When I first read The Stranger by Albert Camus, I hated Mersault. His indifference to major moments like his mom’s death, his lack of work ethic, and his choice to help people like Raymond made him a dislikeable character who was hard to relate to. However, as much as I critiqued Mersault for his actions, his philosophy stuck with me. Mersault lived how he chose to live and in the end he ends up happy. By making Mersault do universally hated things like murder and still end up happy at the end of the book, Camus argues that things people believe to be true like meaning to life and morality are only illusions. And the fact that me and most other people don’t like Mersault’s actions only supports this point. Because life has no objective purpose, the protests of characters in the book and our protests to Mersault are meaningless. Mersault still lived a life that fulfilled him and made him happy.

Reading The Stranger helped me live a more carefree and enjoyable life. Instead of focusing on the things that people say lead to a good life, I started thinking about what I want to do in my life. By thinking about life without focusing on what other people believe, I was able to learn things about myself and live a more free life. I realized that I would rather live a life that makes me happy instead of living in a way that people traditionally consider successful.

Similarly, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen helped to reinforce and build on ideas I learned in The Stranger. In Pride and Prejudice, most characters care about status and use marriage as a way to gain power. However, just like in The Stranger, Elizabeth goes against societal norms and marries based on who she actually likes. And just like Camus, Austen chooses to make Elizabeth happy at the end of the book to show that her way of living is a positive way to live.

Pride and Prejudice solidified the thoughts I had after reading The Stranger by showing me the harm that following norms can cause through characters like Lydia. I learned that in order to be happy I need to make decisions based on my own opinions and not the opinions of others. By following my own intuition, I might make decisions that I regret but it will lead to a life that I want to live based on my own ideas.