When we question the existence of God, we often return to a specific and troubling question: "if God exists , why are there moral tragedies that cause such tragedies? great suffering? In other words, humans find it very difficult when an event or scenario does not fit their way of thinking. Similar types of thinking have plagued humans for centuries; Whether or not morality exists is still a matter of debate. These seemingly unanswered questions can only verify one aspect of the universe: the Absurd governs it. This concept according to which human reason could not explain the universe and its functioning is explained in The Stranger and The Plague by Albert Camus. However, this view leads many to believe that there is absolutely no value in the world; However, this is not the message Camus wants to communicate. In The Stranger and The Plague, the conclusion is not one of nihilism, but of hope, as explained in “Existentialist Fiction” and “Non-Violence in a World Struck by Plague”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay To fully understand how the absurd works in Camus's novels, we must first understand what the absurd entails. The Absurd asserts that the human need for an objective understanding of the world is incoherent because thought reduces the world to a sphere of human understanding. Although reduced an inhuman world to the world of humans; for example, a tree is known to humans as a tree, but that is simply the meaning that humanity has projected onto the object. In other words, a tree is not called "a tree" by the universe, but rather because human society has decided that it is a tree. Furthermore, the institutions created to make sense of the world have repeatedly failed; only absurdism can recognize the persistent confusion that results from these institutions. It is clear that humanity has witnessed the failure of religious, governmental, and social institutions designed to create reason. Instead of adhering to what humans expected, institutionalized life has only contributed to a growing sense of confusion. Camus uses different tools to symbolize the absurd in his novels. In The Stranger, Meursault is used to represent the Absurd and its interaction with the human world. For example, when Meursault's mother dies, he does not consider this death as something that has moral weight for him. Typically, humans mourn loved ones and those who do not seem to go against common human reasoning. Another example occurs when Meursault kills the Arab. He states that this is something that just “happened.” There was no premeditation or rationality involved; he acted because of the scorching sun. Furthermore, murder is something that humans make a moral judgment about. But under the Absurd, murder is not something naturally evil, which is why Meursault cannot understand why killing the Arab is a problem. He is unpredictable and indifferent to those around him: “I may not have been sure of what really interested me, but I was absolutely sure of what didn't interest me” (Stranger 60). This statement indicates that he knows he is indifferent and recognizes that he does not care about anything. He says he will marry Mary even though he doesn't care whether he does or not, and he barely attempts to defend himself in court. Just like in a perfectly absurd universe, we cannot predict what it will do next. Not only is heunpredictable, but it is also controlled by the empirical world. Instead of crying for his mother, he cares more about the people crying in the room at that moment. Just as the absurd relies entirely on the physical world, Meursault's actions are motivated by the empirical world. In The Plague, absurdism takes the form of the bubonic disease which shakes the small town of Oran. The city's citizens desperately try to rely on man-made institutions, such as government, religion, and medicine, to help them. Despite this dependence, absurdism triumphs over man-made systems. The government fails repeatedly. The first signs of the disease are marked by an increase in dead vermin. Despite signs of a public health risk, the government does nothing proactive: “In fact, the municipality had not considered doing anything” (Plague 16). Even though the problem is getting worse, the government is making the wrong decision, instead looking to pick up trash more often rather than researching what kills the rats. When the government instructs its prefect to deal with the problem, he decides to anticipate the formal recognition of the plague. This decision is problematic because it involves risking more lives for a longer period of time. Subsequently, the quarantine takes longer to come into effect and, therefore, the risk of additional deaths increases. Once in effect, quarantine has the ultimate goal of eliminating those affected rather than trying to find a way to help them. As a result, the sick are all herded into the sports arena, much like pigs are moved into their pens. The citizens' hope that the government would save them is in vain; in fact, government inaction is a crucial factor that makes the epidemic so difficult to clean up. When the government begins to betray the citizens, many turn to religion for comfort and peace. Although people are not generally religious, they become more so as hope fades and the death toll rises. The town is organizing a Week of Prayer to fight against the disease. At the end of the Week, Paneloux blames the plague on the "pagan lifestyle" led by the townspeople during his sermon: "'My brothers,' he cries, 'this fatal hunt is launched and harasses today today our streets. See him there, this angel of the plague, beautiful like Lucifer, brilliant like Evil itself! He hovers above your roofs, his great spear in his right hand, ready to strike, while his left hand is extended towards one or other of your houses. Perhaps right now his finger is pointing at your door, the red spear is crashing on the panels, and even now the plague is entering our house” (46). However, he believes that if people repent, "God would see to it that the rest" (47). According to religion, bubonic disease is something that brings suffering, but it is also something that opens the eyes of humanity. Doctor Rieux does not believe this reflection, because he believes that an illness which brings so much suffering cannot have such a positive implication: “Still, when we see the misery it brings, we would have to be crazy, or cowardly, or blind, to yield meekly to the plague” (50). This is a crucial junction between religion and the absurd; Religion is based on the idea that things that cannot be explained by human reason can be explained by a higher order. However, absurdism evokes the paradox of God. Either an all-powerful God exists and humans are not responsible for the evil that occurs on Earth, or God does not exist, in which case there is no being to give transcendent meaning to the world and all human constructsof meaning are illusory. Furthermore, since absurdity devalues ​​all other ethical judgments that apply ethical meaning to the world, all conclusions must be based on absurdity. Yet, since the absurd only exists to the extent that humans can experience the world, believing in a higher power does not do justice to absurdism. A major problem in how many perceive Camus's two works is that Camus's philosophy tends to be seen as nihilistic. Many argue that The Stranger is essentially nihilistic on an existential level, as the story seems to suggest that Meursault, who represents the Absurd, confers value on nothing in his life. This is why he is capable of acting without any motive or reason; he simply “does”. The definition of existential nihilism is the idea that life has no purpose, value, or objective meaning. Furthermore, he argues that a person cannot affect the universe in its entirety because he or she cannot change its infinite nature. This interpretation fits Meursault's actions, as he seems to understand that all actions he takes are essentially pointless to a certain point. Another facet of existential nihilism is the idea that subjective values ​​and ideas cannot have lasting meaning because they are subject to change. Such an idea is clearly demonstrated by Meursault's dismissive attitude towards his marriage to Marie. In the case of The Plague, Camus' writings may be more representative of political nihilism, or the refusal to accept a governmental and political structure due to a lack of objectivity. The conflicts within The Plague are largely centered around these artificial institutions ultimately failing. The government first blocks the quarantine and the religion is not able to offer shelter to the citizens. It makes sense, then, that the novel is largely politically nihilistic. Camus, however, did not intend his novels to be read as nihilistic. In fact, his own conclusion is quite the opposite. His short story “The Myth of Sisyphus” helps clarify and correct misconceptions about absurdism. Sisyphus is stuck rolling a boulder up a hill for eternity; when it finally reaches the top, the rock goes back down. It is understood that the act of rolling the rock has no inherent meaning, since Sisyphus is simply meant to do it an infinite number of times. It can be argued that this means that Sisyphus' entire life no longer has any meaning. However, this is not the conclusion Camus reaches. When Sisyphus reaches the top of the mountain and the rock falls, he realizes his absurd fate as he descends to continue his work. This moment of lucid understanding of one's situation is crucial, because it demonstrates that life can have meaning even if there is no order. This understanding of his plight is also crucial, because recognizing the futility of his actions makes it all the more bearable. By recognizing pain, the individual is able to confer some control over their situation. Sisyphus also accepted that he could never stop rolling the boulder down the hill. For him, there is no possibility of leaving or having another task. This is the crucial difference between nihilism and absurdism; Nihilism is the idea that nothing matters, but absurdism takes it a step further by understanding that nothing matters and then accepting that there is no better alternative to available to anyone. Therefore, rather than suicide, the answer is acceptance; it is only through this acceptance that everyone can find true happiness. This idea is present in the.