Hermann Hesse and Albert Camus were both talented authors whose works greatly influenced the world of literature. Hesse's Siddhartha and Camus's The Stranger have had an impact on readers for decades. These novels focus on a common principle of searching for inner truth. The main characters, Siddhartha and Meursault, live their lives with very different ideologies. These opposing perspectives greatly influence their individual decisions and the people around them. The style in which each of these novels is written exemplifies these differences between Siddhartha and Meursault. The impact of Siddhartha and Meursault's opposing perspectives on their individual decisions and the people around them is seen through the styles of Siddhartha and The Stranger. Siddhartha's entire life is structured around his goal of achieving enlightenment and achieving Nirvana. This is all he wants and all he lives for. Every decision he makes is focused on achieving this goal, regardless of the consequences and who he has to leave behind. His main aspiration can be seen in this passage from Siddhartha. He will do whatever it takes to learn this secret. This is shown when Siddhartha lives as a shramana. He endures intense pain, dehydration, and exhaustion, but this suffering does not faze him because he is so focused on eliminating his self. He believes that living the life of a shramana will help him “become empty of thirst, empty of desire, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow” (Hesse 13). However, when he realizes that he is not getting closer to his initial goal through the shramana lifestyle, he decides to abandon it and start his own business Siddhartha's optimistic outlook helps him a lot... middle of the paper... ...would be represented more clearly popular books over the years for the profound message each introduces and the style in which they are written Siddhartha and Meursault illustrate how differences in characterization can affect individual decisions and the lives of loved ones life demonstrate the undeniable power of personal opinion. Works used: Bloom, Harold Camus: Bloom's modern critical views. 22. Print. Camus, Albert. The stranger. Trans. Matthew Ward. 1942. Np: Vintage International, 1989. Print.Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. Ed. Giorgio Stade. Trans. Rika Minore. 1922. Np: Fine Creative Media, 2007. Print.Mileck, Joseph. Herman Hesse: Biography and Bibliography, volume 1. Np: University of California Press, 1977. Print.