people he did not know . It is his nature of being a stranger that he can withal be considered an outsider . He does not really escort why others get caught up in semantics , in trivialities , in lies when he believes that truth---even if it is a painful one----is the only way to live lifeNearing the end of his life , Meursault says As if that blind rage had process me clean , rid me of hope for the first time , in that night alive with signs and stars , I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world . Finding it so much like myself - so like a brother , really - I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again . For everything to be consummated , for me to feel less alone , I had only to wish that there be a large bunch of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate Until the very end , he did not feel any remorse nor sin . Instead , he felt that he could finally look back on his life and know---really know---that he lived . How many of us can actually say that REFERENCESELECTRONICThe Emile Durkheim Archive . Anomie . HYPERLINK http /durkheim .itgo .com /anomie .html http /durkheim .itgo .com /anomie .html March 1 , 2008BIBLIOGRAPHICGiddens , Anthony . 1972 . Emile Durkheim Selected belles-lettres . London Cambridge University PressCamus , Albert (1942 . The Stranger ...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Ordercustompaper.com

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