Rodriguez 1

Rebecca Rodriguez
ENG 113
Professor Morris
24 September 2017
For the Absurd
Reading Albert Camus Absurd Freedom, I could feel his frustrations with how ones

life is lived. He expresses in the beginning of the chapter he states, What can a meaning outside

my condition mean to me? Here, he is asking not only about himself but talking out them, the

readers. Hes trying to draw them in by asking the obvious if theyre truly happy with how

society is handling their lives. Hes trying to point out to readers how they do have control over

their lifestyles regardless of what humanity is expecting them to do. Camus explains how some

are even afraid to take a leap of faith especially if they are afraid of a higher power. Again, he

tells his readers to look at the bigger picture: its alright to not live how society expects us to live

and live life vicariously.

Albert Camus explains how this hell of the present is how one lives. Some are worried

to take such a leap of faith, but the faith they are constantly told about is not the one they are

after. The leap is about accepting the readers fate. Its all right to fail, but society tells them

there is no room for failure. Others are so used to living a certain way that they forget that life is

so much more than what it is put out to be. They are worried to astray from God even, that they

are forced to stay on the path righteousness to Him. But sometimes staying on that past

righteousness is not the right way, Camus explains. He says the reader must realize that even

following on the path to God is not how one should live. One is still tied down to following the

rules of their society.

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It appears the only entity we should acknowledge, aside from God, is Death. Camus goes

on to say about Death, Death is there as the only reality. Here, Camus states how it seems

some will only take Death seriously versus their way of life. But even then, they are still a slave

to their own freedom. Some may fear Death, yes, but that still does not give them the chance to

live their lives. Death still has some afraid to live a certain way. They are afraid to lead a certain

life because Death might take them out of that life at any given moment. Here Camus questions,

But what does that freedom mean? He expresses that some may be living their life to the best

of their abilities but something like Death is holding them back. The reader is afraid to proceed

with taking that extra step towards a new life style because they believe Death will come for

them faster.

The Greeks are even brought up in this chapter. Camus states, To stretch a point

somewhere, the Greeks had the code of their leisure just as we have the code our eight-hour

day. Even the Greeks were taught to be on a repetitive schedule where it was an eight-hour

work day. Camus does mention the Greeks are also trying to live life on the edge, so to speak. He

says the Greeks claimed that those who died young were beloved of the Gods. The younger

people knew not to give to what their society was putting into their heads so they wanted to live

the they wanted to. Camus describes how the readers should be like the Greeks. They never

cared too much about what the Gods thought. Yes, they were on the same routine day by day but

they also changed their way of living. Well, the younger Greeks changed their routines. They did

not care what others were speaking of them; they just proceeded to live a life without worry.

All in all, Albert Camus does not want his audience to commit social suicide. He wants

them to commit suicide of the mind. He wants them to revolt on what their society stance is of

them. Camus says towards the end, To abolish conscious revolt is to elude the problem. This is
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where Albert Camus points out he wants them to live without any kind of worry. Where carpe

diem means seize the day, it can also mean that not knowing is accepting your fate. Not

knowing is allowing your mind to be free of any kind of worry and of any kind of stress.
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Works Cited
Marion, Gordon. Basic Writings of Existentialism. NY: Modern Library, 2004.