An Essay on Alienation

Grace Park

Jetter

AP Literature

19 April 2015

An Essay on Alienation

        There are seven billion of us human beings, living amongst each other. Yet, more often than not, we find ourselves utterly alone in this callous and dark world. In an effort to escape this loneliness, we engage ourselves in hedonism, distraction, and even self-isolation, where we completely alienate ourselves from the snares of society and its obligations to conformity. Trapped by the desire for wealth and glory, as well as the oppression dictated by a capitalist lifestyle, we turn to alienation for a solution, a process which can result in only two things: either a free indomitable spirit or an inescapable darkness that shrouds over every aspect of happiness in life.

        Human greed is a devastating thing. It is often the root cause of a person’s downfall and the catalyst to destroying relationships with loved ones. It is also what spurs the ability to forget what emotions feel like, or rather, the inability to feel, a dangerous game that creates an objective that is hard to extinguish. For instance, in Edward Albee’s “American Dream”, the main character Mommy married Daddy not for love but for what he had- or more accurately, for what he could provide to her. “Her sense of entitlement is clear when she tells her husband, ‘I have the right to live off of you because I married you and because I used to let you get on top of me and bump your uglies; and I have a right to all your money when you die’” (Barna par. 18). Having taken advantage of Daddy and gotten away with it, Mommy has a superiority complex, with a concern only for materialistic possessions, and later, as we hear from Grandma, feels no remorse for mutilating her child in an effort to attain power in her household.  Thus, one prevalent theme in “The American Dream” is the idea of satisfaction. Mommy and Daddy are never satisfied with what they have, and they’ll even go so far as to destroy something in their quest to improve what they have, which is what they tried to do with that “bumble” of a child, but only ended up killing it (Mahn, par. 6). This idea of trashing it and getting a new one wholly embodies the true American way. It is what makes Mommy most terrifying. By the end of the play, Mommy serves as a warning of “the dangers of unchecked consumerism and unabashed self-indulgence, representing all that is worst about America’s zealous capitalism” (Youngberg 110). In its entirety, Albee’s play addresses two results of alienation: the substitution of artificial for real values in society as well as complacency with cruelty.

        In some cases, the substitution of artificial values takes a lighter turn, thus allowing alienation to be somewhat of a glorious transformation of the self.  Take the main character in Albert Camus’ The Stranger, who is unlike any that would typically fit the “protagonist” title. Throughout the entire novel, Meursault finds himself openly rebelling against the expectations of society in three situations: his mother’s death, his abusive companion and his court trial, and his own court trial for the murder of another man. In each case, Meursault maintains a cool nonchalant attitude, thanks to his lack of emotions, which deems him a “monster” in the eyes of society (Curzon-Hobson 468). The day after his mother’s funeral, he has a splendid time frolicking at the town pool with his lover, drinks his fit of wine, and overall continues his hedonistic lifestyle as if nothing ever happened. Meursault knows that society expects him to cry and express his grief, yet there is simply not an ounce of feeling or human sentiment in this man’s soul. Additionally, he volunteers to be a witness for his greasy-haired pimp friend Raymond, who finds himself in trouble after resorting to extreme violence against his girlfriend, and testifies to Raymond’s good character, not because he wants to, but rather because he sees no reason not to do so. He has no moral compass guiding him, thus in this way, he once again rebels against society’s standards of justice (Scherr par. 3).  Ultimately, the biggest occurrence that truly defines Meursault as an absurd isolationist is the heinous act of murdering an innocent man, as well as his response to his impending jail sentence and future execution. The chaplain, who desires to bring Meursault to salvation, recognizes the ultimate truth of Meursault’s black heart, after he does not witness any sign of remorse or regret from this criminal.  Meursault doesn’t even flinch at the sight of Jesus Christ and his brutal crucifixion on the cross; in all of the chaplain’s experiences, he has seen all guilty grown men weep after seeing this image. Once again, this abnormal response and behavior prompts Mersault to be seen here as an absolute outsider of a “normal” society (Strange 37). But perhaps Meursault’s response to his death is the most astonishing transformation of all.  No longer indifferent or fearful of his fate, Meursault embraces his dace on the down of his Execution Day, having undergone a transcendentalist experience that has at last broken the shackles of society and rendered him free (Poser 262). The only wish he has is that there would be a large crowd of spectators at his execution, hurling cries of hatred at him. By indulging himself in the frightful lack of ability to feel, he disturbs people, enrages them, and makes them question his humanity even until his death. Meursault has forced himself into a corner of total alienation, but this time, he begets a form of freedom unknown to others who have unfortunately failed to find such happiness.

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