Show:
Characters
Author/His Philosophy
Plot Questions
Quotes
Existentialism and Absurdism
100
The main character in the novel, who is psychologically detached from the world.
Who is Meursault?
100
The place that The Stranger takes place.
Where is Algiers, Algeria?
100
Why can't Marie visit Meursault in jail anymore?
She is not his wife
100
This character states, "Suppose another girl had asked you to marry her- I mean a girl you liked in the same way you like me- would you have said 'yes' to her, too?"
Who is Marie?
100

THIS movement is often compared to absurdism, but is considered a more positive philosophy.

Existentialism

200
This character yearns for Meursault's attention and wishes for marriage.
Who is Marie?
200

What was Camus' relationship with his own mother like? 

He was very close with his own mother, who was deaf and illiterate. 

200
What is one reason Meursault cites for putting his mother in a home?
He didn't have the money to hire private help, he no longer has anything to talk to her about
200

Who says nothing, but is made notable based on their appearance and movements throughout the novella?

The robotlike woman

200
Who is the absurd hero that Camus compares with Meursault?
Who is Sisyphus?
300
This character displays grief over a passing loved one, which contrasts to Meursault's emotions when his mother dies.
Who is Salamano?
300

What is existentialism? 

The belief in free will above all - that only our choices dictate the meaning that life has, nothing else. 

300
What are three examples in which Meursault experiences a shift in mood due to a sensory experience?
At Maman's funeral, when he kills the Arab man, and when he is at the trial. (Other answers accepted as well.)
300
This character states, "I, anyhow, am a Christian. And I pray Him to forgive you for your sins. My poor young man, how can you not believe that He suffered for your sake?"
Who is the Magistrate?
300

With regards to absurdism, how are Gregor Samsa from "The Metamorphosis" and Meursault most similar?

They each accept the nature of their grim existences with little question. 

400
Who is the person who owns the house on the beach where Meursault and his friends are hanging out at the day the Arab is murdered?
Who is Masson?
400
What is the absurd?
The continued tendency of man to try and find meaning in a meaningless universe.
400

What is Meursault's biggest issue with the guillotine?

The condemned man was forced into a "moral collaboration" with those who are executing him. ("It was in his interest that everything go off without a hitch" (111)). 

400

This character states, "His coat was the best thing about him"?

Salamano

400
In what ways is Sisyphus similar to Meursault?
They both realize that while they are forced to live in tragic situations created by fate, they might as well make the most of their circumstances. Both men have a love for life and resist the illusion of natural order.
500
This character, a loyal friend to Meursault, blames the murder on a case of bad luck when testifying at the trial.
Who is Celeste?
500

According to absurdism, how do individuals seek meaning in a meaningless universe?

Accept that the world is absurd and continue to live in spite of it. Only then can people create individual personal meaning in their lives

500

Describe what happens to the man in the newspaper article clipping that Meursault keeps in his cell.

A man got rich and returns to his village to surprise his mother and sister after 25 years. He takes a room in their hotel anonymously, as a joke. Not recognizing him, his mother and sister stab him to death to rob him in the night. When they find out what they've done, they kill themselves. *Supports the notion that life and its events are purposeless

500
"You understand, I was too sad. So I don't see anything. My sadness made it impossible to see anything. Because for me it was a very great sadness. And I even fainted. So I wasn't able to see monsieur."
Who is Thomas Perez? (p. 91)
500

What happens in Meursault's final conversation with the chaplain? Think about this thematically, not strictly based on the content! 

He becomes a true absurdist: he is accepting of the chaos of his fate, but he continues to live in spite of it. He is no longer motivated by false hope.