Karunathilaka

Albert Camus’ The Outsider remains one of the most influential literary works of the 20th century, offering a profound exploration of absurdity, alienation, and the human struggle for meaning. At the heart of the novel is Meursault, a detached and indifferent protagonist who refuses to conform to societal expectations, challenging traditional notions of morality, justice, and emotion. His unwavering honesty and rejection of false meaning make him both an existential hero and a postmodern figure, embodying the tensions between individual freedom and societal constraints. This study examines The Outsider through the lenses of existentialism and postmodernism, engaging with the philosophies of Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, Lyotard, Baudrillard, and Foucault. By analyzing Meursault’s detachment, Camus’ minimalist narrative style, and the novel’s critique of power structures and meaning-making, this book uncovers how The Outsider not only epitomizes existentialist thought but also anticipates key postmodern themes. Through a detailed philosophical and literary analysis, this work sheds light on how Camus’ masterpiece continues to challenge conventional ideas of identity, truth, and the absurdity of human existence in the modern world.