Out of all the books we read this year, the two that stood out to me the most were King Lear by Shakespeare and The Stranger by Albert Camus. Rather than offering me clarity or comfort, reading these books challenged how I think about deep meaning and emotion. These books didn’t just hand me answers; they used characters and stories to expose the fragile world we live in. Overall, the main idea that struck me was how both texts pushed me to think less about what is “supposed” to matter, and encouraged me to consider what actually does matter when everything else is stripped away.
In King Lear, the moment that affected me the most was when Lear stands up in the storm and shouts at the sky. Up until that point, Lear believed that love could be measured through words and a flattery, as shown when he demands his daughters to declare how much they love him in exchange for land. But, when Cordelia refuses to flatter Lear, he banishes her. As a result, his other daughter’s betrayal led Lear into a downward spiral, exposing how fragile a hollow understanding of love and loyalty really is. The storm scene stood out to me in particular because it’s where Lear begins to confront the reality of his own blindness and mistakes. Through the poetry and intense imagery, it made the scene memorable and really burned the theme in my head. It makes me think about how much of our identity can be tied to roles and expectations, and what’s left when those fall apart.
Similarly, in The Stranger, Meursault’s detachment from everything, such as from his mother’s death and his own trial, made me feel uncomfortable at first. I’ve never read a book before with such apathy, which was definitely surprising to read. However, the more I sat with the book and the characters, I realized that Meursault’s refusal to fake emotion forced me to examine how much of my own reactions are shaped by what’s expected, not what I really feel. His acceptance of life’s absurdity at the end of the novel, such as when he finds peace in the idea that the universe is indifferent, challenged my needs for life to always “make sense.” The book was quite abstract and unique, which stood out to me, ultimately making me remember the themes of absurdity and existentialism.
Both Lear and Meursault are completely different characters in different stories, but they are both forced to confront what remains when social structures and expectations fall away. What the characters have left at the end of each book is unclear, as Lear goes mad and Meursault remains indifferent, but their characters have helped me understand the fact that facing uncertainty is part of being human, and in the end, material possessions are worthless compared to our humanity.