Albert Camus’s Meursault: The Paradox of Atheistic Transcendence

Abstract
“The future is the only transcendental value for men without god” –
Albert Camus.
Transcendentalism is a philosophy started in early 19th
century that promotes the natural tendency, spiritual thinking instead
of scientific. In The Stranger by Albert Camus, the protagonist
Meursault stand for Camus’ irreligious existentialist mindset by
depicting emotional and psychological withdrawal from the world.
Meursault not only symbolizes Camus’ atheistic existentialist beliefs,
he also illustrates Camus’ argument that “nothing matters.” Meursault
plays a role of spirit lessness or emotionless towards social standards
such as his indifference behavioural attitude to his mother’s death, his
aberrant behaviour in his relationships with Marie, Solomon, and
Raymond, and his immoral action of killing the Arab man which
highlights Camus’ atheist existentialist view. Albert Camus believes
that every individual lives and human existence have no intellectual
meaning or devoid of God.
Keywords: Existence, Atheist, Indifference, Irreligious.