Meursault vs James (The End of the F***ing World)

A modern day example of Meursault's existential existence is found in the character James from the netflix series "The End of The F***ing World." For those who've never seen the show, it follows a boy named James who believes himself to be a psychopath who meets a troubled young girl named Alyssa from his school. Because he believes he is capable, he decides he will attempt to kill her. 

Meursault and James are not completely identical, James has a more active desire for violence whereas Meursault is not capable of computing complex emotions and basic human interactions. However, they both clearly lack the ability to be sympathetic to others and this characteristic shapes the plot of both of their stories. 

Marie and Alyssa both bring out the more ''human'' side of Meursault and James. For example, Meursault feels happy when he sees Marie smile and is able to be romantic with her in ways he cannot be with anyone else. Alyssa serves a similar purpose to James because she helps him realize his true intentions as they develop feelings for each other. Marie However, is a much less developed character than Alyssa. 

As readers, we only see Marie as a something to serve Meursault. She is the object and Meursault is the subject. Alyssa, on the other hand,  is given her own backstory and the audience sees multiple instances where she is speaking from her own perspective. Alyssa and James appear to have more mutual recognition in their relationship because of this. 

Overall, the two stories can classify their characters in a similar way: distant, unemotional, and unrelatable. Camus constructs Meursault to be a symbol of the existentialist existence by demonstrating the ways in which he doesn't participate in any social constructs. If one compares this to James, his character begins with and existential life, but conforms to the social construct of love. So in other words, one can be viewed as the prime existentialist while James transforms into the more typical person who takes part in social constructions and beliefs.