When we question the existence of God, we often return to a specific and disturbing question: "if God exists, why are there moral tragedies that cause such great suffering?” In other words, humans find it very difficult when an event or scenario occurs that does not fit their thinking structure. Similar types of thinking have plagued humans for centuries; whether morality exists or not is still a matter of debate. These seemingly unanswered questions can only verify one aspect of the universe: the Absurd governs it. This concept that human reason could not explain the universe and its workings 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 that Camus wants to communicate. In The Stranger and The Plague, the conclusion is not one of nihilism, but of hope, as explained through “Existentialist Fiction” and “Nonviolence in a Plague-stricken World.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To fully understand how Absurdism 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 it reduces an inhuman world to the world of the human; for example, a tree is known by humans as a tree, but this 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, institutions created to instill meaning in the world have repeatedly failed; only the absurd can recognize the persistent confusion resulting 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 expect, institutionalized life has only contributed to a growing sense of confusion. Camus uses several 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 see this death as something that has moral weight for him. Typically, humans mourn their loved ones and those who don't seem to go against common human reasoning. Another example occurs when Meursault kills the Arab. He claims it's something that just "happened." There was no premeditation or rationality involved; it acted due to the hot sun. Furthermore, murder is something that humans make moral judgment about. But under the Absurd, murder is not something naturally bad, which is why Meursault cannot understand why killing the Arab is a problem. He is unpredictable and indifferent to those around him: “Maybe I wasn't sure what I really cared about, but I was absolutely sure about what I didn't care about” (Stranger 60). This statement indicates that he knows he is indifferent and recognizes that he doesn't care about anything. He says he will marry Marie even though he doesn't care whether he does or not, and barely attempts to defend himself in court. Just like in a perfectly absurd universe, there is no way to predict what he will do next. Not only is it unpredictable, 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 the time. Just likethe absurd is entirely based on the physical world, Meursault's actions are motivated by the empirical world. In The Plague, absurdism takes the form of the bubonic disease that strikes the small town of Oran. The town'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 in multiple cases. The first signs of the disease are marked by an increase in dead parasites. Despite the signs of risk to public health, the government does nothing proactive: "In reality the Municipality had not thought of doing anything" (Plague 16). Even as the problem becomes more severe, the government takes the wrong course of action, instead trying to collect waste more often instead of looking for what kills the mice. When the government instructs its prefect to deal with the problem, he decides to bring forward the formal recognition of the plague. This move is problematic because it risks more lives over a longer period of time. As a result, the quarantine takes longer to take effect and, as a result, increases the risk of further deaths. Once in place, the quarantine has the ultimate goal of eliminating those affected rather than trying to find a way to help. As a result, the sick are all herded into the sports arena, just as pigs are moved into their pens. Citizens' hope that the government will save them is misplaced; in fact, government inaction is a crucial factor in making the epidemic so difficult to eradicate. When the government begins to fail its citizens, many turn to religion for comfort and peace. Although people are not usually religious, they become increasingly so as hope fades and the death toll rises. The country organizes a Week of Prayer to combat the disease. At the end of the week, Paneloux blames the plague on the “pagan lifestyle” that the citizens had led during his sermon: “'My brothers, cry, 'that fatal hunt has begun and haunts our streets today. Look at him there, that angel of pestilence, comely like Lucifer, shining like the very essence of Evil! He hovers above your roofs with his great spear in his right hand, ready to strike, while his left hand is stretched out towards one or other of your houses. Perhaps at this very moment his finger points to your door, the red spear crashes into its panels, and even now the plague is entering our house” (46). However, he believes that if people would repent, “God would provide the rest” (47). According to religion, bubonic disease is something that brings suffering, but it is also something that opens the eyes of humanity. The doctor Rieux does not believe in this thought, because he believes that an illness that brings so much suffering cannot have such positive consequences: “However, when you see the misery it brings, you would have to be crazy, or cowardly, or stone blind, to meekly give in 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 brings out the paradox of God. Either there is an omnipotent God and humans are not responsible for the evil that happens on Earth, or God does not exist, in which case there is no being who gives transcendent meaning to the world and all human constructs of meaning are illusory. Furthermore, because the absurd debases all other ethical judgments that apply ethical meaning to the world, all conclusions must be based on the absurd. However, since the absurd existsonly to the extent that humans can experience the world, belief in a higher power does not do justice to absurdism. One of the main problems with those who perceive Camus' two works is that Camus' philosophy tends to be seen as nihilistic. Many argue that The Stranger is mostly existentially nihilistic, as the story seems to suggest that Meursault, who represents the Absurd, does not place value on anything in his life. This is why he is able to act without any rhyme or reason; it simply "does". The definition of existential nihilism is the idea that life has no objective purpose, value, or meaning. Furthermore, he argues that a person cannot influence the universe as a whole because he cannot alter its infinite nature. This interpretation fits Meursault's actions, as he seems to understand that all actions he takes are essentially useless up to a certain point. Another aspect of existential nihilism is the idea that subjective values ​​and ideas cannot have lasting meaning because they are subject to change. This idea is clearly demonstrated in terms of Meursault's dismissive attitude towards his marriage to Marie. In the case of The Plague, Camus' writing may be more representative of political nihilism, or the refusal to accept governmental and political structure due to a lack of objectivity. The conflicts within The Plague are largely centered around these man-made institutions that end up failing. The government initially blocks the quarantine and the religion is unable to offer refuge to the citizen. Therefore, it stands to reason that the novel is largely politically nihilistic. Camus, however, did not intend his novels to be read as nihilistic. In fact, his conclusion is exactly the opposite. His story "The Myth of Sisyphus" helps clarify and correct misconceptions about absurdism. Sisyphus is stuck rolling a boulder up a hill for all eternity; when he finally reaches the top, the boulder rolls back down. It is understood that the act of rolling the boulder has no intrinsic meaning, as Sisyphus is simply expected to do it an infinite number of times. It could be argued that this means that Sisyphus's entire life is now meaningless. However, this is not the conclusion Camus reaches. When Sisyphus reaches the top of the mountain and the boulder rolls down, he realizes his absurd fate as he descends to continue his work. This moment of clear understanding of his situation is crucial, as it shows that life can have meaning despite not having any kind of order. This understanding of his fate is also crucial, as the recognition of the futility of his actions makes it much more bearable. By acknowledging the pain, the individual is able to confer some control over his or her situation. Sisyphus has also accepted that he will never be able to stop rolling the boulder down the hill. There is no possibility for him to leave or have any alternative tasks available. 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 therefore accepting that there is no better alternative available to anyone. Therefore, rather than suicide, the answer is acceptance; only through this acceptance can true happiness be found. This idea is present in both novels, thus negating the nihilistic conclusions that many believe these works to have. In The Plague, disease represents the absurd, and so the book is literally about humans fighting against the unforgiving nature of the universe. However, the way the characters react to the.