To Feel

Vikter Frankl’s article called Man’s Search for Meaning describes his experiences while being prisoner in a Nazi Concentration Camp during World War 2.  Similarly to Meursault, Frankl learns to not demonstrate any emotional reactions while in the concentration camp, however differently from Meursault his lack of expression resulted from trauma whereas Meursault chose his lifestyle and did not have to adapt to it.  

Frankl says, “An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.  Even we psychiatrists expect the reactions of a man to an abnormal situation, such as being committed to an asylum, to be normal in proportion to the degree of his normality.”(pg. 32). Meursault believes that when presented with an abnormal situation he should combat it without expression so as to avoid using social constructs to mask his abnormal emotions.  

Another instance that Frankl and Meursault conflict opinions is over the concept of love.  Throughout the novel Meursault is stalked by the opportunity for successful love, however, he always ceases to exploit it.  Meursault always remained indifferent to Marie’s enamoration for him because of his resistance to the social construct that society created called “love.”  As opposed to Meursault, Frankl chose to accept love and rely on it to help him survive.  Frankl says, “The salvation of man is through love and in love.  I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved.” (pg. 49).  Frankl decides not to reject love and instead rely on it for relief from random suffering and allow it to help him survive.