The Stranger #5

            As his life comes to a close, Meursault struggles with the idea of dying. He tries to convince himself that “[s]ince we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how don’t matter” (114). If there is no afterlife, then it really does not matter whether he dies at age thirty or seventy. An absurdist would point out that the world does not care about an individual person. Life will move on after Meursault dies, and nothing will really change for other people. Meursault will just be gone. The chaplain who comes to visit Meursault cannot comprehend his state of mind. He asks, “Have you no hope at all? And do you really live with the thought that when you die, you die, and nothing remains?” (117). People like to think that they have some purpose in the world. Otherwise, it is difficult to justify trying to live a benevolent life. The chaplain places all of his faith in God, and therefore he has the motivation to help others and strive for an afterlife. Meursault does not believe in God or any sort of higher power. In some ways, this belief makes life even more important to him because he will have nothing after. At the same time, his outlook makes life seem unimportant because he will die and not remember nor be affected by anything he has done. The absurd philosophy that Meursault seems to base his life on does not answer the question of how he should live. Yet when he compares himself to the chaplain, Meursault realizes, “I was sure about me, about everything, surer than he could ever be, sure of my life and sure of the death I had waiting for me” (120). With no higher power, everything in life can be taken at face value. There is no underlying purpose, no guiding force, and no ultimate goal. Meursault acknowledges and accepts this, and he finally “open[s] [him]self to the gentle indifference of the world” (122). He does not begrudge the world for the insignificance of his life. Instead, Meursault finds peace in accepting the absurd.