After listening to Mr. Heidkamp's talk about existentialism and reading The Stranger, I have realized the existentialist lifestyle is actually hard work.
If you think about it, in order to be viewed as successful in our society, you have to master a set of systems. You have to be good at the school system, juggle the college application system, end eventually navigate the job market if you want to be "successful." We follow systems in all aspects of life and for many people, these systems are a source of comfort. They provide a set of instructions for how to live a "good life" and most of the time, people don't question these systems.
When I began to digest Mr. Heidkamp's lecture, I became overwhelmed with how so many people blindly follow systems every single time. It is exhausting to question these systems and even more exhausting to face the criticism of others if you dare separate from these precious systems. I think that this is maybe why Mersault was so unemotional for the majority of the novel. Maybe he was worn out from questioning the systems and constantly having to chose whether he wanted to go with the flow or take a step back and analyze how he really wanted to live his life.
I like your interpretation. Existentialism would be great, but it's hardly achievable in today's society. How can you not "play the game" and get by unscathed?
ReplyDelete