Journal of new advances in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics

Journal of new advances in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics

Fidelity to Existence: An Examination of Camus' The Stranger Through Heideggerian Philosophy

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Department of English Language and Literature, Bu.C., Islamic Azad University, Bushehr, Iran
10.22034/jeltal.2025.7.1.6
Abstract
This paper examines the existential themes in Albert Camus’ The Stranger through Martin Heidegger’s philosophy, focusing on concepts such as Being, authenticity, and Being-toward-death from Being and Time. It explores how Meursault, the protagonist, challenges societal norms, reflecting Heidegger’s notion of authenticity while confronting the absurd. By contrasting Heidegger’s existential ontology with Camus’ absurdism, the study highlights their convergences and divergences. Heidegger emphasizes authenticity as acknowledging one’s finitude, while Camus promotes rebellion against life’s absurdity as a path to meaning. The paper explores Heidegger’s ideas of thrownness, anxiety, and the "They," showing their resonance with Meursault’s alienation. Meursault’s ultimate confrontation with death becomes a defining moment, reflecting both Heideggerian authenticity and Camusian acceptance of absurdity. This synthesis provides insights into their philosophical intersections, particularly regarding responses to mortality and societal conformity. While both Camus and Heidegger critique inauthenticity, their approaches to meaning diverge: Heidegger seeks ontological grounding, while Camus focuses on existential defiance. By addressing these complexities, the paper offers a nuanced understanding of existentialism and its application to literature, contributing to broader discussions on Being, freedom, and the human condition.
Keywords

Camus, Albert. (1991). The Myth of Sisyphus: And Other Essays. Trans. Justin O’Brien. New York: Vintage Books.
---. The Rebel. Trans. Anthony Bower. (1956). New York: Vintage Books.
---. The Stranger. Trans. Stuart Gilbert. (1946). New York: Vintage Books.
Doubrovsky, Serge. (1960). Sartre and Camus: A Study in Incarceration. Yale French Studies 25: 85-92..
Dreyfus & M. A. Wrathall (Eds.). (2005). A Companion to Heidegger. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.
Frede, Dorothea. (1996). The Question of Being: Heidegger's Project. The Cambridge Companion to Heidegger. Ed. Charlrs B. Guingon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 42-69.
Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and Time (J. Macquarrie & E. Robinson, Trans.). Harper & Row. (Original work published 1927).
Heidegger, Martin. (2000). Introduction to Metaphysics. Trans. Gregory Fried and Richard Polt. Tubingen: Yale University.
Longstaffe, Moya. (1990). A Happy Life and a Happy Death: The Quest of Camus's Estranger.” The French Review 64.1. 54-68.
Mulhall, Stephen. (2005).  Human Mortality: Heidegger on How to Portray the Impossible Possibility of Dasein. A Companion to Heidegger. Ed. Hubert L. Dreyfus and Mark A. Wrathall. Malden: Blackwell publishing.
Philipse, Herman. (1998). Heidegger’s Philosophy of Being: A Critical Interpretation. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Volume 7, Issue 1
March 2025
Pages 115-137

  • Receive Date 12 January 2025
  • Revise Date 17 March 2025
  • Accept Date 24 March 2025