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The evolution of Meursault's character in the stranger
The evolution of Meursault's character in the stranger
Themes in the novel The stranger
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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.
During my first read through The Stranger, I paid little attention to how the novel was written, focusing more on content and plotline. I mainly noticed that the sentence structure employed was very limited, the majority of the sentences were short, and the figurative language was restricted. The interactive oral on translational effects introduced me to the importance of the syntax and diction used and its significance with respect to Meursault’s character. In the discussion, we examined the first line of the novel of Ward’s version, which is “Maman died today” (Camus 3).
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.
I don’t know … everything will have a more official feel” (Camus 3). The use of diction shows Meursault's dispassionate to visit his mother. Through the use of words, Meursault is prevailed as emotionless and complicated to understand as he does not mourn for his mother, but is calm and lifeless. Also, through the work of diction, it reveals that Meursault has an affection towards Marie, but does not have a habit of comforting his feelings for her, but goes with what occurs in present. But the relationship he has with Marie shows that he cannot give women a healthy relationship.
The man behind the book, Meursault, has had many ups and downs throughout his times in this book. Living a very basic life in Algiers practically all nice and calm, until the call of his mother's death, where everything simply rolls down hill becoming bad and worse. Meursault lived as an everyday upstanding member of society, slowly his destiny catches up to him and he is soon brought face to face with his untimely execution. He never did anything particularly vile or wrongdoing to make such a dark fate be bestowed upon him, but the action of murder is something a little over the top- karma came full circle and, because of his actions, he was condemned to death. I personally believe, in the moment of the kill that Meursault committed, he mentally accepted any consequence that came his way.
He is an insouciant being who has no logic passion or ambition to accomplish anything logically. For example, he kills a man, for the simple reason that he shined sunlight into his eyes. “ The principle can be established that for a man who does not cheat, what he believes to be true must determine his action”(Caraway, 125). Since Meursault’s idea of truth is flawed by his lack of care, his actions have no logic behind them. Due to the nature of Meursault’s character, his act of murder is considered both unethical and immoral, and he is justified to be subjected to a punishment of similar degree.
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
(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.
“People who hide their feelings usually care the most.” Meursault is a lackadaisical person. Meursault didn’t show too much emotion, he didn’t let much of, anyone know how he really felt, and he didn’t really show concern or emotion to certain things and situations.
All of themes are evident with Meursault’s emotionless nature. Meursault lives his life as if none of the actions he commits or the events that happen to him will matter in the end. This is shown when Meursault’s mom dies. When this occurs, Meursault doesn’t appear to be sad or even care about his mother's passing, which is the main subject of his trial. Meursault was unable to communicate how he really felt about his mother's death which meant that he continued
Because Meursault shut himself away from any outside emotions and didn’t care what choice he took, it became the downfall of him. All of those choices, of him taking the easy way out, could have ended up taking a different route, but because Meursault is a stranger to himself and to his life, his inability own up to what he has done was his flaw. That one choice made an incredible difference in Meursault’s life and he did nothing to stop it, as if he weren’t really there, like he wasn’t in control of his actions or of his thoughts. In a way, Meursault’s character is very similar to that of Hamlet. Both of their fatal flaws is there overthinking about life and in Meursault’s case his emotionless approach on life.
I found it interesting how the author has manipulated the difference in text structure to show that Meursault is indifferent towards the events around him, however he is not inhuman or simple minded. I have a lot of mixed feelings towards this text, as the idea of absurdism explored in it and the way the main character lives his life is quite interesting, but the way such ideas and character was, and needed to be, was presented in too dull of a
How is the typical Australian depicted in Television? Is this accurate? Popular Culture Assignment: Television – Option 3 Nicholas Jankovic When televisions arrived on the shores of Australia in 1956, it opened doors in Australia’s popular culture establishing some of the most iconic television dramas such as Crocodile Dundee which depicted the typical Australian. Although, the stereotypes being created by these iconic shows, were not depicting Australians as working class people rather as those in the lower class, which according to the Australian National University only make up a proportion of 6.2% of all Australians. Being one of the worlds most urbanised countries, society constantly forget that the Australian population are not ‘Foster 's
As readers many notice how Meursault and other characters within the book never actually have a relationship with Meursault because he ultimately acts like a stranger to everyone that he meets. Not one person relates to him in any given way within the book and never fully grasp what goes on during his thought process, but as readers the author meant for us to understand him more. From the viewpoint of Meursault readers get his complex life that has no meaning, no relationship, and no values or goals that he wants for his life. From start to finish one gets the overview of his life but through the main characters lense one gets to see that he accepts who he is and prefers it this way. During the story Meursault says “I looked at myself in my tin plate.
Everything he will say; the magistrate will not believe him, he even feels there is no need for a lawyer because he thinks everything he does, is right and there is not something to question. He comes to understand that he trying to find meaning in his own life, make him impotent to society’s eyes, he only murdered an Arab and that is it. During the trial, there are investigators that learn that Meursault does not feel any remorse at his mother funeral. As Meursault does not have any evidence why he kills the Arab man, the lawyer thinks that it will be a strong argument if Meursault can come up with some answers for the questions. The investigator asks,” If I had felt any sadness that day” (Camus 65).
