Formal response to Albert Camus' The Stranger Essay

Formal response to Albert Camus' The Stranger - Essay Example Meursault’s incapability to find any hope in life gives birth to the meaninglessness of his world. Indeed Camus’ hero does not find any meaning and joy in life, simply because he is an inertia-affected person; and because he cannot muster the quantum of joy and pleasure from life. Meursault’s lack of hope and, at least, his failure to extract it from life evolves from a sense of inevitability and inescapability of the reality of this world. This reality is either the inescapable reality of death or the reality of any ordeal situation. Meursault’s lack of hope and his failure to extract any meaning from life are the consequences of his obsession with inevitability of death. He realizes that since all men will die inevitably, they are all alike. But this realization makes him more passive and inert both mentally and physically. He cannot feel the necessity of a mother as well as a lover. Therefore he does not have any emotional attachment to his mother and also lover Marie. This lack of emotion is vivid in his reaction to his mother death. Even the telegram bearing the message of his mother death is not worthy of much attention. This disinterestedness to his mother’s is revealed in his indifferent description, as he says, â€Å"Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: â€Å"Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow, Faithfully yours† That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday.† (Chapter 1, Part 1) Indeed this lack of hope evolves also from Meursault’s incapability to reason. Meursault kills Raymond’s mistress’s brother without thinking of what death means to others. He cannot think of others in his world because he is extremely self-oriented. This self-orientation or self obsession can also be perceived in his sexual activities that are void of any emotion like love. His