Monday, September 3, 2012

Like Pieces of a Puzzle


What is the point of our existence? Why are we here? Who sent us and what is the purpose of our existence here on earth? We were forced to ask ourselves these questions as we started the unit on existentialism, but what we didn't expect was having to question the answers we gave to these queries while reading The Stranger.

Through a character as complex in his simple view on life, Camus makes us take on a new perspective, whether we choose to agree with it or not. We all lead the lives we claim we want to because we all believe in "free will". However, after reading this existentialist novel I realized that even if we fight as hard as we can in order to break free from the ties of society and humankind, we will eventually have t give up and accept the conditions society sets upon us.

Mersault led a relatively calm life, and in the eyes of a passerby he might just have gone by undetected. The things that make him so different to us are the way he thinks and the way he leads his life, focusing merely on the present, paying no attention to the past and not worrying about the future. This type of carefree lifestyle led him to commit murder for the simple fact that he had no reason not to do it, and this act landed him in jail.

Once in jail, Mersault's way of thinking changes completely, and he finally starts sharing personal details about his past and worrying about his oncoming execution. He is a perfect example of a man who tried to fight the constraints of society, but was held back and ended up being just another insignificant piece in the puzzle of humanity.

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