The Stranger
I’m about to outline one of the most beautiful and stimulating books that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Admittedly, I'm a little biased, because I personally adhere to Absurdist philosophy. Understanding a bit about Camus' Absurdism will illuminate facets of this book that might otherwise go unnoticed; however, it’s important to remember that when The Stranger was first published in France in 1942, there was very little established philosophical context with which to approach it. Existentialism had been lingering on people’s minds at the time, but Camus adamantly claimed that Absurdism is its own thing. Here are three main takeaways for this particular philosophy (as imagined by Camus):
It is impossible and contradictory (and therefore absurd) for humans to search for intrinsic meaning in life---because SURPRISE, there isn’t any.
There are three viable ways to confront the absurdity: suicide, religion (which he labels “philosophical suicide”), or recognition/acceptance. The first two are merely a craven evasion of the paradox, whereas embracing a life devoid of meaning allows for true freedom. This is because…
Recognizing that life has no objective value dissolves any absolutes. A human can thereby actually act as an individual, creating his own sense of purpose and searching for what he believes to be subjectively valuable in life. He does not answer to an externally imposed morality; rather, his own integrity is the driving force behind his moral choices. He can approach each day heroically, fighting an unwinnable war, but drudging along in the hopes that he might come across something really wonderful that would make his day worthwhile. Today I had cheesecake and I’d say it was a successful Tuesday.
Camus devoted much of his literary life to expressing this philosophy through the eyes of various characters. Born and raised in Algeria, he seemed to be the jack of all trades—playing soccer, founding a theatrical company, studying philosophy, sociology, and psychology, and submitting his thesis on “Neo-Platonism and Christian Thought”. You know, the usual. He had a couple of marriages that didn’t work out because deep down he was a bit of a whore. Notably, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature for his illumination of human consciousness. Tragically, at the age of 46, he died in a car accident with his publisher. For the record, his name is pronounced “cam moo”. Like the cow. Don’t be that person at the party pronouncing it Camus, with a strong southern emphasis on the “s”, to a philosophy major (definitely not something I did…).
The novel begins with the now infamous first two sentences: “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know” (Camus, 3). *Chilling*. It reads in the first-person narrative, following the day-to-day life of a man named Meursault from the time his mother dies to when he faces his own death penalty. Meursault is a fascinating character, mainly in that he is extraordinarily apathetic. I like that he’s an excellent listener. He claims, “I don’t have much to say, so I keep quiet” (Camus, 66). Shit absolutely no one says.
He also doesn’t have any self-assuring notions that he’ll leave behind any meaningful legacy… and this doesn’t upset him in the slightest. Who cares? After all, “since we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how don’t matter” (Camus, 114). Camus shapes Meursault’s nonchalant demeanor not only by the character’s words and actions but also through the raw, seemingly simplistic writing style. His sentences are succinct without the choppy, jerked around feeling you get when reading something like A Million Little Pieces. This is not to say that the simplicity of text equates to simplicity of content. As the translator reminds us in his foreword, Camus possesses “an artistic sleight of hand that would make the complexities of a man’s life appear simple” (Camus, v). Moreover, there is a natural pace to the story, as if it were a movie happening before your very eyes. His images are stunning in their exactitude; while a flowy metaphor is nice every now and then, it’s refreshing to be able to seamlessly read page after page without pausing every five seconds to truly capture what’s happening in your mind’s eye.
Camus is a baller and I give The Stranger 5 out of 5 flames (surprise, surprise). This is a very short novel, only 123 pages. It’s a book about crime, murder, and death without being a book about crime, murder, and death---instead emphasizing freedom within imprisonment and awakening the joy that can come from acknowledging “the gentle indifference of the world” (Camus, 122).
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