Existentialism

[Aki]

I just finished reading Albert Camus "The Outsider" aka "The Stranger". Who else has read it? I sort of agree with the main character and his view of life. In some sense, the goal of life is death; death is what we live for. So what we do in life does not matter, life will end no matter what. Being an existentialist also means living without emotions, and that is clearly shown in the main character's personality. He does not feel grieve over his mother's death; in fact, he is never sad. It seems like he is always happy. What do you people think?

[Buffy]

I love L'Etranger! Existentialism spans a lot of intellectual territory, and you'll find that there are far more straightforward/serious existentialists, while Camus was off in left field in an area usually called "absurdism." Its depressing stuff, but in analyzing it I think you need to look at the main character's weaknesses and understand that he kind of ends up getting what he deserves.

 

If you liked The Stranger, you'll also like either The Castle or The Trial both by Kafka, although Kafka does not hold out the hope that if you pursue a positive destiny that there might be hope....

 

Cheers,

Buffy

[Qfwfq]

In some sense, the goal of life is death; death is what we live for. So what we do in life does not matter, life will end no matter what.

Survival is tightly bound to reproduction. Survival is merely instrumental to the purpose of reproduction, which is genetic survival. The two instincts are practically identical, this explains why higher animals, according to the situation, might or might not sacrifice themselves for their offspring. This is not an issue for many animals that spread eggs or larvae by the thousand. Most mammalian mothers will either die to save the litter, or save themselves if the litter wouldn't yet survive without them so it makes more sense to have the next litter. Cynical?

 

I only read "The Trial" and all Kafka's short stories. I found the Trial to be highly descriptive of what is today called mobbing. Just read the symbols.

[Fishteacher73]

If you liked The Stranger, try some of his other stuff. His non-fiction is interesting, but a bit slow to read (ie The Rebel, Many of his journals, writings for the French Resistence, etc) but The Plague is really good. Hands down the best thing, IMO, that he ever wrote (my personal #1 on my list of ALL things I've read by anyone) is a short story in his collection Exile and the Kingdom. The short story, The Renegade, is beyond description. It about a missionary sitting in the desert thinking and having flashbacks of how he got there. It just leaves me numb after reading it (I've read it probably 50-60 times and it still floors me).

 

 

On a sidenote, the Cure song, Killing an Arab, is about The Starnger...Some reason it gain popularity again after 9/11. Idiots are everywhere.....

 

Being an existentialist also means living without emotions, and that is clearly shown in the main character's personality. He does not feel grieve over his mother's death; in fact, he is never sad. It seems like he is always happy.

Bolding by FsT

 

Granted it is up to personal interpetation, but IMO Meursault is never happy, never sad. Just as you said, he lives without emotions. I think there is a difference in not being sad and being happy. He just seemed to wander through life on heavy anti-depressants...

[Qfwfq]

Also forgot:

 

In homo sapiens sapiens the instinct of survival-reproduction also becomes a drive to achievement. People that have done great things on the historic record have done so as a further manner of "surviving".

 

It's also a fact that elder citizens often have less fear of death than they themselves did when young. Past reproductive age, the instinct is less essential and so are all things that make the young more apt to survive, biologists say that is the reason of ageing. Genes that cause trouble after the reproductive age don't get quite as much selected out.

 

Also, pensioners often fall into apathy, just like l'etranger, when they no longer feel useful. They need to have something useful to do.