Existentialism in Mersault Essay Example for Free

Existentialism in Mersault Essay Albert Camus was a French writer who is also a existentialism philosopher. He contributes to the development of the philosophy of existentialism, although he refused to be associated with any ideology. His philosophical thoughts contained in his writings. Camus delivers it by creating fictional characters and dramatic events, not only in the form of thought and analysis. The idea of absurdity, or things contrary to the common view, and his paradoxically thoughts contained in his works which one them is seen in his work this novel entitle The Outsider. Meursault as the main character in the novel is described as a man who make the sense of his life in his own view. He felt that the life he lived is normal although people around him think that he is different. This is seen when she was confronted by the news of his mothers death. He was just responding to it as a natural that every human being in the world must be both experiencing life and death later on, today, tomorrow, or whenever it was. In the funeral, he shows the attitude indifferent as not wanting to see his mothers corpse, cry to her, or shows a deep grief to the attendants. Because he said, he had no reason to be sad or mourn his mother, because once again he considers this is a natural. This is seen in the quote below. Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know. I had a telegram from the home: ‘Mother passed away. Funeral tomorrow. Yours sincerely. ’ That doesn’t mean anything. It may have been yesterday. Camus (1982: 3) Not only on her mothers funeral, he is indifferent, but also to live a life he is very flat and unemotional. However, behind it there is the nature of honesty in him. This is evident because in every action and word he just saying what is on his mind without exaggerating or saying unnecessary. As well as Marie, her girlfriend asks him to marry her, she just say yes, but when he asked again he replied that it was not important, and if Marie wants him to marry her he would marry her. She then wanted to know if I loved her. I replied as I had done once already, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t. ‘ Why marry me then? ’ she said. I explained to her that it really didn’t matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married. Anyway, she was the one who was asking me and I was simply saying yes. Camus (1982: 39) For Meursault he lives in this world with his own will without having to think or follow the rules set in the environment. He lived his life like what he wants without having to regret. As he revealed about a his crime that killing an Arab. While in prison he refused to hire a lawyer to help him resolve the case, but he finally agreed to use a lawyer who has been appointed by the prison authorities. He does this because he thinks he does not need defense from other people on what he has done. The lawyer had been made upset by Mersault because Meursault does not want to assert a defense or try to provide evidence to alleviate his crime. As an explanation of the existentialism humanism earlier, that no regulator or legislator but himself. Accordingly himself that he must decide for himself anyway by looking outside itself a goal of self-liberation to this man can Realize himself as truly human. In the novel Meursault refuses anyone governing what he should do and assumptions that he are wrong. He said no one or anything else that can be a regulator or legislator could influence it. He just lived his life according to his own views in giving meaning in his life and he never regretted anything he has done even though he himself did not think that what he did was the right thing. This can be seen in the following quotation. Of course, I couldn’t help admitting that he was right. I didn’t much regret what I’d done. Bus I was surprised that he was so furious about it. I’d have like to have explained to him in a friendly way, almost affectionately, that I’d never really been able to regret anything. Camus (1982: 93) He determined by the death sentence by a judge because of his indifferent of her mother’s death. The judge explain that a few days later he instead has a date with Marie and watch a funny movie with her, befriends and involves in his neighbor named Raymond revenge to Raymonds mistress, and goes on a beach vacation with both, Meursault passes tragic life as if nothing has happened. While his waiting to the day of his death sentence we can see what the true essence of life in Meursault’s view, in the rage of his thought in prison. It does not mean that he is not afraid of death, but he deals it with his own. Several times he refused to meet with the chaplain, because he thought it just wastes his time that just few remains to talk about things that are not meant for him. Meursault is told in this novel as one who does not believe in God or atheism. According to him, how he lived or what the purpose of life is determined by himself without the involvement from other people. It seen in quote below. From the depths of my future, throughout the whole of this absurd life I’d been leading, I’d felt a vague breath drifting towards me across all years that were still to come, and on its way this breath had evened out everything that was then being proposed to me in the equally unreal years I was living through. Camus (1982: 111) As if this great outburst of anger had purged all my ills, killed all my hopes, I looked up the mass of signs and stars in the sky and laid myself open for the first time to benign indifference of the world. And finding it so much like myself, in fact so fraternal, I realized that I’d been happy, and that I was still happy. For the final consummation and for me to feel less alone, my last wish was that there should be a crowd of spectators at my execution and that they should greet me with cries of hatred. Camus (1982: 113) The second quote is the last paragraph in this novel that tells the last time before his execution. In those sentences, that Meursault reveals is evident that he feels happy when he faces death. He thinks that the world is not concerned with human problems and it has similarly with him who was indifferent to the human problems that are not related to him. Thus, he thought that after his death, he will unite with the world and he will not feel lonely. Meursault also said that his life would be more meaningful if his death was witnessed by people who raining him with cried of hatred than if he dies in solitude. He thinks this will be memorized by the people who have witnessed the death. CONCLUSION From the explanation of analysis above it can be conclude that Mersault as the main character of the novel The Outsider is existentialist. It depicted by the author, Albert Camus through Mersault’s says, acts, and thoughts, which describe that Mersault lives his live with his own way and his own view. He argues that in the world there is no one or single thing that can be regulator or legislator, which can influence his life. It is only himself who knows what he should do an how he lives his life in this world. Lives the life in the world is the basic of basic structure of human existence. The conjunction in the words shows that existence of human cannot escape from his world. Impossible that man released from his world and, otherwise, the world may not be released from human who constructed it. There is also no two experiences are identical. Therefore, existence is a privately owned, that existence is not replaceable by anyone. It clearly described in Mersault’s character who is indifferent to the other things that in his opinion those things are does not mean anything to him.