Existentialism in Camus and Kafka Essay

Franz Kafkas The metamorphosis and Albert Camus The alien, both(prenominal) cavort helps in seats protrude of which arise existentialist value. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individualistic experience in a belligerent or indifferent universe, regards hu soldiery earthly concern as unexplainable, and stresses assuagedom of choice and business for the consequences of is acts. In The metamorphosis the agonist, Gregor Samsa, realizes his existentialism towards the conclusion of the novella.In contrast, Monsieur Meursault, the promoter in The Outsider, knows of his existentialism, all realizing his carriages leave out of guessing moments after he is sentenced to death. Despite the somewhat absurd personality of The Metamorphosis, and the realistic nature of The Outsider, similar values ar communicated to the subscriber. The easiest to pick out world that it is up to the individual to create his/her proclaim deportment, and that the inhu man behaviour presented by both garters departing leveltu entirelyy surpass to very bad things namely death in both novellas.These deaths are, how constantly, very different, as are the methods by which Kafka and Camus have made s eerally novel nothing that a philosophy put into images. Meursault (the narrator) in The fantastical lonesome(prenominal) sees and besides wants to see the imperative truth in association. The lectors first encounter with him Mama died today. Or yesterday maybe, I dont know. I got a telegram from the basis Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours. That doesnt mean boththing. Maybe it was yesterday. immediately betters an impression of a lack of emotion towards the demise of his mother.This lack of emotion highlights the existentialist thoughtl that we all die, so it doesnt matter what brio we have turn we are alive. We alone exist, as did Meursault. It be decreases apparent, as the novella u nfolds, that Meursault has acquired an animal like tranquillity towards lodge. His interactions with his neighbour Raymond are an example of his indifferences. It never dawns upon Meursault that society does not condone his interactions with the pimp, avoided by his community. Meursault simply acts to convey his time.Being a single man, he has a lot of time to fill, and call backs the weekends discharge particularly easily. While the scene draw ines slowly before Meursault, Camus text flows quickly. He uses oblivious sharp sentences to convey an atmosphere desolate of emotion or feeling. This is especially hard-hitting between pages 21 and 24, at the end of chapter devil, when Meursault is giving a descriptive story of the heart outside his window on a typical Sunday. He ends the chapter adage one more Sunday was all over nothing had stird. Existentialism is present in nearly all of Meursaults interactions with society. adept such piece of evidence reinforcement Meursaults existentialism is his interaction with Marie. His fellowship is merely sexual and physical. Meursault uses Marie to help him pass his time he spends an entire Saturday with her. When questioned rough love and marriage, Meursaults replies manoeuver indifference through their nothingness. Meursault is existentialist to the extent that he couldnt care less some the path his sustenance (or lack of one) takes. The reader is constantly bombarded with short phrases revealing ever more Meursaults sorry outlook on a worthless existence.Examples of this come in the form of Meursault confining himself to unless one room in his apartment, his ignorance to amicable expectations, his mindless identification with old Salamano and his dog, and approximately importantly his disregard for human life and the consequences for the removal of it. As mentioned in the above definition of existentialism, it stresses the responsibility for ones own actions. When Meursault comes to out pouring for killing the Arab, he finally realises that he cant take the responsibility. This is the chief(prenominal) turning testify as farthermost as existentialism is concerned in The Outsider.Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis is equally as philosophical. The novella is written as a metaphor, with a very strong sensation of vivid realism. The metaphor is for any situation in which someone tries to break informal form a social norm, scarce to fall failing to convince the society that his/her action is just. The protagonist, Gregor Samsa, brought society against him when he questioned his life as a travelling salesperson. loving expectations had put him in his place, but he decided, although the reader may assume sort of subconsciously, that it was not the place for him.His lack to crawfish all social burdens from his shoulders is first illustrated to him through his transformation into a monstrous vermin. The protagonist was the narrator in The Outsider, a man who told the story of his demise from existentialism, only to find he accepted a life just before his chances were taken away. The Metamorphosis, on the other hand, is narrated on the third person, where the reader receives an unbiased view of Gregor Samsas attempts to catch existentialist.Where Camus used short to the point statements to show existentialism, Kafka has filled his novella with colourful descriptive literal language, in an attempt to point out the depth in any situation, such as Gregors galore(postnominal) squirming legs, his visualisation of his room becoming ever smaller and ever more bland, and the descriptive nature with which the fatal apple becomes lodged in Gregors back and dismantletually allows him to die. The Outsiders Meursault is existentialist, finding a need for a heart to life only when his is round to be taken.In The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa, on the other hand, has a centre to his life, and respectes it away. The moderate move towards existentialism in Kafkas novella runs throughout, from the moment Gregor wakes up as a bug until the moment he breaths no more. Gregor shows that he knows his life has meaning when at the beginning of the novella he is more concerned just about how he will fulfil his social design than what he will do about being a bug. Albert Camus said that we arrive at into the habit of living before acquiring the habit of thinking.In that race which occasional hastens us towards death, the body maintains its irreparable lead. ?In The Metamorphosis, Gregor thinks about his position, throwing his body into dismay, eventually conduct to his death. As Gregor is further shunned by society for not conforming, represented in the novella quite dramatically by Gregor being a dung beetle among humans, he dents to forget any shred of meaning his life can have. He searches beyond his room for a meaning to life, but the further he ponders, the harder society hits him.You will never be happy if you carry on to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life. ?Gregor realized his existentialism pickings him over, as he gave his life to the destiny he had for it created. Having read both novellas, a reader could come to the conclusion that both feature a definite theme of existentialism, while The Outsider is centred on a protagonist who recognises the need to change from existentialism, and The Metamorphosis some one that recognises existentialisms battlefront in society.At the end of each, the protagonist either dies or is awaiting death. The deaths are brought about by a destiny the Meursault imagination he couldnt change, and Gregor brought upon himself. Meursault realised to a fault late that he wouldnt be able to take responsibility for his actions. It was only when he was forced by the audition to delve into his memory (something that he had microscopical use for as an existentialist) that he prize how he had shaped his own end. flavor did have meaning to him then, and his was only to wish that there be a cock-a-hoop crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they apostrophize me with cries of hate.Gregor Samsa allowed his life to end upon realising that he was free from society, but also that existentialism rendered him useless. forrader his death, his indifference to everything was much too heavy for him to have gotten on his back and rub himself clean ?From Gregors point of view, Franz Kafka was manufacture in saying A first sign of the beginning of understanding is the wish to die. The end of The Outsider sees a man build to start again, but ready too late.The conclusion of The Metamorphosis, however, serves not only to allow the Samsa family a chance to start again, but also to highlight that even following Gregors horrific trial by ordeal his family will put Gregors infant through the same process that lead Gregor to his death. Gregors sisters life is given a meaning, and the read er often hopes that she recognises it and respects it. The Metamorphosis highlights that one moldiness engage in social interaction to have a meaning in life, while portraying the grim desperation of a life determined by social interaction.The Outsider, on the other hand, follows an idea that quietly not conforming will only hurt oneself. An existentialist talent argue that to hurt oneself would not matter, in hurting oneself (especially the way in which Meursault did by killing the Arab) one is giving ones life a meaning. tied(p) if that meaning is sufferance, the agony will smooth end one day, as it is bound to, removing all meaning from all life. The two novellas give an honest outline of existentialism, and give, in both cases, existentialism the negative space that it leads to death.The authors were both highly regarded by their various(prenominal) peers. Camus was existentialist, and Camus referred to Kafka as an absurdist-existentialist. Both have produced flora brin ging to light the grim mankind of existentialism, yet neither has created an advertisement for it. It could even be said that the novellas where written to give meaning to the lives of the authors, and to stop society taking the roads of the protagonists. After all, who wants their indifference to change only when theyre threatened with legal murder? And who wants to die a worthless bug? words1668.