1. Setting
The trial was adjourned. As I was leaving the courthouse on my back to the van, I recognized for a brief moment the smell and color of the summer evening. In the darkness of my mobile prison I could make out one by one, as if from the depths of my exhaustion, all the familiar sounds of a town I loved and of a certain time of day when I used to feel happy, the cries of the newspaper vendors in the already languid air, the last few birds in the square, the shouts of the sandwich sellers, the screech of the streetcars turning sharply through upper town, and that hum in the sky before night engulfs the port: all this mapped out for me a route I knew so well before going to prison and which now I travelled blind. Yes, it was the hour
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In this moment he is hit with a wave of nostalgia that takes him back to the time before he was imprisoned, back to when he was happy and content. He explores the theme that life sometimes takes very unexpected and drastic turns, which absolutely is present throughout the book. When Meursault shot that man, it was completely unforeseen. The book seemed to go on, based off the happy life a man was living but underneath the routine of life a storm was brewing just as a result of Meursault just living his …show more content…
Raymond plays a very important character in the entirety of the book, although oblivious to Meursault, Raymond is to blame for almost everything. Had it not been for Raymond’s drama then Meursault would never have gone to trial. Raymond is the epicenter of all that caused Meursault to kill that Arab man. He made Meursault write the letter, he made him testify on raymond’s behalf, he brought him to the beach and he even gave Meursault a gun to hold on to. However dangerous Raymond might be to Meursault’s natural lifespan, Meursault does not care, he is stubbornly ignorant to all that might befall him despite the uncomfortable feelings of fatigue, hunger and lust. The character of Raymond Sintes pushes forward the plot with his at the time harmless favors that concluded in Meursault going to
Dialectical Journal Chapters 12-18 Vocabulary 1. Contemptuously- Showing or expressing disdain or scorn. 2. What is the difference between a'smart' and a Prerogative- An exclusive right or privilege.
He, however, seemed question his presence because the death of his mom or even from the absence of his father—the fairly dynamic that every child should have (both parents present). In chapter two Meursault found himself alone in his apartment as Marie had left for work earlier that morning. In this section he explains that, “After lunch I was a little bored and I wandered around the apartment” (21). In this quote, Meursault demonstrates just how meaningless is life is. To have nothing more to do with his time than walk around his apartment shows that Meursault is questioning his place in this world. He is a man with virtually only two friends—Raymond and Marie—and a neighbor that he associates with on occasion about his dog. As he wanders the apartment he explains that he lives, “in just one room now” (21), one that he literally put his dining table in so that he could eat in his room. This quote symbolizes his loneliness as a person. Not only is the apartment too big for him, the world is too, and his is basically alone in both. For some reason—maybe a tragedy or trauma that he faced in earlier years—Meursault has closed himself off from the world and does not express love for anyone or anything. In fact, Meursault made a statement about the death of his mother saying that, “at one time or another, all normal people have wished their loved ones were dead" (65). At this point in the story, I think that Meursault may not have had the best family dynamic. He does not speak of anyone else but Maman, and mentions a father that he does not know. So, he may not feel like he belongs or does not know how to. He also explains that, “it was one of Maman’s ideas, and she often repeated it, that after a while you could get used to anything” (77). This quote could explain the fact that Meursault is closed off—he has gotten so used to not having anyone around that truly cares for him (his
The reality in which Meursault inhabits describes a realistic world in all its accounts, from themes as natural as death to petty jealousy and the judicial system which corresponds perfectly with the first sentence of t...
...he climax of his own story. Both men underwent changes, even though Meursault’s changes were far less noticeable. Both men failed to understand the possible ways their actions could be construed until it was too late, resulting in the Czechoslovakian man dead and Meursault in prison, and later, executed. Meursault’s story is that of The Stranger, and the Czechoslovakian man’s story ends with the same fate, as once he returns to his small village, he is a stranger to all, even to his mother and sister. These two men were foils, yet similar in striking ways. The Czechoslovakian man lived out his dream, and his life ended due to the misdemeanor of trickery, while Meursault lived a dull, emotionless life, and his life ended due to the felony of murder.
This passage is set before Meursault’s execution with the chaplain entering the scene, and telling Meursault that his “heart is blind”, leading to Meursault to yell and delve into his rant, and moment of consciousness. The passage has a calm in the beginning as if Meursault catches his breath from yelling previously, and he starts to reassure himself that he is not wrong for expressing his views as it went against the public’s religious beliefs, and states that this moment was so important to him that it was if his life was merely leading up to it. Why this particular scene is important to Meursault is that this is an instance where he successfully detaches himself from the world, and begins to deconstruct the world’s ideals as his rant shifts on to focusing on how nothing in life mattered. Meursault describes his gripes with the chaplain’s words as he explains his reasoning as to why the concept of a god is flawed as Meursault saw that everyone was inherently the same, with equal privileges just how often people could express them separated them. The passage continues with Meursault arguing that everyone would be faced with judgment or punishment one day, and explains why his own situation was not significant as it was no different. After that explanation the passage ends with Meursault posing the concept of everything in the world being equal both in wrongdoing and life in general, evident in his example of saying “Sala¬mano's dog was worth just as much as his wife.” Although the passage shows Meursault challenging the ethics and morals that the world around him follows, it does have instances like the end in which we see that the rant is still expression of Meursault's complex emotions, as it is unclear whether it is fear or a...
Not only does Meursault associate himself with abusive Salamano, but also unpopular neighbor Raymond Sintes. The neighborhood views Raymond as a man who “lives...
While coming to terms with the absurd was a gradual process for Meursault, his final days and his heated conversation with the chaplain, and his desire for a hateful crowd of spectators show that he was able to accept the absurdity, and revel in it, finding satisfaction in spite of those around him and justifying his murder. His ego had reached an all-time high as he neared his execution, and his satisfaction left him prepared for the nothingness awaiting him. This process was a natural psychological response to his mortality, for his peace of mind. Therefore, Meursault is not the Stranger, an alien to society, but a troubled man seeking meaning and satisfaction in a life and a world that was overwhelming unsatisfactory and absurd.
The novel opens with Meursault's mother passing away at an old people's home. When he tells his employer about his mother's death, he is concerned about the reaction he gets. He feels that the employer should feel sympathy for him but instead he feels angry. Later in the novel, after Meursault has been arrested and went to trial, the prosecution portrays him as a cold, heartless killer with no emotional indifference due to the fact that he smokes and drinks in front of his mother's body and seems to show no remorse for a murder he commits. At this point he begins to feel alone in the universe, thinking that his only companion was the universe itself.
In the novel, we are given a more complete view of Meursault. The story is told from his point-of-view, which allows us to understand the situation as Meursault perceives it. Looking at the situation in this light, we can see Meursault as not evil, but simply indifferent and detached from life. He doesn’t attempt to get wrapped up in emotion or relationships, he just takes things as they come, doing whatever is easiest for him. He becomes friends with Raymond and agrees to marry Marie simply because he doesn’t have a very good reason not to. Seeing the story from Meursault’s viewpoint, we understand that even killing the Arab wasn’t an act of malice or evil intent. As Meursault puts it, “My nature is such that my physical needs often get in the way of my feelings.” With this in context, things begin to make more sense. Meursault’s seemingly cryptic statement that he murdered the Arab “because of the sun” can be taken as truth. Meursault does things that society judges as wrong not because he is evil or wants to appear immoral, but because the sun and heat, symbols for Meursault’s emotional state, cause him to become uncomfortable and act “inappropriately.
In Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, the protagonist Meursault is a character who has definite values and opinions concerning the society in which he lives. His self-inflicted alienation from society and all its habits and customs is clear throughout the book. The novel itself is an exercise in absurdity that challenges the reader to face the nagging questions concerning the meaning of human existence. Meursault is an existentialist character who views his life in an unemotional and noncommittal manner, which enhances his obvious opinion that in the end life is utterly meaningless.
All in all, the influence of Raymond is negative towards Meursault and leads to Meursault’s death sentence. The peer pressure put on Meursault to testify against Raymond’s mistress sets Meursault up and was the first of many instances where Meursault was manipulated into doing something. The aggression of Meursault to use violence against the Arab is a forced demand that Meursault is to fight for Raymond in times of hardships, as if Raymond owns Meursault. Finally, the declaration of Meursault as “a pal” influences the jury heavily because Raymond runs a whorehouse and the people one hangs out with have strong affects. Together, these three things lead to Meursault’s downfall, the death sentence, and Raymond is the one to blame.
In archetypal literature, light is clarifying. It represents truth, honesty, and enlightenment. Meursault, however, finds light to be “inhuman and oppressive” (15). The constant descriptors of light are stifling and dreary. As he sits in prison waiting for his execution, the sunrise is dreadful; it signals despair, not the freedom and rebirth that a new day usually signifies. This different implementation of technique further emphasizes how Meursault does not fit in with his society. His refusal to play by the rules, especially revealed in his rejection of religion, supports the greater argument of the novel: there is no inherent meaning or higher power in the universe. Meursault does not care whether he moves to Paris or marries Marie for the sole reason that “life isn’t worth living;” a belief that he holds from the beginning of the novel until the night before his execution (114). Established as an unusual, distant protagonist who is difficult to relate to, Meursault attributes no particular meaning to life. He even shows disdain for the emotional and metaphysical values others hold. Nothing extracts feelings of empathy from Meursault, not even Raymond’s anger toward his mistress, his neighbor Salamano’s longing for his dog and late wife, or Marie’s love. Therefore, Meursault’s emotional separation, emphasized by written descriptions of light, connects to his repudiation of
The Stranger by Albert Camus tells a story of a man who is wrongly accused and convicted of premeditated murder. The leads the main character, Meursault, to question his existence on Earth and what it really means to himself and those around him. “It is not true that life is one damn thing after another—it’s one damn thing over and over.” This quote by Edna St. Vincent Millay clearly expresses the idea that Meursault feels so strongly about.
...rtain everyday things like relationships, places to relax, and habits. Meursault is the one to break through this illusion and see what happiness truly is. The reason being is that Meursault acted like an outcast to himself and the outside world which in turn helps him discover the true meaning of happiness. Society views death as a bad thing that they always fear and try to prolong the inevitability of how life normally works. Everything that is given life suffers the fate of an inevitable death and as they try to live they fill it with a lot of things to give themselves the false sense of happiness to ignore the fear of death. Meursault discovers that people should not be afraid of death, but that one should embrace it and look at it as a wonderful opportunity of true freedom and happiness. Death is not the end of a happy life, but the start of a new and true life.
Camus writes in a simple, direct, and uncomplicated style. The choice of language serves well to convey the thoughts of Meursault. The story is told in the first person and traces the development of the narrator's attitude toward himself and the rest of the world. Through this sort of simple grammatical structure, Camus gives the reader the opportunity to become part of the awareness of Meursault. In Part I, what Meursault decides to mention are just concrete facts. He describes objects and people, but makes no attempt to analyze them. Since he makes no effort to analyze things around him, that job is given to the reader. The reader therefore creates his own meaning for Meursault's actions. When he is forced to confront his past and reflect on his experiences, he attempts to understand the reasons for existence. At first, Meursault makes references to his inability to understand what's happening around him, but often what he tells us seems the result of his own indifference or detachment. He is frequently inattentive to his surroundings. His mind wanders in the middle of conversations. Rarely does he make judgments or express opinions about what he or other characters are doing. Meursault walks through life largely unaware of the effect of his actions on others.