Albert Camus, a twentieth-century author who wrote such famous pieces as The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus, was primarily focused on existentialist philosophy and the application of such to contemporary society. Existentialism is often defined as the emphasis on concrete individual existence and, consequently, on subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice. In both works, Albert Camus’ exhibition principally focuses upon the application of free will and morality of existentialism, the legitimate instinctive spontaneous reactions of humans, as well as the polemic and application of existentialist ethics and values pertaining to modern era society.
Man is an ambiguous, dubious, perplexing creature -- man is condemned to be free--he has to act,but there is no real or true creed to tell him how to act. For the existentialist, it is in the nature of human consciousness itself to be free -- to be free to create and recreate it self at will. Defined only by our acts we are free to assign values to our actions, to give our lives meaning. The existentialist does not tell us what to believe or how to act. To be directed from outside is to be guilty of bad faith. The only faith is individualistic -- we must be genuine to ourselves. We are compelled to make choices, and we need to make them with absolute conviction. Existence preceeds essence. "The Stranger," by world renown author Albert Camus analyzes the existentialist's role in a society that is incapable of understanding or tolerating nonconformity, where he created a character who rejected established morality, but who could never escape society's eminently imposing and restrictive value system.
Existentialists turn to humanity itself to find modernistic values. They recognize the nihilistic tendencies of bourgeois civilization, but they are not themselves nihilists. They maintain a faith in humanity -- a faith that leads them to the belief that only man can understand and solve the problems of mankind. Existentialism drew on a myriad of earlier ideas, and one of its enduring strengths was that it manages to absorb nearly two centuries of European thought into one structure. It is a perennial philosophy. . As Sartre once wrote, "existentialism is an attempt to draw all the consequences from a consistent atheist position."
One can suggest that instinct may be learned, or did not exist at conception, and another may conclude that individuals are born with instinct and use it involuntarily. In both works of literature, Albert Camus cleverly includes the opinion that instinct is a natural unavoidable reaction to sudden surprise situations. Mersualt, the primary character in The Stranger, is perceived to react instinctively, when he shoots the other man. Albert Camus is intentionally illustrating the horrifying situation to convey to the carefully observing reader that instinct exists and has existed since any individuals conception.
During the passing of these two influential pieces of literature, Albert Camus uniquely intertwines several ubiquitous universal and existentialist beliefs, themes and values. Both masterpieces include Camus’ personal opinion of how human behavior is, and how existentialism applies to it. The focus primarily converges on free will and morality, common human behavior and ethics, as well as involuntary and inevasible human instinct, and how they apply to contemporary society.