Albert Camus’s The Stranger shares many themes and events with the popular American TV show Seinfeld, specifically the episode entitled “The Alternate Side.” Both these stories revolve around the lives of two fairly average men living their lives. In the beginning of The Stranger the protagonist, Meursault, deals with the loss of his mother. In “The Alternate Side,” Jerry has his car stolen and is forced to face the repercussions of renting a car. Both Jerry and Meursault show several attributes of an absurdist after these fairly major events occur in their lives. Meursault hardly seems to grieve after the loss of his mother and simply continues to live his life as if nothing has ever happened. “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday” (Camus 13). This emotionless first line of the story sets the tone and conveys the feeling that Meursault does not care about life or death. Similarly, Jerry hardly reacts after he figures out his car is stolen and contacts the thief. Both characters experience rough events and are able to continue their normal lives without grieving, in Meursault's case, or becoming furious in Jerry’s.
After Meursault confronts the Arabs on the beach with his friends, Mason and Raymond, he goes back out to the beach a second time. On this second trip he spots another Arab who attacks him. This time Meursault is forced to fight back and shoots the man. After recognizing the Arab man is dead, Meursault shoots the him four more times. “Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace. And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness” (Camus 79) Meursault's comparison of death to simple unhappiness goes back to the idea of absurdism and the theory that life as we know has no meaning. The idea here can also be traced back to Jerry’s almost emotionless state after he realizes that his car is stolen.
After Meursault confronts the Arabs on the beach with his friends, Mason and Raymond, he goes back out to the beach a second time. On this second trip he spots another Arab who attacks him. This time Meursault is forced to fight back and shoots the man. After recognizing the Arab man is dead, Meursault shoots the him four more times. “Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace. And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness” (Camus 79) Meursault's comparison of death to simple unhappiness goes back to the idea of absurdism and the theory that life as we know has no meaning. The idea here can also be traced back to Jerry’s almost emotionless state after he realizes that his car is stolen.
In both the connections drawn between The Stranger and the “The Alternate Side,” the presence of absurdism brings them together. The death of Maman for Meursault should theoretically be a major factor in his life, but hardly seems to affect him. Jerry car is stolen, and he does not even file a police report, let alone try and track down the thief. Ultimately without any meaning in the lives of Meursault and Jerry both characters are not changed after critical events in their life times.
I like how you connected Seinfeld and The Stranger to absurdism. I didn't think about that before, but the way you explained it clearly shows the relation between the two.
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