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
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 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.
In stiller Nacht Program Notes Johannes Brahms was a great lover and collector of German folksongs. He owned many published collections and kept a notebook of favorite folk melodies. Brahms made arrangements of at least 108 folk songs, of which over half were for chorus. Most of them were written for specific choirs, which he directed. Brahms created an earlier arrangement of “In stiller Nacht” for women’s voices, titled “Todtenklage” (WoO 36, no. 1), for the Hamburg Frauenchor, which he conducted from 1859 to 1862.
This simple fact keeps him so alienated from the rest of the characters in the book. To go in deeper with Meursault’s isolation, most of his attention was self created. Others, such as his “fiancee” Marie and neighbor Raymond, wish to associate with him, however, he lacks the fundamental skills required to maintain healthy relationships. His alienation becomes especially noticeable thought his time in prison. At one point, he addresses his views on the world after having killed a man on the beach.
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.
Or yesterday maybe, I don 't know," (pg. 3). This introduces Meursault and his emotional indifference extremely well and sets the precedence for the entire book. By focusing on a trivial detail rather than how she died or expressing his grief the reader doesn 't connect to Meursault. He goes on to say it doesn 't mean anything, referring to the telegram 's information; however, it 's almost conveyed in a way that the
This is the moment where Meursault truly feels alone and isolated from the world, but he hangs on to his memories of his girlfriend Marie. In this seclusion, Meursault learns that humans exist in a meaningless world that is only worth living due to the idea of love. He learns that he loves the possessions that he can not have such as cigarettes and swimming. It is through this loss that Meursault learns that love is what saves us from the world and that morality makes this idea more possible. (Mikics et al).
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...
Camus gives the reader no background or details as to why Meursault shoots the Arab, let alone why he shoots him four times. As the reader, it is hard to analyze the situation because of how natural the occurrence seems. There was no premeditation to his actions and it seems that it was only a coincidence that Meursault had the gun in the first place. When looking at the text it appears that Meursault is shooting at the blade of light reflecting off of the Arab’s knife into his eyes, “the Arab drew his knife and held it up to me in the sun. The light shot off the steel and it was like a long flashing blade cutting at my forehead”(Camus 59).
When I first read these lines, I was shocked by how Meursault answers to Marie with little emotion or empathy. Meursault telling Marie in full honesty that marrying her or someone else does not mean anything to him starts to show Meursault's indifference in society. Although honesty is important in relationships, it is not immediately used if emotions are at risk. However, instead of thinking about what he has to say and how it will affect others, Meursault genuinely says what he feels at the present moment, showing his ignorance in situations. Therefore, I was surprised at how Marie still remains in a relationship with Meursault, despite knowing that Meursault does not truly love her.
Are people really evil? Or is it their actions to blame? I believe that both a person and their actions can be evil. For we are humans that can be corrupted and become jealous over things, thus tainting our actions. But i also strongly believe that our actions can easily tinge our self, causing us to change into something evil, even if it 's just for a period of time.
(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.
His response demonstrates the societal belief that when losing someone close to you, you should experience grief. However, his panic and sadness contrast with Meursault’s calm demeanor when discussing his mother’s departure to the home with the funeral director. Camus describes the interaction saying, “Then he asked if the parting hadn’t caused me distress. I explained that neither Mother nor I expected much of one another—or, for that matter, of anybody else; so both of us had got used to the new conditions easily enough.” (Camus 88).
Their inability to connect with him stems from Meursault 's distinctive behaviour that is not influenced by society. This individualism instils dread in the jury. According to society, an individual such as Meursault, who is authentic and not shaped by society, has no place on Earth. And so, because it is a jury, filled with biased humans, that convicts the defendant, there is injustice in the justice system. As a result of the fallibility of the court of law,
