This generally signifies that Meursault understood why he got the punishment he did. He was satisfied with what was happening with his life at this point and he knew everything was happening for a reason. The jail cell on the other hand was also a place where he got to understand his mother’s perception better. For example he concludes that he begins to understand his mother 's feelings and emotions towards the end of her life. He sees the end of his life coming immediately and feels strangely prepared. After he attacks the chaplain, it is almost as if he is ready to welcome death and understand Maman. Meursault passes the time in prison by observing his surroundings again. He especially thinks during dawn, when the sun is over the horizon,
Through the use of diction, Meursault perceives life is meaningless, which leads him to have the absence of strong bonding with acquaintance around him. He indicates that he lacks empathy from personal and social level. Meursault is a simple man who lives his life in a stickler type and changes annoy him. As the novel introduces Meursault mother being dead, he shows lack of concern and a burden to visit his mother for the last time. “Maman died today...
He shows no grief or regret. The intensity of the emotions that the heat and sun evokes on him is shown as he pours with sweat: “Sweat was running down my face…I tried to fan myself with my handkerchief” (30). The sun is the only thing that can get a reaction out of Meursault; in this case, he gets out his handkerchief. His emotions evoked by the physical world, by the heat, light, and sun, bar him from experiencing the real feelings such as grief for his mother.
It quickly becomes clear that Meursault’s tone following the death of his mother reflects his desensitized and seemingly distant state. After realizing that his mother had
Meursault is disturbed by “the toothless mouths” and the “[nests] of wrinkles” that greet him at his mother’s funeral (10). Even these hints are not enough for Meursault to develop his consciousness of mortality and the absurdity of any endeavour in life. When confronting the Arabs on the beach, Meursault realises that “[he] could either shoot or not shoot” (56). Someone else’s life and death has no implication on his own life at all; any action in life is therefore obsolete. Meursault deviates from societal norms; experiencing death does not shake him.
Then he starts talking to his neighbor, Raymond, and he is a bit of trouble. He would beat up his girlfriend and the cops would go to his house a lot. Raymond invites Meursault and Meursault’s girlfriend to a beach house his friend, Masson owns, when he see the brothers of the girlfriend raymond would beat up, they got into a fight. Then after Meursault took a walk and saw the guy they just fought they kept staring at each other when the arab pulls a knife on him and Meursault had raymond 's gun in his pocket. Then he kills the man.
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
Meursault is not an emotional person. Meursault often seems not to react to major events that happen to him. For example when his mom dies, he says, “Really, nothing had changed”(24). There is an obvious emotional disconnect. Either he was not close to his mother or her death had little to no effect on him.
In the novel, The Stranger, by Albert Camus centers his theme around existentialism. Existentialism is how people determine their own path within their actions. Meursault, the main character in The Stranger believes highly in existentialism. He is a nonreligious man with the mindset of his own. For instance when his mother died he didn’t ask to see her body.
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.
Camus says, “She asked me if I loved her. I said that sort of question had no meaning” (44). First Meursault barely blinks when his mom dies and now he won’t say I love you to his girlfriend. This also demonstrates the extent of the hopefulness of Marie versus the hopelessness of Meursault. Whereas even after this Marie continues to try to make her and Meursault work, Meursault is shown to be lost, cold, and angry.
Meursault is part of a functioning group, yet is disconnected with his different ideals. His differentiation generates narrow-mindedness, motivating his peers to reject that behavior. However, without this variation within a society, there would be no example to look upon. Meursault’s existence as the stranger creates the society’s standards, ones that he is not included in. The process of estrangement and realization in which Meursault experiences can be seen through the varying aspects of his point of view during vital events in the novel.
Throughout most stages of ‘The Outsider’, by Albert Camus, the readers create the label of Meursault as portraying an anti-heroine like personality as they may derive through the parts such as Meursault showing no emotion whatsoever in the light of his mother 's death, the killing of the Arab, etc. The often displayed apathetic nature of Meursault throughout the entire book simply illustrates Meursault’s somewhat introverted-self and throughout this essay, The quote, said by the chaplain in the final chapter, “I 'm on your side. But you can’t see that because your heart is blind. I shall pray for you.” suggests that Meursault is a cold and indifferent individual.
The prosecutor, the examining magistrate, and Meursault’s own lawyer were curious and confused, for they did not know Meursault’s motives or his justification for his actions. The magistrate, with a puzzled expression on his face, asked Meursault, “‘But why, why did you go on firing at a prostrate man?’ Again I found nothing to reply” (Camus 42). In order to solve the case and fairly sentence Meursault to the punishment he deserves, the authorities were eager to discover why Meursault has done such an unscrupulous thing. Camus’ use of repetition within the magistrate’s question emphasizes the yearn for a reasonable explanation for Meursault’s actions.
He sat down indignantly. He said it was impossible… and if he ever were to doubt it, his life would become meaningless.” (Camus 120) This is shows the absolute lack of sympathy the magistrate must feels toward Meursault which symbolizes the way that his peers or any individual in society view his viewpoints on life. The magistrate ultimately represents the way society feels threatened by an individual with immoral beliefs, or even by an individual who possesses beliefs different from their own.
The protagonist of The Stranger Meursault shot down an Arab impulsively and is sentenced to death. The novel depicts protagonist’s reflections on the futility of his life after that act as he surrenders to his fate, on the other hand, one can feel how Thomas Becket in Murder in the Cathedral has surrendered to the will of God that he finds himself associated with, Becket has also resigned the futile past of the earthly and mundane ways of life for the sake of being saint. Camus’s existential discourse of The Myth of Sisyphus again treats entirely with the futility of existence. He alluded to the Greek legend of Sisyphus to express his ideas about absurdity. Awareness of the meaninglessness life can lead to uprising and journey of finding one’s true