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Characterization of meursault in the novel the stranger by Albert camus
Characterization of meursault in the novel the stranger by Albert camus
Characterization of meursault in the novel the stranger by Albert camus
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Losing someone is hard to accept as it takes a toll on their emotional state, causing things such as pain and grief. For majority, however, letting an individual go and moving on is the most painful feeling they have to embrace. Within the first few pages of the chapter, a reader figures out that Maman was dead, as Meursault had said “It occurred to me that somehow I’d got through another Sunday, that Mother now was buried, and tomorrow I’d be going back to work as usual. Really nothing in my life had change” (Camus, 24). The reader can notice that, through the words of Meursault, he was emotionally indifferent as he was very nonchalant about the death of his mother and did not have a close relationship or connection with her as she died.
The author initially uses words with negative connotation, such “wild,” “storm of grief,” and “sank into her soul” (1), to suggest a normal reaction to the death of a loved one.
Sal explains, “When my mother was there, I was like a mirror. If she was happy, I was happy. If she was sad, I was sad. For the first few days after she left, I felt numb, non-feeling. I didn’t know how to feel”(Creech 37).
Proposing her thesis early in her article, Quindlen creates a basis for her position about the lasting effects of death and grief; due to her specific examples, and use of pathos, repetition, and ethos, she supports her position successfully.
It is never easy to cope with a loved one’s death. I could not imagine Mameh’s pain. It must have been extremely difficult and devastating to experience her mother’s death alone. I wish Mameh had a figure to talk or express her emotions to. That weeping symbolizes Mameh’s hopelessness. Ruth would never forget the sound because that is how she perceived her mother, as irremediable.
At some point in everybody’s life they feel the sorrow and anguish of losing somebody. The the stories “Nashville Gone to Ashes” and “When It’s Human Instead of When It’s Dog”, both a widow and widower are not able to move on with their life after the loss of their loved one. In both cases the mister and the widow both come to the conclusion that their significant other is not coming back leading them to find ways to cope with their deaths, move on and function the best they can with their lives.
The funeral was supposed to be a family affair. She had not wanted to invite so many people, most of them strangers to her, to be there at the moment she said goodbye. Yet, she was not the only person who had a right to his last moments above the earth, it seemed. Everyone, from the family who knew nothing of the anguish he had suffered in his last years, to the colleagues who saw him every day but hadn’t actually seen him, to the long-lost friends and passing acquaintances who were surprised to find that he was married, let alone dead, wanted to have a last chance to gaze upon him in his open coffin and say goodbye.
His father’s death did not affect him much at the outset. When people said that his father had suffered a lot, he simply dismissed it. For him, he always seemed dead. Does it seem a cold response? Try to remember Meursault in Albert Camus’s The Stranger (Wikipedia Contributors, The Stranger). His response to his mother’s death aroused a cry from people, and he was convicted on that account. Because he did not weep at his mother’s death, and smoked a cigarette instead, he was made into a monster that did not suit to the society. He did not speak much because he simply did not have anything to say. The human society did not approve of such behaviour. It wanted everyone to follow certain rules in order to be considered fit for living in the society. His response, however, represents the response of most of us who would not wish to show it to others because we want to be considered human enough. Therefore, we try to live by the social norms. Is it not the real response that all of us have but does not show it in the fear of social morality? Camus’s The Outsider brings us to this crude reality of our
Through an intimate maternal bond, Michaels mother experiences the consequences of Michaels decisions, weakening her to a debilitating state of grief. “Once he belonged to me”; “He was ours,” the repetition of these inclusive statements indicates her fulfilment from protecting her son and inability to find value in life without him. Through the cyclical narrative structure, it is evident that the loss and grief felt by the mother is continual and indeterminable. Dawson reveals death can bring out weakness and anger in self and with others. The use of words with negative connotations towards the end of the story, “Lonely,” “cold,” “dead,” enforce the mother’s grief and regressing nature. Thus, people who find contentment through others, cannot find fulfilment without the presence of that individual.
Maman said, “But I do not want to go and see Him right away” followed by Simone stating, “The earthly meaning of eternal life was death, and she refused to die” (Beauvoir 60). Maman loved life and life should not be denied to her because she is dying. Simone did not want to be the one to take that away from her. Many may see this as a selfish decision and that her mother should know what the problem is exact. In my opinion, even with Beauvoir withholding that information her mother knew that she would not live forever. I believe that when it’s your body their are signs and feelings that you get to let you know something is not right. From the book Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, Morrie knew that he was sick he may have not known the exact illness but he felt something was not right. Even when he was diagnosed and given the amount of days to live he knew that it would be less. Putting the cancer aside, her mother still would have been devastated even if she would have been diagnosed with another terminal illness. It wasn’t so much the cancer that was the issue but it was leaving the earth when she wasn’t ready and not being able to live life. She made the fact of this very clear when she said, “I don’t want to die” (Beauvoir 88). You can take life for granted but when death comes it will be too late to fix any regrets you may still
Different emotions and attitudes are between her father’s death and her first horse death. When she heard the news of her father’s death, she didn’t cry, but remained motionless, and then turned her head and looked at the painting on the wall next
Looking back on the death of Larissa’s son, Zebedee Breeze, Lorraine examines Larissa’s response to the passing of her child. Lorraine says, “I never saw her cry that day or any other. She never mentioned her sons.” (Senior 311). This statement from Lorraine shows how even though Larissa was devastated by the news of her son’s passing, she had to keep going. Women in Larissa’s position did not have the luxury of stopping everything to grieve. While someone in Lorraine’s position could take time to grieve and recover from the loss of a loved one, Larissa was expected to keep working despite the grief she felt. One of the saddest things about Zebedee’s passing, was that Larissa had to leave him and was not able to stay with her family because she had to take care of other families. Not only did Larissa have the strength to move on and keep working after her son’s passing, Larissa and other women like her also had no choice but to leave their families in order to find a way to support them. As a child, Lorraine did not understand the strength Larissa must have had to leave her family to take care of someone else’s
Her family life is depicted with contradictions of order and chaos, love and animosity, conventionality and avant-garde. Although the underlying story of her father’s dark secret was troubling, it lends itself to a better understanding of the family dynamics and what was normal for her family. The author doesn’t seem to suggest that her father’s behavior was acceptable or even tolerable. However, the ending of this excerpt leaves the reader with an undeniable sense that the author felt a connection to her father even if it wasn’t one that was desirable. This is best understood with her reaction to his suicide when she states, “But his absence resonated retroactively, echoing back through all the time I knew him. Maybe it was the converse of the way amputees feel pain in a missing limb.” (pg. 399)
Many mothers, regardless of age or situation, share sympathetic life ideals. They all share the common goal of raising their children wholesome; they want to create an environment of love, nurture, and support for their children as well. A mother’s effort to implant good values in her children is perpetual; they remain optimistic, doing all that they can for their children, and hope that they would eventually become prosperous. However, some women were not fit to be mothers. Thus, two different roles of a mother are portrayed in As I Lay Dying written by William Faulkner. Faulkner uses the literary technique of first person narrative with alternating perspectives. By doing so, Faulkner adds authenticity and the ability to relate (for some) to the two characters Addie Bundren and Cora Tull. The first person narrative acts as an important literary technique because it allows the reader to experience the opposing views of Addie and Cora; they are both mothers who act as foils to each other because of their diverse opinions and outlooks on motherhood, religion and life.
Marie visits Meursault in the prison. Meursault is overwhelmed by the heat and loud noise that dominates the visiting room. He talks about how his withdrawal from women and cigarettes has been an annoyance, and how his days feel “both long and short at the same time” (Camus 80).
Imagine growing up without a father. Imagine a little girl who can’t run to him for protection when things go wrong, no one to comfort her when a boy breaks her heart, or to be there for every monumental occasion in her life. Experiencing the death of a parent will leave a hole in the child’s heart that can never be filled. I lost my father at the young of five, and every moment since then has impacted me deeply. A child has to grasp the few and precious recollections that they have experienced with the parent, and never forget them, because that’s all they will ever have. Families will never be as whole, nor will they forget the anguish that has been inflicted upon them. Therefore, the sudden death of a parent has lasting effects on those