The Stranger

Existentialism


Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes inadequacy of the human condition and alienation in life. They denounce God and organized religion and they believe that they control their own destiny. These beliefs are portrayed through the characters from each story. Mersault from the book, The Stranger, and Luke from the movie, Cool Hand Luke, both live and die by these beliefs. They both have similar feelings and characters; however, they also have subtle differences that set them apart.
As existentialists both Luke and Mersault question the existence of God. In Cool Hand Luke there is a scene in which Luke is in the middle of the road screaming for God to show is might and to strike him down. It of course is raining and he is holding his tools. Once he is not struck down he begins to realize that God is distant and uncaring. It seems if Luke uses this opportunity to test if God really exists. It seems at one point in his life he believed in God b...