Mehant Kumar

The world is drenched in absurdity—a silence that offers no inherent meaning. Yet we, as humans, obsessively search for purpose, trying to impose sense on what is senseless. This endless pursuit of meaning is not only futile—it's a distraction from life itself.

In our desperation, we construct elaborate systems—religions, ideologies, philosophies—not to understand the absurd, but to escape it. These structures pretend to soften the blunt force of existence, but in truth, they pull us further from what is real.

Instead, Camus would say, we must stop asking “why?” and begin saying “yes.”
Not to illusion—but to the world.
To the sun on our skin, the salt in the sea, the breath of today.

We must live not in denial of the absurd, but in defiance of it—with clarity, passion, and presence.
We must live life in the Mediterranean way:
fully in the moment, rooted in the body, embracing beauty without demanding meaning.

While I may not align with Meursault's character, Camus crafts him into a character that invites deep reflection and challenges conventional moral judgment.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style; it made reading a delightful experience. However, I must admit that I didn’t particularly like Toru. He’s not portrayed as a strong character; instead, he’s depicted as a confused and indecisive individual. He’s initially confused and makes a decision at the end that no good character would make. Although he doesn’t particularly like Midori, he starts to miss her when she leaves him. He consistently resists her advances, but he ultimately commits to her at the end, likely not because he genuinely loves her, but rather because he doesn’t have anyone else in his life and doesn’t want to live alone.

But yes, I think the book was a good read overall.