HCJ - The Stranger by Albert Camus

This book is short, sweet and to the point, in every way. The Stranger encompasses phenomenology and existentialism.

Existentialism is that you choose your life and your decisions and you then have to live by those choices. It also includes that there is no higher meaning and that potentially you have no soul. Camus explores this in his book when the main character Mersault tells the Prosecutor that he does not believe in God, thus making the prosecutor believe that he has no soul. The chaplain is also shocked when he hears that Mersault does not want to pray or believe in God.

Phenomenology is observing occurrences in the world. Mersault spends large amounts of time observing the street outside of his window, as well as his neighbours observing Raymond and his Mistress.

Heidegger had, 'The Structure of Being' which was three fold.

The past= guilt

The present= dread

The future= fear of the unknown

Mersault does not look to the past or to the future. When Marie asks if he will marry her he does not think about the future, settling down with her. He simply says, "yes" because he would like to kiss her. He does not have an opinion on love, the future or what life may be like with her. He does not fear the future, have guilt from the past or dread for the present. He lives his life how he likes and has routines but is not bothered when the routine is disrupted.

Mersault refuses to be determined by other people or lie. When his lawyer tells him he should lie about how he acted at his mothers funeral he refuses to. Even though this is what condems him to being executed. Different people, throughout the book question Mersault on his actions and instead of agreeing with them he carries on with his life and lives his life not answering to anyone and simply making his own decisions.

Mersault killed the Arab and instead of feeling guilty he just feels like it was an accident. He think about his execution and does try to think of how he can get out of the prison but finally resides himself to dying. He rationalises it in the fact that every person must die at some point and that his is simply coming earlier than liked.

When first starting to read this book i did not understand why he did not feel much for his mother. I kept expecting him to break down in tears and feel guilty that he was not there for her or that he did not want to picture the future without her but he does not do this. He carries on his life with ease and only think about little lines his mother used to say or remembers sense he felt on the day of his funeral. For example on the day he killed the Arab he remarked that the heat he felt was the same as the day of his mothers funeral.

Instead of acting how society would like him to act he repels this and does as he pleases. This is what kept him in prison and eventually his execution. On the day of his mothers funeral he could not remember her age, he did not cry, he slept, drank coffee and smoked cigarettes. He was questioned about many of these things and by simply answering or acting how society expected him to act would have given a different impression on the person and the jury that later heard what he had done. He did not do this but remained true to himself and did not live a lie, this is what makes him an existential hero; he refuses to be determined by other people.