Question

According to Camus in "The Myth of Sisyphus," "…fate...is a human matter which must be settled among men....At the subtle moment when man glances backward over his life...he contemplates that series of unrelated actions which becomes his fate, created by him, combined under his memory's eye and soon sealed by his death ...he concludes that all is well." Apply this philosophy to the character of Meursault.

Answer 1

Answer:

Both accepted fate to be ultimate in determining one's life course

Explanation:

In the Myth of Sisyphus, Sisyphus was eternally condemned by the gods to push a rock up a hill, only to have it fall down on him again. Meursault however, is a person who is accused of murder, sent to jail for over a year, and is then executed. What both these characters have come to realize is that they are forced to live in these situations created by fate, therefore they might as well enjoy or at least get used to them.

Meursault is forced to live in a cell without any pleasures, such as his cigarettes or the love of a woman. When this happens, Meursault recalls what his mother told him.

She said that one could get used to just about anything. When Meursault realizes and understands that this is just part of his punishment, he becomes indifferent, as he always does, and accepts his situation. Though Meursault had mentally accepted his situation, his body still suffers withdraw symptoms and sexual urges. Eventually however, his body got used to it as well. He passively defies punishment by accepting his situation and enjoying himself in jail. That is when Meursault's punishment isn't a punishment anymore. When Meursault is condemned to death, he does not act surprised, although he wishes he did not have to die. After a while he accepts that too. It did not matter to him that he is going to die, since he reasoned that he would have to face the same dilemma in a few years anyway.