Sartre Criticism

Question 1

How was the novel a stranger among literary publications of its time?

Question #1

Answer 1

• Came from the other side of the equator [Algeria]
• Did not try to prove anything
• Difficult to interpret

Question 2

What is meant by
‘absurd as a state of fact’?

Question #2

Answer 2

• Man’s relation to the world

It is absurd because man is obsessed with the eternal yet his existence is finite, and all efforts to imagine a life after death are in vain.

Question 3

According to Pascal, how does reason illuminate the absurd?

Question #3

Answer 3

Reason is the natural misfortune of our mortal condition.

It allows us to contemplate our existence and the more we examine our relation to the world, the less we can be consoled.

Question 4

According to Camus, how then does man conceal his own ‘nothingness, his forlornness, his inadequacy, his impotence, and his emptiness’ from himself?

Question #4

Answer 4

1. Customs: i.e. marriage ceremonies/funerals/birthday celebrations
2. Diversions i.e. religion/work/drugs

Question 5

What are the two basic
obvious facts man must face?

Question #5

Answer 5

1. The world is chaos
2. Tomorrow does not exist, since we all die.

Question 6

Why is man not a part of
the world? In what three ways is he a stranger?

Question #6

Answer 6

1. Man is a stranger confronting the world [reason]
2. Man is a stranger among men
   [cannot know another person]
3. Man is a stranger in relation to himself [body vs. mind]

Question 7

What is the passion of
the absurd?

Question #7

Answer 7

• The absurd man will not commit suicide, he will live his life.

“The absurd man will not commit suicide; he wants to live, without relinquishing any of his certainty, without a future, without hope, without illusions … and without resignation either. He stares at death with passionate attention and this fascination liberates him. He experiences the “divine irresponsibility” of the condemned man.” - Sartre

Question 8

How is the absurd man innocent? Use the comparison to Somerset Maugham’s Savages.

Question #8

Answer 8

He does not use pre-established concepts of good and evil

• He is free to enjoy life experiences without justification.
• Religion/society defines what experiences are acceptable—no longer free.

Question 9

Camus is a terrible innocent who shocks society. Why? Why does Meursault become a stranger in the eyes of the reader?

Question #9

Answer 9

• He does not accept the rules of the game.

We vainly attempt to judge him by societal standards [funeral].

Question 10

Why doesn’t the easiness of the reader ever fade?

Question #10

Answer 10

• Not an explanatory book—[he only describes]
• Does not justify the unjustifiable.
• Does not come out of a satisfied way of thinking—[no formal proofs]

Question 11

In the Myth of Sisyphus, Camus expresses his thoughts on the word “love”. What is this word’s significance and how does this understanding play out in The Stranger?

Question #11

Answer 11

Love—basis of collective thinking

Question 12

Why is it necessary to realize that nothing is more important than an execution in order to taste daybreak and freedom?

Question #12

Answer 12

• Forces us to appreciate every present moment [death being the last moment]

Question 13

How does Marie’s testimony contribute to Camus’ impression of the absurd?

Question #13

Answer 13

1. Words cannot express what happens in the world.
2. Yet, our justice system relies on words
   [testimony] to establish guilt or innocence.

Example within the novel:
Marie’s testimony was taken the opposite of what she intended.

Question 14

To Camus, what is the tragedy of human existence? [Refer to his words]

Question #14

Answer 14

His words: “If there exists meaning in
the world, it is beyond me and
impossible to know. I can only understand in human terms that which I touch.”

THEREFORE:
Tragedy = the inability to
transcend our human
condition.

Question 15

Jean Paul Sartre was told that Camus’ technique was “Kafka written by Hemingway”. To what extent does Sartre agree/disagree with this assessment?

Question #15

Answer 15

Kafka: [Disagree] Camus is at peace with nature’s blindness.

• Irritated: “yes”
• Anguished: “no”

Hemingway: [Agree] Both men write in short sentences.

• Each is a new beginning –a snapshot—a gesture.
• It is doubtful Hemingway influenced Camus.

Question 16

In the Myth of Sisyphus how does
the man in the phone booth create an uneasiness?

Question #16

Answer 16

We cannot hear him—we only see his ‘pointless’ gestures.

• Behavior appears absurd—Camus suggests we are all the man in the phone booth.

Question 17

How then does Camus use a glass partition with Meursault?

Question #17

Answer 17

Meursault’s mind is the glass partition.

Question 18

How are Camus’ sentences like islands?

Question #18

Answer 18

Sentences are not arranged in relation to each other—they are simply juxtaposed. Each sentence is a present moment.

Question 19

Why can’t dialogue be incorporated?

Question #19

Answer 19

Dialogue is explanatory in nature—[using it as such would admit that meaning exists]