ipl-logo

Meursault's Downfall Essay

1193 Words5 Pages

How far does nature and the sun lead to Meursault’s downfall? The Outsider by Albert Camus is a novel that revolves around the theme of the absurdist. The novel explores the character of Meursault, who is a taciturn and emotionally detached man. Meursault shows no emotion at his mother's funeral and is viewed as an individualist. In the novel, at a point in time he kills a man without any concrete motive to do so, and this leads to him being sentenced to death. The sun is a very powerful symbol in the work, it is omnipresent. At the funeral, at the beach when he is with Marie, at the time he kills the Arab, the sun is always there. It may be argued that the symbolism of the sun leads to Meursault's downfall. In this Written Assignment I will discuss the fatal flaws of Meursault, the symbolism of the sun and how this affects the …show more content…

It is always present when society's principles and views are needed. Like the society, the sun and brightness is normally seen as a positive aspect, however they can both be overpowering. This effect, I believe leads to Meursault's downfall. For example, at the funeral, the sun is shining really brightly and the heat is unbearable according to the main character, just like on that day the expectations of the society is pressing upon Meursault. When Meursault kills the Arab at the beach, the sun is present overpowering him leading him to confusion and disorientation, the line “At that very moment, the sweat that had gathered on my eyebrows suddenly rushed down into my eyes, blinding me with a warm, heavy veil of salt and tears” supports this idea. Before shooting the Arab, Meursault mentions that, “It was the same sun as the day I buried Mama” and this may imply that like at his mother’s funeral he didn’t have any compassion, his feelings are likewise towards the Arab. Even at the trial, the sun is present, along with the society thinking they have the right to judge

Show More
Related

  • Meursault Dialectical Journal

    395 Words  | 2 Pages

    Meursault is eventually convicted and sentenced to death because of his inability to conform to the societal expectations of French Algeria in the 1940’s. 3. Characters: Meursault- the protagonist and narrator of the novel, Meursault is a young shipping clerk who has detached himself from the world around him. He is indifferent

    Read More

  • Nihilism In Holden Caulfield

    2595 Words  | 11 Pages

    Meursault has an absurdist attitude toward his world inside of his mental and physical world. Meursault blames his rash actions on the world and environment. At Meursault’s trial, after he killed the Arab, he defended himself by saying, “it was because of the sun.” (Camus, 103) Meursault actually believed that the sun made him kill the Arab man. In The Stranger, the sun is the main antagonist.

    Read More

  • Meursault Had Acted In Self-Defense Analysis

    216 Words  | 1 Pages

    Another reason would be the key fact that meursault had acted in self defence. The day of the murder, Meursault had been walking on the beach alone minding his own business. As he walked along the beach, he noticed an arab man lying down. Meursault stopped because as he had recalled earlier, this arab man had gone on and attacked his friend Raymond with a knife. Unexpectedly the arab went on and pulled the knife out on meursault.

    Read More

  • Diction In The Stranger

    932 Words  | 4 Pages

    As Meursault perceives life contains no meaning, he is a hollow man who can not see the reality of life. He is much ignorant and lives in the present. “whole landscape shimmer with heat, it was inhumane and oppressive”(Camus 15).The sun represents the intimidating power of the natural worlds over human action. The sun is not repeated once, but many times during the funeral, which distracts Meursault’s attention and prevails the emotions, Meursault is unable to deal with himself. The sun is also the driving force, which makes Meursault murder the Arab man at the beach.

    Read More

  • The Stranger Rhetorical Analysis

    731 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the most important passages within the novel is when Meursault repeatedly defies the chaplain in the cell. It serves as a pinnacle for the entire story, and grants readers a look into the main characters state of mind. In this passage, Meursault comes to a dramatic realization of who he is through an existential epiphany, and with thorough analysis the overall significance of the passage to the story is revealed. In the passage the chaplain visits Meursault much to Meursault’s displeasure.

    Read More

  • Meursault's Journey Essay

    695 Words  | 3 Pages

    The trial deals with the issue of why Meursault shot the man so many times and why he hesitated. The lack of an answer leads the reader to infer that he himself had no real idea how to deal with the emotions he must have been feeling at the time. With his mother recently dying, pressure for love to fall in line, and to back up his new friends in a fight was just too much emotional and moral overload for him. As someone lacking development in these areas pairing this and the straining physical conditions with the sun and the beach, it is no wonder why he snapped. From the end of his trial there is a strong reflection held in the time that he has in solitary confinement that allows for him to develop more moral understanding on his

    Read More

  • Absurdism In Inside The Stranger

    703 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel starts with the passing of Meursault's Maman(Mother). Despite the fact that he goes to the funeral, he doesn't demand to see the body, in fact, he

    Read More

  • The Stranger Research Paper

    1772 Words  | 8 Pages

    The symbol of the sun reoccurs in the beach scene. Mersault is again bothered by the glaring sun and intense heat when he goes to Masson’s beach house with his girlfriend, Marie and Raymond. Masson is a friend of Raymond who he recently became “pals” with. Throughout the scene, Meursault seems to be delirious because of the heat. The sun seems to be personified, as it becomes the enemy of Meursault.

    Read More

  • The Stranger Research Paper

    1075 Words  | 5 Pages

    The juxtaposition between the constant sun and the life-changing event of burying his mother emphasizes Meursault's disengagement from the typical emotional reactions connected to death. And also foreshadows that something bad is going to happen. Regarding the sun present in the courtroom, it transforms into an all-seeing being, emphasizing the power imbalances in the courtroom. By giving the sun a human form, Camus not only amplifies its

    Read More

  • How Is Meursault A Bad Person

    998 Words  | 4 Pages

    Meursault shows his lack of emotional attachment to people: "I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings"( page 41). Meursault shows the regrets of his nature but also, at the same time, explains that it’s not going to change. Rather than focusing on finding someone to spend his life with, Meursault would rather find someone who can always keep him pampered. Meursault again shows his regret for his actions when he says, "I wanted to try to explain to him that it was because of the sun, the sea, the light, in fact, everything, that I had simply loved him with no personal motive" (Page 68). Meursault shows his lack of care for those whom he loved, but at the same time shows that Meursault might not be able to fully control what he does, but rather does everything out of impulse, therefore making him regret his actions in some situations.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Violence In How To Read Literature Like A Professor

    249 Words  | 1 Pages

    During the beginning of the novel, Meursault goes to his neighbor Raymond’s house. The visit results into a physical fight due to insults made towards Meursault. Relating to aspects on violence, this scene was made to show simple

    Read More

  • Meursault's Emotions In The Stranger, By Albert Camus

    724 Words  | 3 Pages

    Camus uses the motif of weather, most commonly sun and heat, to express Meursault’s emotions. Meursault often describes the weather and how it ‘affects’ him. This can symbolize his actual feelings he tries to hide. An example can be found when Meursault is walking to his mother’s funeral. On the outside he is calm and even seems a little annoyed.

    Read More

  • Mr Salamano Quotes

    463 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, the story Depicts the life of Meursault a man who lives a pretty normal life. In this essay I will be talking about Mr Salamano and his dog. I think that Salamano is a pretty interesting character because because his style is comparable to his dog. He has scabs on his face and talks to himself and his dog sometimes. The only friend that Salamano has is his dog and Meursault, but Meursault is friends with everyone.

    Read More

  • The Stranger Character Analysis

    1437 Words  | 6 Pages

    Meursault notices that during the trial, “there was a lot said about [him], maybe more about [him] than about [his] crime” (98). By having Meursault 's personality be the focal point of the courtroom 's dialogue, Camus implies that Meursault 's persona plays a crucial role in his trial. Instead of focusing on the murder of the Arab, the prosecutor repeatedly mentions Meursault 's "dubious liaison"(94), his "insensitivity" (99) during Maman’s funeral, and his friendship with Raymond, who is a man "of doubtful morality" (99). Through the emphasis on Meursault 's -according to society- 'immoral ' ways, the prosecutor eliminates any sort of sympathy the jury has for Meursault. Following Marie 's testimony, the prosecutor once again exhibits his confidence that bias against Meursault will stem from hearing about his behaviour.

    Read More

  • Social Norms In The Stranger, By Albert Camus

    1196 Words  | 5 Pages

    (59) After long passages describing the painful violence of the sun, Camus’s transition into the murder is shockingly abrupt, provoking a sense of bewilderment at the unexpected randomness of the murder, conveying effectively the irrationality of Meursault’s murder of the man. However, during the trial, when Meursault reveals that he murdered the Arab only because of the sun, refusing to allow others impose their logical but false interpretations upon his life, “people laughed” (103) and even his own “lawyer threw up his hand” (103) as they are unable comprehend and accept such an irrational motivation. To protect themselves from this harsh reality of the universe, they can only fabricate and impose their own logical explanation for Meursault’s behavior. The prosecutor, for instance, is convinced Meursault murdered the man in cold blood, certain in the narrative he has constructed out of events completely unrelated to the murder, from Meursault’s “ignorance when asked Maman’s age” (99) to his association with a man of “doubtful morality” (99). In both cases, Meursault’s indifference for societal standards of morality has painted him as a man immoral and cold-hearted enough to premeditate the murder.

    Read More

More about Meursault's Downfall Essay

Open Document