World Lit Essay help - comparing Mersault to the world around him

[mignon_marron]

For my world lit essay, I've chosen to do it on The Stranger. I thought it would be interesting to try and compare Mersault to the world around him because during the interactive oral about it, someone had mentioned that Africans were generally very warm people. I would love to hear some opinions and suggestions on where to go for in terms of research.

Thank you!

[wings]

Your topic sounds interesting! Here's a few ideas for your essay -

• Look up Camus' 'philosophy of the absurd'. It basically says that there is no point in looking for a meaning in life, since there isn't any meaning. People always strive to find their meaning even though it doesn't exist. Meursault is Camus' 'absurd' character, since he got the gist of not looking for meaning. You can link it to Sisyphus and the Rock (Greek myth)
• Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a good link as well
• Emotions - us vs. Meursault.

Also, Meursault was not African! He lived in Algeria, which was highly influenced by the French at the time! Meursault is a French man living in Algeria, as well as most of the acquaintances he makes in the book.

Hope I was able to help!

Good luck on your essay!

[mignon_marron]

thanks so much wings!

[Blackcurrant]

Tighten up your topic formulation, though. Comparing "Meursault to the world around him" is pretty vague. What literary aspects are you going to discuss?

I should make one important point about absurdism. The absurd is not found in the recognition or acknowledgement that there is "no meaning in life" but emerges from the confrontation between a universe where there is no essential (a priori) meaning and man's attempts to assign meaning to his existence. It is the confrontation between the two that creates "absurdity". That does not mean that your life is devoid of purpose or meaning. Existence does not have to be pointless. Absurdism is not a message of despair.

BUT, there may be a day where you wake up and realize that the universe is totally indifferent to your life or death, and that any meaning in life has been made up entirely by you. If you really understand this idea, it will hit you like a ton of bricks. It is not easy. But, your daily struggle to face up to this fact (think Sisyphus pushing that rock) will mean that you are living the absurd. Nice, isn't it.

Meursault only starts living the absurd when he is in prison, and recognizes all the aforementioned . At this point, he understands that he need feel no regret or sense of loss with his impending death. Those words ( regret, loss) imply meaning and purpose --when there isn't. Life just is. And so is death. You live, then die. Notice how Meursault is not "indifferent" to life, as all this might suggest. He will miss the sun, the beach and making love to Mari. Very much. He has enjoyed life. Physically, at least, and without vain pretensions or ambitions.

Before mounting the scaffold, he understands too that he has not lived his life in fanciful (hopeful) illusion - only in ignorance. Ignorance because he has not given much thought to anything, and has never understood that his life is essentially meaningless (in cosmic terms). He is, therefore, in his last moments of life, free of any disappointment.

There is no contradiction to living the absurd and enjoying life, by the way

Anyway, I think the book is not really appropriate to or well- understood by anyone under 40 (my guess) as we love to talk grandly in our teenage years about "life's meaninglessness" "nihilism" (oh yes, and we take this in our stride, all cool and self- assured etc etc, but it is all posturing: our every action confirms the contrary.

Edited December 10, 2013 by Blackcurrant