In class last Friday, we discussed the idea of nihilism. The discussion reminded me of the existential novel, “The Stranger”, by french author, Albert Camus. The book is about an Algerian man named Meursault who killed an Arab he saw on the beach because he claimed the “sun was too hot”. Meursault feels no remorse whatsoever after murdering this innocent person on the beach for no apparent reason. This character represents nihilistic beliefs that nothing in the world has a real existence and therefore, life is meaningless. Meursault rejects all universal moral principles, which is exactly the opposite of absolution, which is universal moral standards. Reading this novel was extremely frustrating and also entertaining. It was the first time I had been introduced to extreme existential nihilistic ideas and it made me question the value of meaning, purpose and significance in life. What was most frustrating about Meursault was that he didn’t have any feeling or response to his murder. He didn’t care that he killed an innocent man because he didn’t see why it mattered since life is insignificant and has no purpose. The novel made me think about how much meaning we put into everything. Everything from thinking that seeing five red cars driving in a row is significant, to this immense universal pressure that everyone must have a purpose in life. After reading this book, I knew that I was not an existentialistic or a nihilistic, but it still makes me question the emphasize that humans put on meaning and morals.
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