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Essay / Meursault as an Existential Character in The Stranger
Most individuals have difficulty overcoming the death of a loved one, especially when it involves your child or a parent. When a loved one dies, the norm would be to grieve and show emotion. It is a hard and incalculable blow. So, when someone shows no affection or pain following a recent death, it is natural for others to be on guard and wonder what is going on. Brooke Richardson secretly gave birth in her bathroom and buried her stillborn baby in her backyard, then continued her daily life as a high school cheerleader. This would be an example of existential character. Society was shocked that Richardson was capable of committing cold-blooded murder after carrying the baby inside her for nine months, and then, during the trial, she showed no regret or emotion. In The Stranger by Albert Camus, the main character shows actions similar to existentialism. Meursault shows no signs of grief when his mother dies, leaving society astonished. It is evident that Meursault is an existential character due to his apathy, free will, and inscrutable outlook on life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay To begin with, Meursault seems to think he can sweep all the events under the rug and make them seem frivolous. Funerals allow us to say goodbye and acknowledge that someone we love has died. For the company, it is usually an unforgettable day. In the novel Meursault says: “Mom died today. Or yesterday, I don't know. This quote shows us how indifferent it is to him whether his mother is dead or still alive. He views major life events as meaningless. He tends to be dismissive of his mother's death. For example: “Mom was buried now…I was going back to work…really nothing had changed. » Meursault is a numb person, illustrating that he has no feelings or emotions regarding the death of his mother. If he cared, he would probably need a little more time to grieve and he would most certainly know when she died. To conclude, Albert Camus, through his literary work The Stranger, supports the idea that Meursault is an existential character. He does this by demonstrating the character's cold, enigmatic and strong-willed traits. Even though we know that death is inevitable, no one is ever truly prepared for it. In society, it is the norm to mourn the loss of a loved one. Brooke Richardson and Meursault are comparable in the sense that they have no feelings and no matter how big an event in life is, they view it as illogical and absurd. So society is in shock and cannot understand how other humans are capable of being so numb. When a family member or friend dies, it leaves you with gaping holes. Works CitedAmerican Life League. (nd). Abortion Facts. Retrieved from http://www.all.org/learn/abortion/Roe v. Wade, 410 US 113 (1973). Right to Life of Michigan. (nd). Abortion statistics. Retrieved from https://rtl.org/about-abortion/abortion-facts/The Week. (November 9, 2016). 53% of white women voted for Donald Trump. Retrieved from https://theweek.com/articles/658044/53-white-women-voted-donald-trumpKaiser Family Foundation. (nd). Abortion in the United States: demographic characteristics and access to care. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/abortion-in-the-united-states/National Center for Lesbian Rights. (nd). Fact Sheet: Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Health. Excerpt from.