Taylor Hennas

Existentialist Mix tape

                Albert Camus, an Algerian author, wrote The Stranger in 1942. The book is based on an existentialist Algerian character named Meursault. The Stranger is divided into two separate parts. The first part is a first person narrative of Meursault’s thoughts before he kills an Arab man. The second part is a first person narrative of Meursault’s thoughts after he commits his crime and how his execution will go. Both parts are written with existentialist themes in mind. Existentialism is a theory in which one makes decisions that will benefit oneself, follows no system that doesn’t accommodate oneself, and believes life has no universal meaning: every life is the same and death is death. Many modern bands, like The Shins, write music about philosophies like existentialism. The Shins are an American indie band from Albuquerque, New Mexico, formed in 1996. Music written by The Shins consists of hidden meanings of how every life is the same. Similar to The Stranger, the song “Nothing At All” composed by The Shins illustrates existentialism through the principles of absurdity, alienation, and absolute systems.

Similar to The Stranger, “Nothing At All” represents existentialism through the principle of absurdity. Absurdity is that there is no actual or universal meaning to life. Every life is the same. An example of absurdity in “Nothing At All” is the first through third line, “Well there’s an idea inside of me, That we’re nothing at all. There’s nothing threatening controlling me, In fact there’s nothing at all.” This quote illustrates absurdity because ‘that we’re nothing at all.’ means there is no true meaning to life, it has no specific definition.  This example of absurdity connects to The Stranger. “I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.” (43)  This quote is Meursault’s response to his boss’ offer. This quote shows Meursault’s belief in a certain way of human existence. This comment also implies that each person’s life is essentially equal to everyone else’s. These are both examples of absurdity but that is not the only principle of existentialism represented in both of these articles.

Another principle represented in both The Stranger and “Nothing At All” is alienation. Alienation is a fact that a human being is a stranger in their own life. No one can completely understand the human being. An example of alienation in “Nothing At All” is in the fourth stanza, “I’m just a shell empty as can be, Yeah, I’ve got nothing at all.” This illustrates alienation because “I’m just a shell empty as can be” means this person has no emotion. Having nothing and no emotion mean a human being can be stranger in their own life. This lyric representing alienation also connects to a passage from The Stranger. “A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so.” (36) The quote also illustrates alienation because Meursault is talking about his feelings towards Marie after she asked him if he loved her. He does not truly understand his feelings therefore he is a stranger in his own life. No one can completely comprehend Meursault’s emotional behaviors. Both examples of writing connect to alienation, but also connect to absolute systems.

The Stranger and “Nothing At All” represent a theme of existentialism through the principle of absolute systems. Absolute systems are philosophies such as religion, the law, etc. Existentialists, such as Meursault or The Shins, do not believe in absolute systems. An example of absolute systems in “Nothing At All” composed by The Shins is in the beginning of stanza two. “You got a feeling nothing here is free, ‘Cause you grew up in a mall.” The Shins are referring to growing up in an environment where laws are enforced. Nothing is free, and no single person can do whatever they want to do. This example is similar to a passage from The Stranger. “It took me awhile to realize my life would change dramatically, since this was my first time in a police station.” (62) This passage is describing Meursault’s thoughts after he shot the Arab and went to jail. This is an example of absolute systems because Meursault did not obey by the law, an absolute system, and he is being punished for it. Meursault thought existentially before he shot the Arab because he wasn’t thinking about the consequences, he did not think twice about what he was doing; Meursault just went with it.

Similar to The Stranger, the song “Nothing At All” composed by The Shins illustrates existentialism through the principles of absurdity, alienation, and absolute systems. The Shins and Meursault from The Stranger are similar because they both have an existentialist view on life. They both believe life has no true meaning, every life is the same, absolute systems are optional, and decisions that help oneself are beneficial. The Stranger written by Albert Camus was one of the first books written with an existentialist theme. Maybe most modern music, like The Shins, is based off of The Stranger?