Albert Camus’ The Stranger Essay

Color and weather as elements used to explore vox populi and sensation in Albert Camus The StrangerLiterary techniques have long been an effective wight that authors use in order to comport deeper meaning within their text, in disuniteicular for bracings that have a seemingly simple purpose. The Stranger by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward is a perfect example of this, on the surface it is or so a murder committed by a heartless man, infra it succeeds the development of this man, his thoughts, his principles and fin in ally the acceptance of his fate. Color and weather be deuce elements that Camus uses in order to develop this deeper meaning, and to explore his stars thoughts and emotions. This technique explores the wider concept of existentialism as well, essentially classifying The Stranger as an existential philosopher novel. Color and weather are used in conjunction at times, but when employed separately their influence materializes in different ways withi n the novel.Weather as used by Camus directly influences the actions of his protagonist Meursault. The or so prominent instance would be when he commits the murder of the Arab, because of the terrible heat. This is evident in the line The Sea carried up a thick, raging breath. It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire. My whole being tensed and I squeezed my flip over around the revolver.1 Here, the sun and the heat are used to manufacture vivid imagery that characterizes the weather as a force by itself, an irrefutable force that has control over Meursault, something that dictates his animal(prenominal) actions at times. Meursault notions the physical attributes of the world around him in a much greater skill than others, which is an indication of his existential philosopher nature. The physical world is all that matters to him, nonhing beyond it.The sun is used as a recurring symbol to trace the progression of Meursaults charact er through the novel. His attitude towards it, they way he views the effect of the sun on himself is an indicator of his transgression as he is convicted and then as he develops his realization of the world, and accepts his fate. In the send-off part of the novel, the sun seems to cause him solely discomfort, he feels suffocated and weary under the unalterable battering of its repressive force. This is indicated when Meursault says, on the day of his get downs funeral But today, with the sun stance down, making the whole landscape shimmer with heat, it was inhuman and oppressive.2 The close of his mother did not cause him grief, but the force of the sun did.Here, he is entirely concentered on the physical aspects of his being he does not function on a level deeper than that. However, this is line of worked to his view towards the end of the novel, when he says .all night long, waited patiently for the first light to show on the superman of sky.3 He values the earth and what it has to give, in the view of his overture death he looks to the sun as a symbol of hope. gum olibanum what the sun represents to Meursault has changed, once it symbolized aggression and violence, now it indicates hope, and acceptance in his life. maculation weather was used to influence Meursaults actions, color is employed by Camus to reflect Meursaults thought process and his emotions. Meursault observes color intently as he is completely immersed in the physical world in the first part of the novel. Red features prominently as an indicator of violence, death and aggression. At his mothers funeral, Meursault describes his mothers burial as the simple eye red earth spilling over Mamans casket, the neat flesh of the root mixed with it4 The red earth reflects the death of his mother, the white represents the complete feeling he associates with it. The line could be seen as an allusion to his ambivalent feelings towards his mothers death, guilt at not being able to adapt to societys expectations, represented by red, and awareness that his mothers death has not caused him to feel anything therefore he is empty, represented by white.Yellow and green appear occasionally in the course of the novel as well, to reflect certain aspects of Meursaults thinking, and emotions. After an enjoyable dinner party at Celestes, Meursault says The sky was green I felt good.5 car park here represents contentment, and a certain tranquil calm that enables him to live in the moment, with his simple concerns and thoughts. Yellow is used when he describes his dead mother and the reverberate on his wall. Thus, it represents dilapidation and aging, something that does not appeal to Meursault.Blue and black are significant colours as when they are contrasted with each other, they represent Meursaults throw together between an obligation to conform to society, and a desire to be freed from all responsibility. It can be inferred from the line I felt a little lost between the blu e and white of the sky and the humdrum of the colors around me the sticky black of the tar, the dull black of all the clothes, and the shiny black of the hearse6 that his ambivalence troubles him. Black as a symbol of mourning represents what Meursault should be feeling, despair and loneliness, while blue and white represent his desire to be liberated, to live in the world without having to feel guilty for his lack of feeling at his mothers death.Meursaults keen observation of color and the fact that the weather affects him in fleshy ways all allude to something deeper. There is a perceptible change in Camus writing style when he describes nature, and when he describes emotion or a social situation. The sentences flow freely when he writes of nature, describing the sun or the weather or the lap of water against his skin. This is starkly different from the phrase used to depict social situations, or emotion. The sentences are short and clipped, suggesting Meursaults unease with co nforming to society and its regulations. His connection with nature hints at his existentialist tendencies revealed later on in the novel, as he finds pleasure in the physical world instances such as good weather entertain him.The usage of these elements as literary techniques in the novel contributes to a deeper collar of the nature of existentialism itself. Existentialism is a predominant theme in The Stranger, one that Camus has chosen to explore in a compelling way. His revolve about on the physical, weather and color are both aspects of the world that are visible on the surface. They symbolize the very essence of existentialism, a focus on the absolute, what is tangible and present rather than something unidentifiable and abstract.Existentialists focus on concrete human existence, Camus has alluded to this by employing weather and color as techniques in the novel to illustrate his protagonists thoughts. The development of these symbols, the Sun in particular and what it mean s to Meursault is indicative of Camus own thoughts towards existentialism. His character Meursault is resolved of his struggle in the end he reaches a stage where he accepts his impending death. By doing this, Camus encourages the reader to persevere in spite of absurdity. He cites it as an obstacle to overcome rather than a reason for ending ones life, which is the parking lot outcome of an existentialists thinking.Thus, Albert Camus makes use of color and weather to convey certain deeper connotations of the novel, as well as to indicate his protagonists existentialist tendencies, and his own thoughts on this philosophy. He uses symbols, vivid imagery and contrast to highlight the conflict within Meursault, which is an important facet of the novel. His symbolic origination of the sun traces Meursaults character development, from a man removed from most of the world, to a man who accepts his fate and truly appreciates the world around him. These are the elements that contribute t o the depth of a novel, give it many layers that provoke thought within the reader.BibliographyCamus, Albert (1942) The Stranger, Alfred. A. Knopf, Inc (1998)1 The Stranger by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward, page 592 The Stranger by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward, page 153 The Stranger by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward, page 1134 The Stranger by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward, page 185 The Stranger by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward, page266 The Stranger by Albert Camus, translated by Matthew Ward, page 17