Sisyphus, according to Greek legend, was condemned to forever repeat the same meaningless task of pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll down again. Camus believes that as long as Sisyphus accepts that there is nothing more to life than this absurd struggle, then he can find happiness in it. This notion of an absurd struggle is also expanded upon in Camus' writing of The Stranger.
In the The Stranger, on page 69 Camus writes, "He asked me if I believed in God. I said no. He sat down indignantly. He said that it was impossible; all men believed in God, even those who turn their backs on him. That was his belief, and if he was ever to doubt it, his life would become meaningless. 'Do you want my life to be meaningless?' he shouted." Camus emphasizes that without the presence of God this man's life would be meaningless. Dissimilar to the boulder that Sisyphus pushes, the presence of God in this man's life enables the man to live a life that is not absurd. Thus, the belief in God as a higher power enables individuals to live a life that is not absurd; God is not absurd.
Yea, while I was reading, I was thinking about how Camu really emphasized through his characters, if they believed in a higher power how they seemed to have more of a 2d characteristics
ReplyDeleteBased on what Camus wrote in "The Myth of Sisyphus", I interpreted his opinion on a higher power/god as a way to explain the unexplainable. He seems to think that religion is a way for people to cope with the fact that life has no meaning, because without it, they might commit suicide.
ReplyDeleteIf you take it even further, or back to earlier class discussion, The relationship between the magistrate and god is a pure power dynamic. For if god were to cease to exist so to would the meaning in the magistrates life. It's interesting because it just further proves how to be an individual you must be independent and the magistrate is not.
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