ALBERT CAMUS “THE OUTSIDER”  

 

FREUDIAN SIMILARITIES IN McEWAN’S ‘BUTTERFLIES’ PROTAGONIST AND CAMUS PROTAGONIST/ THINGS TO EXPLORE WHEN LOOKING AT ALBERT CAMUS “THE OUTSIDER” FORM A FREUDIAN PERSPECTIVE:

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER:

1. Camus protagonist has never met his father- thus discuss the importance Freud places on the father figure in a young boy’s life and what effect the absence of one can have.

2. He is an only child –discuss, explore.

2. The mother was the prominent figure throughout his life, thus explore the consequences Freud suggests.

3. Protagonist displays signs of alienation and self- obsession- explore.

4. However unlike McEwan’s protagonist, Camus’ is able to form relationships and make friends easily. Why?

5. Does not display signs of sexual repression, unlike McEwan’s character. Why? 

6. Like McEwan’s character the lines between right and wrong seem blurred.

7. Commits a crime AFTER his mother’s death, why? Could it be because of grief? Explore. 

FUTHER READING

Camus, Albert. The Outsider, Translated from the French by Joseph Laredo. London: Penguin Twentieth Century Classics, 1982.

Freud, Sigmund. The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud vol.  19:  The Ego and the Id and other works. London: Vintage Classics; The Hogarth Press, 2001.

Roith, Estelle. The Riddle of Freud: Jewish Influence on His Theory of Female Sexuality. Taylor & Francis Group, 1987.

Perelberg, Rosine Jozef. Freud: A Modern Reader. London: Routledge, 2005.

Perls, Frederick S.  Ego, Hunger and Aggression: A Revision of Freud’s Theory and Method. Gestalt Journal Press, 1992.

Vassilis Lambropoulos, David Neal Miller. Twentieth-Century Literary Theory: An Introductory Anthology. State University of New York: State University of New York Press, 1987.