Seinfeld and The Stranger (The Truth)

Albert Camus’s The Stranger and an episode of Seinfeld are as different as it gets for many people. However, they are also similar in many ways. During the Seinfeld episode Jerry and Elaine show how disconnected they are from society. Elaine’s boyfriend suffered a stroke. While Jerry and Elaine were waiting for an ambulance they were talking about Elaine’s boyfriend’s eyebrows. They were completely unaware of the fact that they should care about the man passed out on the couch. Meursault is also disconnected from society. Often he eats alone at Celeste’s restaurant and ponders life. “I smoked a couple of cigarettes, went inside to get a piece of chocolate, and went back to the window to eat it. Soon after that, the sky grew dark and I thought we were in for a summer storm. Gradually, though, it cleared up again. But the passing clouds had left a hint of rain hanging over the street, which made it look darker. I sat there for a long time and watched the sky.”

            In the Seinfeld episode George crashes Jerry’s car. He was not able to perform the simple task of driving a car across the street. In The Stranger, Raymond is not able to write a letter to his girlfriend.  “But Raymond told me he didn’t think he could write the kind of letter it would take and that he’d thought of asking me to write it for him. Since I didn’t say anything, he asked if I’d mind doing it right then and I said no.” In both cases characters have a disconnect from society because they cannot perform simple tasks.

            Jerry also has a disconnect from society. He did not realize that he was part of a community. When Elaine says she would be ostracized from the community Jerry does not realize that there is a community. Meursault realizes that there is a community, however he chooses not to be a part of it. Seinfeld and The Stranger have very little in common, however they both have characters that are disconnected from society.