Dorian Grey #1

    Dorian Grey is a character defined primarily by the way other characters influence him. From his picture alone,  Lord Henry determines him to be "some brainless beautiful creature" and he is not entirely wrong. In his first appearance,  Dorian Grey seems quite simplistic and thoughtless when viewed along side the complex philosophy and scope of Lord Henry and Basil. Once he begins to interact with Lord Henry, he under goes a very rapid transformation. As Dorian Grey is introduced to Lord Henry's concept of "new Hedonism" it immediately alters the way he thinks. He becomes gravely concerned with the impermanence of his own youth and beauty, when only moments before he seemed unaware. His devotion to this new way of thinking is show with his abandonment of the more moderate Basil for the company of Lord Henry.
    Dorian is also quick to imitate Lord Henry's fascination with "the new manner of art" in which human beings themselves can be art, but does not fully understand it. In his infatuation with Sibyl Vane, he says things like "The Jew wanted to tell me her history, but I said it did not interest me", showing that he has little interest in her as a person. After Dorian himself realizes that, he quickly rejects her. He does not acknowledge his own cruelty until he sees it reflected in his painting. This is able to inspire him to make his decision,  independent from Lord Henry's influence, to make amends with Sibyl Vane. Realizing that he needs to change, he decides that "The picture, changed or unchanged, would be to him the visible emblem of conscience". This personal growth is unfortunately brought to a halt when he learns of Sibyl's death and once again falls under Lord Henry's influence. By choosing to recognize her death as something beautiful rather than a tragedy,  he completely adopts Lord Henry's immoral philosophy.

The Stranger#3

Meursault, as a result of his crime, becomes forced into a situation where society's most obscure and complex constructions strips him of his ability to express some of the most fundamental beliefs of existentialism. First he is restrained physically, losing the freedom to choose what he does, and when he does it, but he does not truely lose his freedom until he is put on trial. In court, surrounded by processes and procedures, he loses the ability to express himself at all. With the main points of the trial being established by others, the facts being decided by witnesses, and his defense being provided by lawyers, he as almost no role in the case. Meursault even says "In a way, they seemed to be arguing the case as if it had nothing to do with me" (Camus 98). With this inability to influence the events around him, he is forced to realize the final concept of his philosophy. He recognizes the "benign indifference" of the universe.

The Stranger #2

In this section The Stranger, one of the pervasive themes is the conflict between the basic concepts of existentialism and modern society. By exerting his individual will, Meursault lived a life that could be  called a self absorbed existence at best, and in doing so he found himself a criminal. He is exactly the sort of person that society does not want to exercise free will or choice. He is confronted by the many layers of society's expectations as his existence as a prisoner begins. His refusal admit to express the level of remorse that society has deemed appropriate in response to his mother's death casts him as a heartless monster. The magistrate attempts to convince him to believe in the absolute truth of religion. "He said it was impossible; all men believed in God, even those who turn their backs on him" (Camus 69). The average man cannot accept a world without a higher power guiding his actions. Rejecting such basic societal conventions completely removes an person's ability to empathize with and to understand him.

The Stranger #1

In Albert Camus's novel, The Stranger, the world, as it is described by the narrator,  seems to be a very unhappy place. All of the elements of everyday life are disturbingly impermanent and the cruelties of the characters is portrayed in a nonchalant and casual way. The opening scene of the novel deals with one of the quintessential temporary and cruel situations,  the life someone in a home for the elderly. The workers and people there are well aware of how unpredictable and their life there can be and how they are disregarded by everyone else. This is exemplified by the way Perez was treated during the the funeral. The way he began to lag behind, as everyone else ignored him is an example of frequent cruelty and the small shortcuts he took to catch up with the group again are an example of the many temporary successes of life.