The search for purpose has been an infamous struggle for people throughout history. When journeying toward personal awakening, many people face obstacles that hinder their ability to determine who they truly are. People may ostensibly believe that they have found their purpose, whether through their career, family, or otherwise. However, many wish to dig deeper in hopes of discovering their true purpose, without the shadow of societal expectations and common ideologies. In the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, the main character, Meursault, only discovers his identity when he comes face to face with his own mortality. Similarly, in Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man, the narrator struggles to understand his purpose because his own sense of identity is obscured by the ideologies of others. Both stories bear striking resemblance to the plight of immigrants in America in the early 1900s; they had to discover who they were amidst ostracism and confusion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Stranger teaches readers an important lesson: Sometimes you have to accept mortality to determine life's purpose. This is precisely what happens to Meursault. He goes through the motions of life, rather than actually caring about how things are going. For example, about Marie who asks him if he loves her, he thinks: "I answered like last time, that it didn't mean anything but that I probably didn't love her" (Camus 41) . ). This illustrates how his relationships are meaningless to him, resulting in his detachment from the world. His romance with Marie had little effect on his thoughts and feelings, which is unusual for someone in a committed relationship. It is clear throughout the novel that Meursault believes that loneliness, coupled with boring work, is his only purpose in life. However, before the day of his execution, he has a revelation; his goal is for others to learn from his mistakes (Camus 121-123). If one goes through life carelessly and without attachment, the search for oneself will never fully develop. More generally, Meursault teaches the reader that finding purpose in one's life requires realizing that death is inevitable and that leaving a legacy, positive or negative, will be beneficial. This idea is similar to the narrator's struggles in Invisible Man, as both men need an eye-opening experience to develop a true sense of identity. In Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the narrator feels invisible to the rest of society. Because he is a black man who grew up in a time of segregation and discrimination, others' opinions of him are clouded by the color of his skin. In fact, Dr. Bledsoe tells him, “You are nobody, my son. You don't exist, can't you see that? White people tell everyone what to think” (Ellison 141). This greatly affects his self-perception and makes him feel like his destiny is predetermined. He lets the judgments of others distort his own sense of identity, which is a lesson readers can learn from. In order to find purpose, we must look at ourselves objectively, without prejudices or stereotypes that obscure what really exists. Although the narrator is certainly burdened by the chains of racism, his self-image need not be damaged. Its internal struggle, although caused by external forces, is not permanent. This teaches the reader that the discriminatory ideologies of others should not stand in the way of the quest. 2016.