I recently finished Camus’ *The Stranger* (1942) and I can say that is has left a solid impression on me! It helped me understand Meursault, not as a senseless murderer, but as a cognitive outsider to society.
Although it feels a bit like a punch in the gut, I can take on his perspective on the world: that it is impossible to find rationality in an irrational world. Something within me squirms under the weight of this thought, almost like I’m kicking underwater to resurface myself. There’s a compulsion to want to understand him entirely, but I feel combated with a survival instinct to move away from his line of thinking, as it feels incompatible with managing day-to-day living.
In short, it’s paralyzing – and I understand the depression that accompanies this understanding for some individuals. I also better understand the frustration of feeling patronized by people trying to assign meaning to life and convert others to their way of thinking. Perhaps not too surprisingly, life just fucking sucks sometimes and no level of emotional coddling and well-doing wishing can successfully combat that.
Another thing I loved about the novel is the intense physicality of Camus’ sensory descriptions. The sun on the beach, the smell and taste of coffee and cigarettes, the sheen of sweat on the old man’s face, the overwhelming chatter of conversation at the jail, etc… Although I’ve now learned that it can be seen as evidence of Meursault’s emotional detachment, I first read it as his environmental attentiveness. It makes him seem to lack any “human” qualities, like ambition, emotionality, imagination, etc. He reminds me more of an animal in some ways as he exists simply to make it to another day.
Right after reading *The Stranger*, I needed a little breather, so I picked up St. Exupery’s *The Little Prince* (1943) and was surprised to notice some similarities between them! They’re both published within a year of each other, have authors part of the French resistance in WWII, and are short novels about the meaning of life. l was wondering, have any of you guys caught this before? I’m hoping to do a deeper delve on it later on.
Also, would love to hear about any of your guys’ experiences reading either of these books! 🙂
TLDR: Existentialism is compelling, but feels like a dangerous, incompatible way of thinking with life. Glad I can understand it a little more though. Oh, and by the way, The Stranger and The Little Prince seem to have a lot more in common than I thought?
by mari_bunni