Absurdism

Albert Camus, father of Absurdism

Absurdism is a philosophical theory that the universe is irrational and meaningless. This belief rejects inherent meaning of the universe, and absurdists believe that life and the world they have been born into is absurd.

This theory was popularized by the philosopher Albert Camus, who produced numerous works about absurdism. Most prominently was the absurd novel The Stranger, which presents the protagonist Meursault as a man of the absurd. However, it is important to note that despite being absurd, Mersault is not meant to represent the absurd hero. For absurdists such as Camus, while Mersault is a man of the absurd, he is not meant ot be emulated. The book presents all events from Mersault's point of view as the protagonist, which allows readers to observe his negative traits. Specifically, Mersault uses the absurdity and meaninglessness of the universe as an excuse to be detached and indifferent torwards the world around him.

Camus presents an alternate man of the absurd and his absurd hero in the mythological figure of Sisyphus. In mythology, Sisyphus was condemned to push a rock up a hill for all eternity by the gods, but whenever he reaches close to the top, the rock will fall down the hill. Despite this, Sisyphus chooses to continue pushing the rock up the hill. Camus even remarks "one must imagine Sisyphus happy" to exemplify his status as an absurd hero: he lives in the ultimate absurd situation, being condemned to a meaningless task, similar to the absurdity of the universe. However, he still chooses to find fulfillment and happiness in this meaninglessness, traveling down the hill despite knowing he will never complete his task.

As a result, Sisyphus is a direct contrast to Mersault. Mersault constantly remarks that nothing really matters, and is indifferent to his life. This makes him uncaring torwards anything that happens, even his mothers death. For him to be an absurd hero and not just a man of the absurd, he has to change his outlook and try to find fulfillment and worth in the activities he is doing despite knowing they have no inherent meaning.

Differences Between Absurd Hero and Men of the Absurd

It is important to know the differences between Men of the Absurd and absurd heroes. While all absurd heroes are men of the absurd, not all men of the absurd are absurd heroes. The main difference is that absurd heroes are still able to live their lives to the fullest and have reached a new state of enlightenment, accepting the absurdity around them.

In contrast, men of the absurd have only realized the inherent meaninglessness of the universe, believing in the basic absurdist concepts of inherent chaos and disorder in the universe. This is a very diverse spectrum, as some men of the absurd are more enlightened than others and are closer to finding fulfillment in their absurd lives. However, other absurd men may be indifferent to what is around them due to the meaninglessness of the universe, making it impossible for them to find their life fulfilling.

In short, the main difference is in mindset, due to absurd heroes opening their mind and having an enlightened perspective, where they can simultaneously accept that life has no meaning, but create their own meaning through their actions and experiences.

Connection to Papp Lore

In Papp lore, there are numerous men who could be considered men of the absurd. An important distinction to make is that very few of these are absurd heroes, and while these men exemplify absurd characteristics, they are not to be emulated.

Damien Williams

Damien Williams represents some absurd concepts. While he is on the way to becoming an absurd hero from a man of the absurd, he is not there yet. Damien endures pain and hardship in his life without complaints, showing his stocism and how he attended March 1sts which is similar to Sisyphus. In this example, he defies the absurdism of the universe and carves his own purpose by defining meaning in his own actions.

Damien also represents truthfulness and authenticity. Absurd men see no need to misrepresent their actions or make lies, and Damien is no different, as he lives and speaks authentically. This is similar to Camus' depiction of Mersault, who says the Czech man got what was coming to him because "you should never play games” (Camus 80) after he lied to his family and got killed.

However, he is not fully the absurd hero. In some aspects of his life, his absurdity makes him indifferent to the world around him, being especially indifferent torwards his future and life path.

PG

PG embodies the absurd hero and could be considered a modern day Sisyphus. Despite recognizing the absurdity and disorder of the universe, he finds meaning in the world and imposes his own moral compass upon his actions, as opposed to being indifferent to the events around him. This allows him to find purpose and fulfillment in his absurd life. He also represents true authenticity, as he remains steadfast in his beliefs despite outside pressures.

He also shows stoic qualities, working hard to improve himself and turn from the Empanada that Papp called him into a Sigma Genie, not complaing about his problems and instead finding fulfillment in the hardships of his life. This shows how he embodies the absurd hero that Camus describes.

Brian Perez

Brian Perez is someone who had a difficult transition from being a man of the absurd to an absurd hero. Starting in Sophomore Year, he was a man of the absurd and shared similar traits to Meursault. For example, he was indifferent towards his life, being self aware of the monotony of his existence as he was forced to watch his autistic brother, got to QuikChek, and go to school repeatedly. This repetitive routine took a toll on him, and made him very depressed during this time period, which was not helped by the lack of social interaction that he had. He also places an emphasis on being "real" and telling the truth, which is similar to Meursault who hugely valued these qualities in himself.

Brian has continued to mature as a mouse of the absurd, leading to him adopting characteristics closer to an absurd hero. While still recognizing how his life is absurd and meaningless, he has become happy and begun to embrace it. This allowed him to become a truly authentic mouse who acted on his own desires and finds fulfillment in life.

Is Papp a Man of the Absurd/Absurd Hero

Readers may be curious if Papp represents these absurdist concepts. People with a surface level understanding of absurdism may believe Papp is a man of the absurd, due to his indifference torwards life, and his apparant belief in the meaninglessness of the universe.

Unfortunately for Papp Camus Glazers, Papp is definitely not a man of the absurd, which can be proven through examples from The Stranger and a basic understanding of absurdism. One key area where Papp fails to embrace absurdism is in his authenticity. Papp's life and personality is the furthest thing from living authentically; his constant lying and manipulation of his life and behavior makes it impossible for him to represent the authentic absurd man. This is in contrast to someone such as Mersault, who lives in truthfulness and feels no need to misrepresent himself. Mersault even criticises those who live like Papp, condemning the Czech man for playing games and manipulating the truth. While Mersault represents an extreme absurd man, Papp is the opposite of the extreme, as he shows extreme deceit instead of extreme truthfulness. True men of the absurd would show truthfulness and authenticity, finding a balance between the extremes.