Presence of Meaning Siddhartha and the Stranger

Presence of Meaning Siddhartha and the Stranger

  • Submitted By: weeenta
  • Date Submitted: 02/24/2010 3:44 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1456
  • Page: 6
  • Views: 4

Does the presence of meaning ones quality of life?
What is the purpose of life? Is there significance to every action, or are actions irrelevant in the long run? In the novels Siddhartha and the Stranger written by Hermann Hesse and Albert Camus the existence of a meaningful and meaningless life has no influence on the quality of life for both main characters. In the British fiction novel Siddhartha, the main character Siddhartha embarks on a journey of enlightenment through experience and understanding in his search for meaning in life. In the French fiction novel the Stranger, Meursault details of his life through an existentialist view and the unfortunate events that led to his final breathe. Though both embarked on different journeys and experienced different hardships they ultimately grew from the challenged life regardless of the meaning expressed throughout their experiences.
A meaningful life served as a goal, and an essential ideology to the life of Siddhartha. Growing tiresome of the traditional ways of his people, his desire and path become a Samana led him to become an exile of the world living without all the fruits of life. Then he progressed on to learn the teachings of Buddha eventually realizing the only way to truly establish meaning within ones life is through life experience. Siddhartha felt as if he were unfulfilled by his existence and personal achievements explaining his constant desire attempt new things. “The vessel was not full, his intellect was not satisfied, his soul was not at peace his heart was not still” (Hesse 5). Siddhartha is aware that every action and each occurrence within his time on earth destined to mold him into complete person. His constant search for deeper meaning lead to the questioning of many practices, religions and cultures but ultimately led Siddhartha to the wisdom and significance he wanted to attain for himself.
While for Meursault the journey went along another path, his life has always...

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