The principles of existentialism are explored in the song “What I Am” by Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians. The artist conveys the themes of individuality, absolute systems, authenticity, and absurdity which are essential contributions to existentialism. The artist questions philosophy and religion and their roles within their lives, which shows the thought process that existentialists use to define their lives. Many of these existential themes are also explored in Albert Camus’ book “The Stranger,” but the main character, Meursault, does not seem to be clued in to the thought process and lifestyle of existentialists, he just has existential tendencies. The glue that holds existentialism together and those who share this belief is the thought process behind which existentialists define themselves. Eddie Brickell’s song “What I Am” is thematic of existentialism holding true to the definition of a true existentialist whereas Meursault does not consciously make these decisions in an effort to identify his own meaning.
When Edie Brickell sings the lines “Philosophy is the talk on a cereal box, Religion is the smile on a dog” she says that religion and philosophy look nice, but mean nothing. People want to interpret the dog smiling, but there is no meaning. Brickell basically urges the audience to take it as it is and to not find meaning in something that does not exist. This is expressed in a very light way; the music is upbeat and simple, showing that Brickell doesn’t think this is a heavy subject, just a simple fact. The artist explores the theories of authenticity and individuality, major themes in existentialism, during this verse and expresses that philosophy and religion take away from the process of defining yourself and exploring your individuality by not allowing you to discover things for yourself. This is where Meursault differs from existentialists, he is not unreligious because he feels that it takes away from the responsibility of creating your own purpose and meaning in life, he is just not able to identify the emotional abstract. He is so focused on the physical aspects of life that he can’t imagine anything that isn’t tangible. Like Meursault, Brickell is unable to find meaning in philosophy or religion because it does not help them make meaning of their lives.
Brickell states on multiple accounts throughout the song that “I am what I am,” showing that no one defines her and that she has free will over her own life. There are no absolute systems that define her and there is nothing pre-determining her life’s course. Every consequence that she receives is derived from every action she makes. When Brickell asks the audience “Are you what you are-or what?” she is questioning those who attempt to define themselves with religion and philosophy and is questioning whether or not they are even their own person, or if an absolute system is defining who they are. Meursault, like Brickell, does not find meaning in absolute systems and does not understand others and their attempts to use these systems to define their lives. In Part II of “The Stranger,” Meursault did not understand the clerk’s need to have Meursault accept God. The clerk said that “all men believed in God, even those who turn their backs on him.” Meursault could not understand how this man would not be able to find any meaning in his life if this simple statement did not turn out to be true. Both Edie Brickell and Meursault depend on themselves to make meaning in their own lives and are not dependent on the guidelines of an absolute system to make a meaning.
Throughout “What I Am,” Brickell sets the imagery of standing on the shore between religion and philosophy and her own existential views, trying not to wade into the water towards things that she does not believe in. She describes philosophy as a walk on slippery rocks, almost making her slip into the waters away from her own values and religion as a light in the fog, tempting her to stray away from her own path. She pleas to the audience and asks them to “choke me in the shallow water before I get too deep” essentially asking for someone to pull her back if she is drawn into the waters of religion and philosophy. She finds the ideas tempting because sometimes it is easier to just conform to someone else’s ideas for you instead of defining your own, but she believes in the responsibility of defining yourself, so she is conflicted by her own temptations. The use of light in “The Stranger” expresses the emotional aspect of life that Meursault is antagonized by. Throughout his mother’s funeral procession and before he killed the Arab man, he was pestered by the light of the sun that was beating down on him, pressuring him, evoking his emotions. The occurrence of the imagery of light and its effects on Meursault increase as the events reach the climax and Meursault finally breaks under the pressure of his conflicting thoughts. The light made him uncomfortable and hostile, paralleling his frustrations towards identifying emotional facets in his own life. The metaphors used by Brickell and Camus show the portion of life that both Brickell and Meursault do not want to acknowledge, but that they are tempted by.
Edie Brickell opens up the song with the line “I’m not aware of too many things, I know what I know if you know what I mean,” essentially paralleling Meursault’s entire demeanor, whether he recognizes it or not. Meursault is only capable of seeing the physical aspect of life- it is the only thing he understands. He is not able to connect to the emotional side of life, making it impossible for him to understand other people’s emotions or how his actions make people feel. Because of his inability to identify the emotional abstract, he is unaware of a whole fraction of life and is not able to have conviction behind his existential tendencies. At the end of the song, Brickell pleas to the audience “Don’t let me get too deep,” asking her listeners to deter her from the realm of philosophy and religion. If Meursault were to plea to an audience, this would be his plea to not have to delve in the emotional abstract of life. Meursault wants to stay in his comfort zone, but he is forced, at the end of the book, to come to terms with his mortality, exploring a whole new aspect of life. Will Brickell be forced to confront her attraction to philosophy and religion?
World Studies World Literature 