Choice is inevitable and unavoidable for all who exist or have ever existed. When you come across a fork in the road, a decision is always made, even if no action is taken. Absolutely paradoxical, even the act of not making any decisions means moving in the direction of a choice, always making a statement. It is around this ideology of constant choice that the philosophical theory of existentialism exists. It states that each individual lives in the universe as a being with free will, capable of making his or her own decisions and taking action. And that it is through these self-determined choices and actions that each individual distinguishes himself from every other member of the population and simultaneously defines himself. The existentialist theme presents itself in three divergent ways in the following works: The Hunger, The Metamorphosis and The Stranger. In each of these compositions, the protagonist is physically and mentally alienated from society, possesses a desire for something never achieved, and dies surrounded by an emptiness that continues beyond his death and applies to others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Hunger, Bobby Sands experiences mental and physical alienation from his surroundings due to his hunger strike and subsequent hospitalization in the hospital ward. While confinement itself creates separation between inmates and society, Sands further experiences isolation even from other prisoners when he first comes forward to participate in a hunger strike. Sands' hunger strike distances him from any prisoners who do not participate; the enormous mental strength required to overcome hunger creates an alienation from other prisoners, some of whom are not involved in the hunger strike. In addition to the insanity he experiences, Sands is also physically separated from the other prisoners when his hunger strike intensifies and he is transported to the infirmary. As Sands spends the rest of his life in the prison infirmary, maintaining a hunger strike and resisting the temptation of three meals a day, he feels physically alienated from the other prisoners. From the start of the hunger strike until his death, Sands experiences increasing physical and mental alienation from the other prisoners. Similarly, in The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa experiences mental and physical alienation from those around him when he wakes up one day as an insect and is later found. forced to become a prisoner in his room. Samsa's transition into an insect brings him distinct mental differences from those around him, separating Samsa from his family. For example, he experiences a liberating high by sticking to the walls and ceiling of his room: “He especially liked hanging from the ceiling; it was completely different from lying on the floor; you could breathe more freely; and in the almost happy distraction that Gregor felt up there, it could happen to his surprise that he let go and let himself fall to the ground” (30). He begins to adapt the feelings and emotions of an insect, continually distancing himself from his family. Furthermore, he is physically imprisoned in his room due to his family's disgust and the differences in his physical appearance. The family who, at one point, had loved and cared for him cannot hide their true feelings of hatred towards him by banishing him to his room. That every territory outside Samsa's house is now forbidden to him is clear to the reader through his father's reaction when he dares to leave his space: “He only had the fixed idea that Gregor should return to his room as soon as possible ( ... )when his father gave him a strong push from behind, which was truly his salvation, and, bleeding profusely, he flew away into his room” (18-19). Both Hunger and The Metamorphosis encompass the physical imprisonment of the protagonist. Samsa reflects on his isolation, explicitly using the word “prison”, after hearing new financial news discussed at a family meeting, he hears from his room: “These explanations from his father were in a way the first pleasant news that Gregor heard from his captivity” (25). Mentally, he is isolated through abnormal thoughts and feelings. Physically, his hideous appearance is unbearable to those around him, forcing his family to banish him to his room. Although Meursault in The Stranger experiences both physical and mental alienation, there are some differences between him and Samsa or Sands. Meursault's situation is different in that his isolation is not apparent to him until he is put before a jury. He doesn't recognize anything wrong with the way he handles his mother's death and doesn't recognize how inhumane it is. In The Stranger it is established that Meursault does exactly what he wants, without being influenced by the predetermined thoughts or normalities established by society. An example of this is demonstrated when the thought of bread is put aside in his mind as the effort of walking around the shop is not worth the result: “I made myself some eggs and ate them out of the pan, without bread because I had no I didn't have any anymore and I didn't want to go down and buy some” (21). This ongoing behavior of mild interest and low enthusiasm runs through his life before his court date. He dismisses her case as something important. The gravity of taking another man's life doesn't resonate with him and he treats the matter as if it were an everyday thing. He becomes aware of his physical isolation from society following the murder of the Arab, when he is confronted by a group of his peers in the courtroom. Up to this point, Meursault ignores the importance of himself. For once he is isolated from the group and it feels foreign to him: “I think at first I didn't realize that all those people were flocking to see me. Usually people didn't pay much attention to me. It took some effort on my part to realize that I was the cause of all that excitement” (83). In addition to being physically isolated during the trial, Meursault is mentally trapped in his cell alone, prior to his execution. The persistent thoughts of a free man swirl in his head after entering prison. It is at the moment when he feels this desire for freedom that he feels truly alienated from society: “For example, I suddenly feel like being on a beach and walking to the water. While I imagined the sound of the first waves under my feet, my body entering the water and the sense of relief it would give me, I suddenly felt closed inside the walls of my cell” (76). Meursault's alienation mirrors that of Samsa and Sands through the narrow walls of the prison in which he resides, but differs mentally in that Meursault is not aware of his alienation until it is unmistakably presented to him in the courtroom. What drives Sands to starve himself to death is his constant desire for an Ireland free from the United Kingdom. This constant hunger for political liberation is the driving force behind what drives Sands to kill himself so inhumanely. After Sands' death, some requests are fulfilled. However, the bleakness of the situation is that Sands never experiences freedom nor the satisfaction of triumph. He was constantly searching for something out of reach and it took his death and that of seven other people for the governmentintervened. Throughout his life, he never achieved his goals. He was only ever fighting for something he couldn't achieve. This burning desire for something that will never be realized is similarly shown in The Metamorphosis through Samsa's fantasies of leading a normal life again. He wishes for his body to return to the way it was before he went to bed, an impossible request after his transformation. An example of how driven Samsa is to return his life to its normal state is his dismissal of the entire situation when he first wakes up. His attention is focused exclusively on arriving at work, as if it were a normal weekday: “The next train left at seven; to make it he would have had to hurry like a madman, and the row of champions was not yet full, and he himself did not feel particularly fresh and ready to march” (5). Furthermore, throughout the novella, Samsa maintains this conscious effort to stay alive, hoping for an alteration that will make him human again. He doesn't give in to the idea of ​​leaving his family even when his sister, who up until then had been loyal to him, finally believes that the family should get rid of his presence. His desire to continue living and become human again is an unrealistic goal and without his permission he is taken away from the world: “Then, without his consent, his head fell to the ground and from his nostrils came his last faint breath” (51). Throughout the story, Samsa desires a goal that he can never achieve. As those around him begin to consider him a member of the family, this hunger for change does not waver. Meursault faces the constant challenge of achieving a feeling he has never experienced: love. After his mother's death, he does not show the symptoms of a normal grieving man. Rather than take part in the five stages of grief, skip the times, immediately accepting what has happened. He didn't really love his mother, because he would be depressed or grieving. His lack of love is also demonstrated by the lack of attention he pays to the details of his mother's death, even if he is not sure of the exact day she died: “Mom died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know” (3). Furthermore, he constantly convinces himself that he and his mother have a close relationship, through the continuous use of the word Maman, a childish synonym for Mother. He tries to love his mother, but can't or won't feel that love. He makes mild attempts to get closer to mom and maintain a loving relationship, but feels nothing and just goes through the motions. His search for love continues after Maman's disappearance when he flirts with Marie: “I asked her if she wanted to go to the cinema that evening. She laughed again and told me there was a Fernandel film she would like to see” (20). His sudden leap from his recently deceased mother to a new young woman is part of his never-ending attempt to find love. He feels no real connection between either individual. His mother dies and he goes looking for someone to take her place; but despite this, he finds no one he loves. He and Marie act like a couple, but he does not feel a loving attraction towards Marie: “Then she wanted to know if I loved her. I answered her like last time, that it meant nothing except that I probably didn't love her” (41). First he tries to love his mother. When she dies, he turns to Marie. He continually searches for a love he will never find. Sands surrounds himself with the ongoing pain of famine for the last sixty-six days of his life, an emptiness in itself. However, he is also constantly surrounded by his strong feelings towards the UK and Ireland. A void is created for Bobby Sands and the other members of the Irish Republican Army due to their strong feelings among theseparation of Ireland and the United Kingdom. It is seemingly inevitable and they feel they have a responsibility to influence the outcome of the situation. With Ireland's future in mind, Sands patiently awaits his death in a state of extreme hunger. He starves while surrounded not only by the emptiness of hunger, but also by the lack of political freedom, which continues without him until seven others commit suicide. Just like in Sands, Samsa is surrounded by two voids. Although he has the void of his metamorphosis, he is also trapped in another void, established before his first awakening. like an insect. His responsibility to provide for his family at a young age to pay off the debt to his father's name when he should have married and started a family of his own is a void that seems endless. It becomes clear to the reader that he detests his career as a traveling salesman, working only out of the obligation he feels to provide for his family: “If I hadn't held back for the sake of my parents, I would have quit long ago, gone to the boss and I would have said my opinion from the bottom of my heart(...) Well, I haven't completely lost hope; once I get the money together to pay off my parents' debt to him - it will probably take another five or six years - I will do it without fail” (4). Gregor is relieved of this duty through his metamorphosis, the death of his human person and the birth of another animal. It is through this dying process that he escapes the void his parents created for him. However, although Gregor is dead, his sister Grete will soon be sucked into the void of her parents' expectations. This is demonstrated by the bleak and darkly ironic ending, following Gregor's death: “As they spoke in this way, almost simultaneously with Mr and Mrs Samsa, as they watched their daughter become more and more lively, it occurred to them that lately, in spite of all the troubles which had made her cheeks pale, she had become a beautiful and curvy girl. Becoming more silent and communicating almost unconsciously through looks, they thought that soon the time would also come to find her a good husband” (55). The emptiness continues after Gregor's death while the Samsa couple think about the expectations for their next child, Grete. Finally, in The Stranger, Meursault finds himself lost in the emptiness of life. He spirals aimlessly, uninterested in what the world has to offer. He only participates in a limited number of activities and doesn't feel obligated to go beyond that in any way. If he doesn't feel the desire or need to do something, he simply won't do it. He socializes with friends and is romantically involved with Marie, but does not love her. Meursault feels unimportant to the world, someone who will soon be gone and gone without a trace. It floats in the void of life, waiting for it to stop. He is sure that his death will come and his pessimistic outlook on life translates into his lack of feelings when something as important as his mother's death happens: “Nothing, nothing mattered, and I knew why(...) For all the time Throughout the absurd life I had lived, a dark wind had risen towards me from somewhere deep in my future, through the years yet to come, and as it passed, this wind leveled everything that came to me offered at that moment, in years no more real than those I was leaving” (121). It is for this reason that he never overachieves and is only moderately interested in most things. He gets offended when someone, like the chaplain, considers him an important person: “So, I don't know why, but something inside me clicked. I started screaming at the top of my lungs, and I insulted him and I told him not to waste his prayers on me (...) But I was.