Monday, September 05, 2005

Albet Camus-Outsider

The book is a thin volume which describes a particular phase of Meursault. The author takes us through the protagonist's mother death, his relationships ( both romantic and with the people around him) and his trial.

The book is a statement about existentialism, about everything being perfect in its place and the feeling of regret etc being not necessary. Above all it is a damnation of the soceity which cannot accept individuals who do no conform. That Meursalt does not feel bad at his mother's death, neither does he regret the killing of the arab makes him a sadistic criminal in the eyes of soceity. Meursalt is waiting for death.......

Can every action of an individual be reasoned out? If not anything can actions be called as impulse? Or is there a cause-effect type of reason for every action. Can actions be explained easily? Is it important for the individual, being a part of soceity, to give an explanation for his actions? Or is it jsut the arrogance or ever fear of the soceity that it wants to understand.

For people who are busy living life, enjoying the existential bliss, their fate is tied to Meursalt. Soceity will veiw them as not being part of the larger whole and hence they are condemned. Death will catch up eventually.

PS: Albert Camus is an Algerian born French Philospher who won the nobel prize for literature at the young age of 44. His famous works include outsider, stranger etc.

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