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The Existential Angst in the Novels of Albert Camus: a Study

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The Existential Angst in the Novels of Albert Camus: a Study THE EXISTENTIAL ANGST IN THE NOVELS OF ALBERT CAMUS: A STUDY THESIS SUBMITTED TO BHARATHIDASAN UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ENGLISH BY Y.MERCY FAMILA Reg. No.17275 RESEARCH SUPERVISOR DR.T.S.RAMESH , M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D BHARATHIDASAN UNIVERSITY TIRUCHIRAPALLI NOVEMBER 2011 Dr.T.S.RAMESH, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D Assisiant Professor (SG), Department of English, National College, Tiruchirapalli-620001. CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the thesis entitled, “THE EXISTENTIAL ANGST IN THE NOVELS OF ALBERT CAMUS: A STUDY” submitted to Bharatidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English is a record of the independent research done by the candidate, Y.MERCY FAMILA, in the research Department of English, National College, Tiruchirapalli-23 under my supervision during the period, 2009- 2011. It has not formed the basis for the award of any previous degree, diploma, associateship, fellowship or other similar titles to the candidate or anybody else. Tiruchirapalli Dr.T.S.RAMESH Date: Y.MERCY FAMILA, Research Scholar, Department of English, National College, Tiruchirappalli. DECLARATION I hereby declare that the thesis titled, “THE EXISTENTIAL ANGST IN THE NOVELS OF ALBERT CAMUS: A STUDY” submitted to Bharathidasan University for the award of the Ph.D. Degree in English is a record of research work done by me under the guidance of Dr.T.S.Ramesh , Assistant Professor (SG), National College, Department of English, Trichy-620023, and it has not formed the basis for the award of any degree, diploma, associateship, fellowship or any other similar title by any candidate of any university. Tiruchirappalli: Signature of the Research Scholar Date: TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ……………………………………………….. i Abstract……………………………………………………………. iii Introduction ………………………………………………………….. 1 Chapter II Existence Precedes Essence - The Stranger …………………………. 37 Chapter III Essence of Existence - The Plague …………………………………… 75 Chapter IV Existential Consciousness - The Fall ………………………………… 113 Chapter V Narrative Technique …………………………………………………. 148 Conclusion…………………………………………………………… 184 Works cited …………………………………………………………. 221 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I express a deep sense of gratitude to my guide Dr.T.S.Ramesh for his able guidance and parental concern. His criticisms and words of appreciation helped me to streamline my thought processes. His scholarly advice and whole hearted involment in the work has led me to a successful completion of the work. I express my sincere gratitude to the secretary of National College, Sri. K. Ragunathan, the principal Dr.Anbarasu, for their kind words of appreciation. I thank also, the HoD and the members of the department for their constant support and guidance. I express a deep sense of gratitude to Dr.N.Kalamani, Professor, Department of English, Bharathidasan University and Dr.Suresh Frederick, Associate Professor, Department of English, Bishop Heber College, Trichy, the Doctoral Committee members for their scholarly guidance, which helped me to improve my work. I like to thank Dr.Roopkumar Balasingh, Head, Department of English, Bishop Heber College, Trichy, for his words of encouragement and support. I am indebted to Dr.T.C..Brindha Kumari, Head, Department of English, Mercy College, Palakkad, for her constant encouragement. I also, thank my parents P.Yesudasan and Y.Annamma because of whom, I am, what I am today. I extend my gratitude to my brother-in-law N.Praveen and my sister Mary Famila, my niece Neethu Shiny and brother Ane for having helped me in carrying out this research. ii I extend my gratitude to my husband Biju Joy for his moral and emotional support. He helped me in all turns, especially in buying textbooks. I thank my sweet little son, Ashley, for having made me forget the exhaustion that comes with my research work through his playfulness and love. I also, thank my friends especially Dr. Praseedha for encouraging me to complete the thesis at the earliest. I thank everyone who helped me to complete my thesis in one-way or other. Above all, I praise God Almighty for having blessed me with good health to complete this work successfully. Y.MERCY FAMILA iii ABSTRACT As existent being, man identifies with the world through his thoughts and perceptions. He is driven to seek meaning by the very complexities and contradictions of existence. The sense of lack of meaning or purpose is very apparent in twentieth century literature, philosophy and art. The thesis poses a critical question whether life is worth living or should be voluntarily terminated. Being brought face to face with the absurd world, a person longs for the answers that will clarify his position and purpose in this universe, but being unable to find satisfactory explanations he/she succumbs to despair. The futile existence, it seems, drives a person to the brink of despair and makes him to contemplate suicide out of sheer despondency and hopelessness. Existentialism is essentially associated with the condition of man, his act of living, his state of being free and the directions he takes to use his freedom in reciprocation to his wider experiences and enormous challenges he encounters in the universe that is drastically undergoing changes. The main philosophical ideal of existentialism is to emphasize that ‘existence precedes essence.’ It, also, stresses that each human being is thrown into the world in which pain, frustration, sickness, contempt, malaise and death predominantly exist. This problem has been highlighted in Albert Camus’s The Stranger , The Plague and The Fall , the novels chosen for the study. Through the analysis of the major characters, the study aims to disclose how anxiety, in general, occupies a major place in the existential spheres of life in the twentieth century. The first chapter titled, “Introduction” deals with the factors that force man into an isolated existence. It throws light on the Modern French Literature, its iv emergence of the French existentialists and their works and Albert Camus’s achievements as an existentialist. It, also, has made a broad survey of the philosophy, its origin, major thoughts, proponents and literary connection that helps in a better understanding of Albert Camus as an existentialist. The second chapter titled “Existence precedes Essence- The Stranger ” focuses on the existential predicament of its protagonist, Meursault. It explores his psyche, who is apathetic and insensitive to the events in his own life and those around him. The novel depicts his anguished quest for a way out. Sartre’s and Heidegger’s concepts, such as choice, responsibility, bad faith and the concept of Dasein have been used to study how Meursault is contended with a banal daily routine rejecting the transcendent values. The third chapter titled “Essence of Existence- The Plague ” analyses how the characters are inclined to deny the cruelty of their condition and hide themselves in their illusory world governed by habit. Camus presents a contrast in the novel between the spiritual and mundane life. Further, using the theories of Sartre and Heidegger, it proves that they too, are existentialists. The fourth chapter titled “Existential Consciousness- The Fall ” probes how Clamence the protagonist, is concealed from the world and for a long time from himself by a life of philanthropy. It studies the duplicity and insincere life of Clamence using Sartre’s concepts of bad faith, Other, guilt and Heidegger’s Dasein. v The fifth chapter titled “Narrative Technique” highlights the varied and extensive techniques adopted by the writer to manifest the existential cries and the angst of the characters. It, further, studies the plot, structure, symbolism and imagery, language and style of the novels. The sixth chapter titled “Conclusion” sums up the evaluation of the characters from an existential point of view. CHAPTER –I Introduction The storm has died away, and still we are restless, uneasy, as if the storm were about to break. Almost all the affairs of men remain in a terrible uncertainty…. We do not know what will be born, and we fear the future, not without reason. There is no thinking man, however shrewd or learned he may be, who can hope to dominate this anxiety, to escape from this impression of darkness. (The Crisis of the Mind 23) Human beings are constantly in search of a harmonious world tapping all the resources available in this computerized world. The present chaotic world with its own scientific and technological achievements poses a threat to human existence. The twentieth century is generally considered as an age of despair, uncertainty and fragmentation, which causes man to feel estranged from the world around him and, also, to lead a lonely existence. Man faces instability and insecurity and sheds absolute principles like faith, love, responsibility and, therefore, he faces constant threat. He feels lost because of the problems that constitute his condition, and they cannot be eliminated or removed. Decisions cannot be made and absolutized; they must constantly be sifted. In such a scenario, man becomes an outsider, lives an uncommitted life, severs his previous connections, renounces all cultural norms and suffers from nonchalance. Furthermore, the industrial epoch imposes rigid control over human life and forces man to lead a robot-like existence. Prior to industrialization, “the tools man used the pace of work and the distribution of the workload” were within his capacities and needs (Alienation in Modern Society 18). But, the moment man began to work in the factories; he has to adapt himself to the system and thereby becomes obligator of machines. So, man loses his authority over the machine and becomes its slave. In other words, man is denied of voice and choice in his work as the machines become masterful and orders him “when to work, when to stop, what to do and how to do it” ( Alienation in Modern Society 21). Loss of self-importance and the sense of powerlessness have destroyed man’s belief in his own humanity and arouse feelings of resentment and wrath.
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