Recently, I read “The Stranger” by Albert Camus.  The novel is considered one of the major accomplishments of the absurd movement and sometimes the existentialists.  .  The movement started with World War Two, and became more popular towards the middle of the century.  “The Stranger” is about a Frenchman living in Algier although he does not appear to fit in to his culture.  The novel opens with the main character, Meursault, stating that his mother died.  He shows no emotion, and goes through the funeral without ay signs of grief.  Then, he moves on with his life and starts a relationship with a woman the following day.  Later on in the novel, Meursault kills a man for no apparent reason.  As he says, he was annoyed by the sun and the heat.

I do not want to ruin the novel for anyone who wishes to read it, as i think it is extremely worthwhile.  I became interested in the absurd movement as soon as we saw “The Bald Soprano.”  When we read it in class, I was annoyed by the apparent randomness and silliness of the play.  After understanding the meaning behind Ionesco’s words, the play became fascinating.  The absurd movement as well.  It is hard to imagine how people were feeling after the war, and the total destruction of millions of people and countries.  This is the expression of the survivors.  It shows the world the psyche of the times, better than movies or photographs.  Through Ionesco, and Camus we see the feelings and emotions that the survivors of the war were feeling.  I think that is an incredible accomplishment for the absurdists.