Meursault: The Absurd Hero

Once a man lived as a fool condemned to the riches of the universe. He desires no avarice,

delve into himself , and realize that death exist even in the living. The world found him odd, but

the universe accepted him not for his injustice, but belief. This is Existentialism believing that

everything is given value even though that value itself doesn’t exist. Realizing this a person can

find purpose through his meaningless. That is being the absurd hero accepting the world as it is,

meaningless and still finding happiness through that. Meursault, the protagonist of The Stranger

written by Albert Camus is the epitome of the absurd hero. The absurd hero is defined as a person

that has knowledge of decay, fulfillment of happiness, and rebuke
Meursault creates happiness as a choice through a meaningless world,

this means that the world itself will benefit him because he is happy. Ergo no suffering can occur

from his freedom of choice. In Camus's The Myth of Sisyphus, he points out “The Struggle itself

toward the heights is enough it fills a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” Sisyphus

and Meursault are epitomes of the absurd hero because they find happiness through a meaningless

tasks. Sisyphus has to ceaselessly roll a rock to the peak of a mountain, only to have it roll back

down. Then he continues to do this endeavor for eternity, but he finds happiness by gazing at earth

and its beauties. Meursault is condemned to death for is beliefs. While waiting in prison he says, “

A man who had lived only one day could easily live for a hundred years in prison. He would have

enough memories to keep him for being bored. In a way, it was an advantage.” This displays his

choice to be happy even in a negative predicament by finding out his thoughts could appeal to him.

We view that Meursault does not create his freedom of happiness through negative situations.

Even when his manager calls and offers him a promotion he declines it. He says, “ people
To be happy is a choice even when the world is against your beliefs.

The absurd hero is not someone who is easily understood. They defy conventional ways,

which can earn them the scorn of society, but only as a consequence. Meursault states, “ For the

first time in years, I had this stupid urge to cry, because I could feel how much all these people

hated me.” The whole room was against Meursault for the way he acted towards his mother. This

makes him a schlimazel for his belief wasn't the problem, but that the people couldn't accept his

belief. Even when Meursault tries to explain his reason for shooting the Arab. In that scene it

displays him firing at the Arab, then pausing to fire four more shots. “The sun was in my eyes”

proclaimed Meursault only to have his statement worsen the situation. In the prosecutors final

words he states that Meursault is a guilty man for the lack of grief towards his mother. Comparing

the following case to someone who has commit parricide. What people fail to understand is that

Meursault isn't a malice human, but is passionate and loving. His actions are from his beliefs,