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Meursault's Downfall Essay

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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

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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

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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

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These two most often will correlate with each other. The aspect of sun and heat in this novel is very important. The most noticeable reason is the fact Meursault blames the sun for his actions. The sun symbolically represents a higher being or great source of power. This connects perfectly with Meursault’s claim for shooting the Arab.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Meursault says to the jury that the reason for his murder was because of the sun, Meursault felt that he needed to escape it. The sun is a common theme throughout the book. During Maman’s funeral, it represents all of Meursault’s negative emotions, so that negativity is perpetuated during the murder. Meursault’s simplistic reasoning aligns with the theming of his character, that he does not lie nor indulge in human societal norms. Adrian Van Den Hoven in The Quest for a Motive in Camus’ The Stranger talks about Meursault’s character like this.

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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.

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Essentially, depending on its intensity, the sun, standing as oppressive weather, evokes Meursault’s emotions and reactions. In Camus’

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(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.

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The justification is minimal, as the person he killed was loosely relevant to him, and at the moment before the bullet leaves the gun, Meursault remarks that “The scorching blade slashed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes... the trigger gave…”(59). Meursault then fires four more bullets into the body of the man, for no discernable reason. After he is arrested, he is meeting with his attorney, who asks him if he would say that a potential reason for this killing is because he originally repressed the feelings he felt when Maman died. Meursault’s terse response of “No, because it’s not true” (65), is not enough for the lawyer, rendering him disgusted and angry.

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