"Does it really matter if I got an F on my English test? I'll die someday anyway."
"Even if I live my life really well and be the best and do the best, why does that matter? I'll die and it'll all be gone. What's the point?"
"I could die tomorrow, today, or in eighty years. I'd still die."
"What is the meaning of life? What if there is no meaning?"
This is a blog post that gives light to the random thoughts about life that pop into your head from time to time. If you have ever had thoughts similar to the ones above, keep reading! This is also about one of the fictitious tricks society has constructed: Religion.
Religion has always been integrated into society. Heavily stressed upon in the past, it has been a worldwide norm. People have been exposed to it since birth and have been expected to pass it along to their offsprings. No one was allowed to doubt it. Whether it was a belief in specific spiritual teachings or the belief in a higher being, there was an unspoken rule that one should never question it. However, as time passed, a new and receptive generation emerged. In this generation, many have come to consider if there were any valid alternatives for the explanations that religion offered. It was in this generation that many literary works explored the topic of the absurdity of life. Two of the these literary works include The Stranger by Albert Camus and “Aubade” by Philip Larkin. The Stranger and “Aubade” both explore the concept of life being absurd, the fact that death is inevitable, and both incorporate the description of dawn to indicate that another day has been granted.
Both Meursault from The Stranger and the narrator from “Aubade” realize life’s futility. Nihilism, the rejection of all religious, traditional, and moral values, is a central theme in these two works. It is the skepticism of any real meaning and existence in the world. For many, the emptiness and lack of purpose that Nihilism proposes often leads to fear. “This is a special way of being afraid. No trick dispels it. Religion used to try, the vast moth-eaten musical brocade created to pretend we never die” (Larkin 21). Human beings are naturally repelled by the unknown. People strive for knowledge and for answers. According to the narrator, society has constructed tricks as a way to avoid that fear and potential chaos. One of these tricks is religion. Religion provides people with reasons and explanations. Both Meursault and the narrator diverge from this cultural norm; they both do not believe in a higher being. Meursault does not show signs of having any other spiritual values and it is implied that the narrator does not either. “But at the total emptiness for ever, the sure extinction that we travel to and shall be lost in always. Not to be here, not to be anywhere. And soon; nothing more terrible, nothing more true” (Larkin 16). Although Meursault and the narrator initially believe that at the end, death is frightening, both accept the emptiness of life as a whole, believing that it is the ultimate truth.
“He seemed so certain about everything, didn’t he? And yet none of his certainties was worth one hair of a woman's head...But I was sure about me, about everything, sure than he could ever be, sure of my life and sure of the death I had waiting for me..I had lived my life one way and I could have just as well have lived it another” (Camus 145).
When the chaplain refuses to accept Meursault’s lack of faith and pushes him into considering God, Meursault remains firmly adamant about the absurdity of life. Through his narration, Meursault continues on to describe that nothing matters and that the chaplain, under all his masks and covers, ultimately believes that too. To him, “Everyone knows life isn’t worth living” (Camus 138). The same can be said about the narrator’s views on life.
The Stranger and “Aubade” explore the concept of death’s inescapability. Like many, Meursault and the narrator both believe that death is inevitable. Although everyone believes that they must die someday, many get lost in the routines of their daily lives and do not give death much thought. However, both Meursault and the narrator deeply reflect on the concept of death. Meursault does so because of his upcoming execution and the narrator does so because of an unstated reason.“Till then I see what’s really there: unresting death, a whole day nearer now, making all thought impossible but how and where and when I shall myself die” (Larkin 4). It is possible that the narrator is naturally infatuated with the concept of death and its inescapability, resulting in his obsession over it. The narrator contemplates his own death, thinking about how, where, and when it will happen. “Courage is no good: it means not scaring others. Being brave lets no one off the grave. Death is no different whined at than withstood” (Larkin 27). Similar to Meursault, the narrator believes that it does not matter whether one accepts death or not, for it will occur either way. The narrator also believes that in the end, being brave is useless and does not allow for anyone to escape death. When accepting the rejection of his appeal, Meursault states, “Since we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how don’t matter” (Camus 138). Due to his death sentence, Meursault has been forced to face the realization of his soon awaiting death. Although he was initially thinking of ways to escape it, he realizes that it would not matter and that he must die someday anyway. Later on in his reflection, Meursault narrates that he feels happy despite the confinement. He describes how Maman must have felt free when she was close to death. He describes how his rage towards the chaplain has stripped him of his hope and fear, thus he embraces the indifference of the world and of his awaiting death. This idea of happiness and freedom ties in with existentialism. Society did not control Meursault or the narrator. As individuals, they both live their lives as authentically as they wish, not letting society nor religion determine their actions. They deviate from the norm and accept their inevitable death without needing an explanation for life’s absurdity.
Larkin and Camus both include the description of dawn to indicate that another day has been granted. The term “aubade” is a song or poem about greeting dawn, often having to do with romance. Although there is no romance in “Aubade,” the descriptions of dawn and light are consistently used throughout the poem. In The Stranger, Meursault waits for the day of his death. He narrates, “They always come at dawn, I knew that. And so I spent my nights waiting for that dawn...waited patiently for the first light to show on the pane of sky” (Camus 85). The narrator in “Aubade” also wakes up at dawn and he does so to reflect on his death. For both of these works, dawn represents that they, Meursault and the narrator, are given another day to live. With the beginning of a new day, dawn also signifies that daily life continues. In “Aubade” the narrator narrates, “Slowly light strengthens, and the room takes shape. It stands plain as a wardrobe, what we know, have always known, that we can’t escape, yet can’t accept” (Larkin 31). The narrator continues on to say that work has to be done and people go on with their normal lives. Although people are granted another twenty-four hours to live everyday, many spend it as any other ordinary day. This is a concept that is subtly implied in both The Stranger and “Aubade.” This concept ties back into the cycle of the absurdity of life and how there is no true meaning. At each break of dawn, people continue to live. Some live with what they believe is purpose and others do not. However, Camus suggests that there is no meaning to life. His theory of absurdism ties in with how humans, once made aware of the absurd, should respond to it. Similarly, Larkin writes many works surrounding dark themes. Some of these themes include: loneliness, love, aging, and death’s inevitability. Although Larkin’s works are disturbing and uncomfortable to some, he illustrates his beliefs in a frank manner, occasionally including humor. Both Larkin and Camus expose their readers to what they believe is the harsh reality of life: life is purposeless. They both also explore how people become caught up in the present, waking up at sunrise to live another ordinary day.
Day by day, life goes on and people become distracted by the small things. The need to get good grades, to get into college, to make enough money, to pay taxes, and many more. But, does that even matter? We are all bound to the same fate of death anyway. At some point in life, everyone reaches this realization. Most do not take any initiative and brush it aside as another random thought. However, through Meursault and the narrator, Camus and Larkin have voiced these unspoken thoughts. In The Stranger and “Aubade” they both illustrate the idea of life being absurd, the idea that death is inescapable, and they both use the description of dawn as a way to signify the beginning of a new day. Although the notion of life’s absurdity has been frowned upon in the past, many have come to believe Camus’s theory. This speaks to how the newer generation is losing touch with religion. People are waking up and considering other things. Ideas are no longer confined and some people are gradually becoming less conservative. Most people repeat the same dull routine every day. However, everyone should remember that at each break of dawn, a new day has been granted. People should spend it well as it may be their last.
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My eyes have been opened to see a new perspective on life.
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