Shay Brody

 

Beth Hammett

 

English 1213

 

Pr 2 : Rhetorical Analysis

 

4/25/25

 

Word count : 1177

Albert Camus : The Absurd & Suicide

 

 

Albert Camus is a French philosopher who studied and wrote many stories regarding the meaning of life and the impacts of suicide/suicide ideations. What would Albert Camus think about suicide and the impact it has on this world? In the Myth of Sisyphus, by Albert Camus, he states that “ there is not a meaning in life and we can’t make one”. Camus questions the meaning of life itself and those who do commit suicide what were they searching for.

Albert Camus would believe that suicide is just as meaningless as the meaning of life. He would believe this because of his studies and stories he wrote regarding the absurdity of meaningness. He would argue that suicide is not the answer into finding the meaning of your life and would help you understand that there is no true definition of “meaning of life”.

 

 

In an article by The Stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy, Albert Camus quotes “There is only one philosophical problem and that is suicide.” What he means by this is that, people

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constantly take their lives while looking for something that does not truly exist. Suicide is a worldwide problem and people tend to not understand that they have loved ones dying for no genuine reason.

In his story “Sisyphus”, the story is about a Greek man who has rolled this boulder up a hill, and everytime he reaches the top, the boulder will roll down a little bit. This metaphor is meant to help people question whether what we do is worth anything and what is the meaning behind life. Imagine that you are on the edge of the cliff, contemplating on whether life is worth living or not, and Albert Camus comes over to you and says “Hey, there is no true meaning of life, and it does not actually exist.” In Camuses eyes, suicide is seen as a rational decision to make, you are looking for something that doesnt exist so your way of fixing it is by taking yourself from this world when in reality no one knows the meaning of life.

Albert Camus wrote a lot of stories that make us question whether what we are doing is worth the “meaning of life”. In his eyes suicide was taking lives that were just looking for the answer just like everyone else. He questions how the absurd can affect people's mental and physical challenges. In an article by Big Think ; “Albert Camus on suicide, absurdity, and the meaning of life” by Scotty Hendricks, “Albert Camus was best known for his philosophical concept of existentialism writing. Emphasizing individual freedom, choice, and responsibility.” Suicide is considered a personal choice that people make when they feel as though their life isnt the expectation they hoped for. Life has thrown people crazy stories that would give the average person to feel as though they weren’t worthy enough to be here, they didn’t find that meaning. But what does being worthy enough even mean? There is no definition answer of where we came from, and how we are viewed by others just like us, is how suicide is forced upon.

 

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Albert Camus would see suicide as a personal choice due to the lack of actual meaning existing in our own personal lives. Camus’s writing focuses on the ideal reality of life, he persuades his readers by giving these stories that readers can put themselves in. Albert Camus asks questions that make readers sit down and focus on the realism of their lives, the question like “What is the meaning of life”.

Albert Camus ultimate philosophy study summarized, is just taking each moment of life and enjoying it because at the end of the day, there is no ultimate meaning. Albert Camus point of view of suicide comes from the knowledge he knows and studied. Camus never had a personal connection to someone losing their life by suicide, contrary to what his point of view is, I believe his opinion would change once going through something like that.

Suicide today is seen as a mental illness, a trapment of your own thoughts and feelings. If Albert Camus was alive today, he would think a lot of us were taking suicide too seriously as he would see it as a personal choice. However, suicide is still not taken as seriously today. Camus also introduces us to “philosophical Suicide” which is something no one talks about as much. Philosophical suicide is the same concept of suicide except in Albert Camuses definition, it is considered a way to escape the absurd. To Camus it is important to take life as confident and defiant as possible, and that's the only way to live a happy life, knowing there isn’t truth to chase after.

If you think about it, Albert Camus’s view on suicide has a valid point, the only upsetting part is how true it is. Suicide has and always will be a silent killer, as much as a personal choice it is, we still dont know who is struggling vs. who is not. A key element in understanding

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Camus’s point of view, is truly understanding the absurd and how we can live life to the fullest each day. Those who do accept the absurd life can have zero expectations on life and can live a

 

 

more free life. Those who are waiting to find the meaning of life, will never find it because it doesn’t exist and it never will. It will never make sense or understandable as to why we exist and what we are supposed to be doing.

We live in a society that makes it hard for those who are looking for meaning to live in, suicide is driven by others opinions and your own mental thoughts that drag you down. Albert Camus’s dive into the study of the meaning of life and the absurd challenge his readers to think about how they are living and what they are living for. Through his studies and research, Albert Camus argues that living the absurd life will have you living for realism and understanding to not expect those expectations. Albert Camus would believe suicide is optional and more of a personal choice due to the research and stories he has written. The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus is a great example to show that you can either choose to live the absurd or give up.