Camus and Literary Existentialism. (Love at First Sight?)

In his essay "The Myth of Sisyphus," Albert Camus tackles the existentialist conundrum of choice. Sisyphus, according to Camus, accepts his punishment because he chose it in the most vague sense--through his actions. Thus, the action of choosing itself is rendered meaningless, and since one cannot consciously choose the course of one's own life, then life is also meaningless. However, Camus was not one of the purists of existentialism; rather, he was more concerned with the literary intrigue of existentialist ideas than with the philosophy itself. Camus' tendency towards existentialism as a literary device is not clearly seen in his essays, but in The Stranger, this unique use of existentialist principle is clearly seen in the protagonist Meursault.

For most of the novel, Meursault can be described as an "existentialist nightmare." He feels, but in abstract, detached, almost inhuman ways. He does things simply because they are vaguely interesting to him. He reiterates that life means nothing, achievement means nothing, emotions mean nothing. He is neither bad nor good, and then, just because he was confused by the sun or wanted to take a walk or felt uncomfortable around crying women, he ends up killing a man. He is convicted, and his conviction is reasonable to both the audience and Meursault himself. Even though he "didn't mean" to kill a man, his actions clearly led him to do it, and thus he chose to commit murder, whether he realized it or not. However, Camus breaks from existentialism after the verdict in a very subtle manner. In a scene where Meursault is lying on his prison bed, contemplating his oncoming death, he is suddenly subsumed by true feeling; he appreciates the former beauty and happiness of his life, finds (at least superficial) value in it, and feels fear at his imminent end. a hardcore existentialist would maintain that everyday life is meaningless, even in the last moments of one's life, but rather than turning Meursault into a didactic example of existentialism, Camus portrays the essential humanity of his character in these moments. Camus saw that in such a fatal situation, ideology would become irrelevant. Whether or not Meursault chose his fate through his actions, the fear of dying would still be present. Thus, Camus reveals a glaring fault of existentialism: even if life and choice are trifling matters, we as humans will always find greater meaning in living because living is what makes us human.