Nothing Exists Beyond Existence Itself
"Existentialism gets its name from an insistence that human life is understandable only in terms of an individual person's existence, his or her particular experience of life" (Bigelow 1). Portions of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and Albert Camus's The Stranger signify segments of existential beliefs. Dostoevsky's subtle approach towards existential philosophies and Camus's more forthright attitude, while very different in most respects, share a few likenesses as well. There exists a theme of intense alienation in Crime and Punishment that remains constant throughout the novel. The alienation begins when Raskolnikov separates himself from society because he sees his views and ideals as far superior to the rest of society's. He separates himself emotionally from his family and, despite how much his mother loves him, only uses them for their money. Raskolnikov further alienates himself and falls into a somewhat delirious paranoia after committing the murder of Alyona and her sister. The reader sees Raskolnikov as an outsider through the very end of the novel Even while he finds himself imprisoned in Siberia, a place set as
This fact sets them apart from the average and into a place all their own-the world of existentialism. The number one step of existentialism, as outlined by Gordon Bigelow, remains "Existence before essence (Bigelow 1). " Existence before essence suggests that life has no meaning; every person simply lives and nothing resides beyond that fact. " Because Meursalt has always agreed with the existential philosophy "existence before essence," he does not wish to change anything about himself to become more or less than what he has developed into, because he simply cannot see the point. To Meursalt, "one life [is] as good as another and [he is not] dissatisfied with [his]. One cannot define their existence on this planet as anything more than the fact that they live to serve themselves because, as existentialists, their existence remains all that matters in their universe. Meursalt separates himself both physically and emotionally from relating to anything that people may construe as the opinion of society rather than his own personal viewpoints. Meursalt does not mourn her because, to him, "[death] doesn't mean anything" (Camus 3). Though Albert Camus and Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novels approach existentialism much differently, their characters, Meursalt and Raskolnikov remain much alike in many regards. ide specifically for the outsiders of this world, "a terrible impossible gulf [lies] between him and all the rest [of the prisoners]. Society, as a whole, looks at marriage as a very serious decision; the fact that Meursalt doesn't mind either way attests to his existential nature. His universe revolves around himself and his choices.
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Acceptance Essays
