The Futile Search For Reason - 1348 Words

Anusha Fatehpuria Harlin World Literature 3 March 2017 The Futile Search For Reason The core idea of Albert Camus’ philosophy of absurdity centralizes upon the idea that humans exist in a meaningless universe, and follows that humans must simply accept this fact to live life to the fullest. In addition to this absurdist notion, Albert Camus also uses The Stranger to show how humans still strive to create superficial meaning to fulfill their own personal needs. Through the experiences and interactions in Meursault’s life, Camus illustrates that in spite of how events in life follow no rational order, society attempts to futilely create meaning to explain human existence. Meursault’s lack of motive in the murder of the Arab man illustrates†¦show more content†¦Immediately before shooting, Meursault describes the overbearing effect of his surroundings on his physical existence, saying â€Å"My whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver. The trigger gave† (59). When Meursault murders the the Arab man, he is merely reacting to his uncomfort in the extreme heat and sunlight. He says that â€Å"the trigger gave† giving the impression that he was disconnected from this action, not completely aware of what he was doing. As a result, the murder demonstrates how events in life are irrational and take place without reason. When Meursault is on trial for this murder, the evidence used by the prosecution reveals how humans naturally strive to create rationale for events in life where no reason exists. In his closing statement, the prosecutor states that â€Å"[he] accuses this man [Meursault] of burying his mother with crime in his heart† (96). After listening to all of the witness statements and viewing all of the evidence, the prosecutor has been unable to determine a true motive for Meursault murdering the Arab man, so he tries to create his own explanation by claiming that Meursault is an emotionless, dangerous man. The prosecutor is able to create a fictitious argument that Meursault is a criminal, by referring back to Meursault’s mother’s funeral, when he apparently did not react according to societal conventions and showed an indifference combined with disrespectShow MoreRelatedSearch for Immortality Depicted in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey852 Words   |  4 PagesTh rough the many of mankind’s tales of adventure the search for immortality is a very common theme. Many heroes have made it the objective of their travels and adventures. This is no different in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey. The heroes in both are tempted by the offer of immortality, however each of them turns it down for their own reasons. In The Odyssey, Odysseus rejects the offer of immortality from the goddess Calypso long after he discovers the true nature of the afterlife afterRead More Slaughterhouse-Five: Futile Search for Meaning Essay982 Words   |  4 Pages Critics often suggest that Kurt Vonnegut’s novels represent a man’s desperate, yet, futile search for meaning in a senseless existence.nbsp; Vonnegut’s novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, displays this theme.nbsp; Kurt Vonnegut uses a narrator, which is different from the main character.nbsp; He uses this technique for several reasons. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Kurt Vonnegut introduces Slaughterhouse Five in the first person.nbsp; In the second chapterRead MoreAnalysis Of `` The Search Party `` By Liz Kay862 Words   |  4 Pagescharacters must be feeling. However, good literature not only makes one understand the feelings of the characters, but also inspire feelings in the reader. This is most often done with imagery, and can be seen in several works by Liz Kay. In â€Å"The Search Party†, Kay sets the scene with a brief description that a man confessed to murdering his own son. The rest of the poem is a description, from the point of view of one of the sear (Kay 178). In â€Å"The Death Penalty, we see a tragic story of two adultsRead MoreDeath of Trust Essay1235 Words   |  5 Pagesnarrative around a deluded and shallow shell of a man. In a story overflowing with intimations about the nature and morality of man and the ramifications of mistruths and fantasy, there is one message easily held as predominant: that of Willy Loman’s futile pursuit of the American dream and the reality of its death within him—and the unfortunate sector of humanity that he embodies. This interpretation is so dominant and alluring, in fact, that it neatly obscures a more subtle message seeded patientlyRead MoreMans Search for Meaning in Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot1155 Words   |  5 Pageshas been described as a play where â€Å"Nothing happens, twice†. Beckett’s struggle to make sense of things is evident in the combination of his characters acceptance that life may be meaningless, and their continuous questioning and search for meaning. The major refrain of the play, â€Å"nothing to be done†, first arises when Vladimir cannot find anything in his hat. It is suggestive of a domestic, banal failure but also implies an acceptance and resignation over such a Read MoreParable Of The Sower Essay902 Words   |  4 Pagesbook, on her approach to be baptized, she perceives how individuals live past the walled off groups. An exposed woman staggering around the road. Innumerable vagrants living in the city. She states how immersing herself in this Christian faith is futile, having lost confidence from what she has seen from the outside world. Laurens encounters with the outside world are fairly likened to looking through plexiglass at animals at a zoo. At times terrible things occur in her gated community, for exampleRead MorePursuit Of The American Dream881 Words   |  4 PagesThe (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream Many human resource departments do not acknowledge resumes anymore. In fact, many of the companies offer survival jobs instead of the jobs applicants actually apply to, therefore causing downsizing. I know many may think what is a survival job? A survival job is any job an applicant can obtain in order to put food on their tables. Housekeeping, taxi driving or car detailing, to name a few, are survival jobs that offer minimum wage or tips and no source ofRead MoreRichard Taylor Meaning Of Life Final Draft1245 Words   |  5 Pageslives as an individual. Camus absurdity explains the forces upon itself with regards to an individual or person, especially when that person desire is to find a total absolute in other to guide his or her life; however, the individual goes out to search for absolutes but ends up finding out that the world is not reasonable or realistic for living in other words meaningless. Therefore, the absurdity, can be described as; suicide and recovery as a solution. However, a person s experiences in lifeRead MoreDoc, Pdf1169 Words   |  5 Pagesand the growth of the British Empire in their campaign, to gain public support. Once such key figure, Mary Kingsley, an English ethnographic writer who explored West Africa, argued that since Africans were an uncivilized, inferior race, it would be futile to â€Å"rule him through institutions modeled on European lines, as the missionaries and the Colonial Office had been doing. Africans†¦ should be ruled through their own institutions.† (Kingsley, Travels in West Africa, 20) She also pointed to the unnecessarilyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1040 Words   |  5 Pageshe said, trying to convince himself. Even so, he still felt that odd feeling on the back of his neck. As he hurried through the damp and foreboding passageways, he replayed the evening’s events in his mind. As he recalled Fortunato’s desperate, yet futile, screams and pleadings, he felt a slight twinge of†¦regret? â€Å"No, no,† Montresor mumbled to himself. â€Å"’A man’s character is his fate.† He took in a shaky breath as he walked up the vault’s staircase. â€Å"The fool brought it upon himself.† He paused at