Existentialism Essay Test
4. Why is Sisyphus content with his work and why is it related to Meursault’s happiness?
-Repetitive labor; condemned by the gods
-conscious of his fate
-“One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” (78)
-Meursault finds inner contentment
-Overcomes his reality
Sisyphus is able to be wary of his punishment and its purpose from early on; he knows the fact
that the gods have condemned him so that he will suffer miserably for the rest of his existence.
However, Sisyphus is conscious of his fate and determines to be content with his labor. Of
course, it is physically demanding and mentally disappointing; there is no end to his punishment.
Yet, Sisyphus does not sulk. Rather, he is able to achieve “lucidity that was to constitute his
torture” (77) and mentally brace himself for the descent down. If something is already bound to
happen, you might as well be victorious within it. Likewise was the case of Meursault in The
Stranger. Faced with an imminent death, Meursault falls into a time of desperation and deep
thoughts. For the first time, he realizes “how all these people loathe” (56) him. For the first time,
he feels like crying, a huge accomplishment for someone as callous as Meursault. After these
moments of epiphany, Meursault ultimately realizes that he is happy in the “benign indifference
of the universe” (76). Because both of these men were directly revealed to their fates, they were
able to understand their realities and overcome them to find happiness.
3. According to the ideas presented in class, why does truth not exist?
-truth is relative
-we have to label which is different
-without a Meursault, there could be nobody else
Truth is much too vague of a concept to confine into existence. Therefore, it does not exist.
Furthermore, it is fair to say that everything in life is relative. If you have ten dollars, is that a
large amount? Compared to a single penny, it is; compared to a million dollars, it certainly is not.
How can we trust that truth exists when this world is so conditional and relational? Even in The
Stranger, the truth of the Arab murder case may never be revealed because simply put, there is
no truth. Everyone’s interpretations of things are different due to mores and everyone’s thoughts
are different due to varying realities. Because we are not Meursault and Meursault is not
everyone else, the truth behind his gunshots can never be fully understood.
This is an exceptional and unique answer, but it lacked specific support in the form of
quotations.
2. Why can’t an individual’s purpose be defined outside of himself?
-Prosecutor does not understand Meursault
-Meursault does not understand everyone else
-We are all within ourselves and our own realities
Existentialism Essay Test
In this society, there is a mores. Within that mores, there exists diversity. Because there is
diversity, an individual’s purpose cannot be defined outside of himself. Actions that do not fit
into a mores, basically Meursault’s whole life, are labeled as different and wrong. Meursault is
described as someone who is callous and “a criminal at heart” because he was “behaving at his
mother’s funeral in a way that showed” that he was (60). Although the Prosecutor’s statements
are the most seemingly logical accusations derived from evidences, Meursault’s purpose behind
the murder could have justifications and the murder could appear perfectly normal in his eyes To
him, this murder case is not that big of a deal. Getting this across to the hostile audience,
however, is the difficult part, which is why an individual’s purpose cannot be completely defined
outside of the man himself. What goes in our minds is not always said or expressed into words.
Nevertheless, the mind is an essential purpose in our realities. If a part of our realities is not
revealed unto the world, is that not our reality? Of course not. Because not everything about an
individual’s purpose can ever completely be expressed, the individual’s whole purpose cannot be
determined as well, other than to himself.