Meursault is a man who lacks the typical emotional and social connections that define the human experience. People are constantly trying to conform to societal norms, which have been dictated by the people themselves. Meursault goes through life lacking any emotional investment in anything, resulting in him passively observing events as they happen instead of meaningfully engaging with them. His relationships are superficial, he acts only in the present and he is devoid of sentiment. This is where the title The Stranger comes from, as Meursault is a stranger to society due to his disregard for societal values and emotional attachment. He is a stranger to the values that hold a society together and form the human condition. Meursault is so focused in the present he lacks any purpose and meaning, and makes the reader question if meaning is a human invention. Most people usually have some sort of purpose or goal in their lives that they try to achieve and work towards, but Meursault doesn’t. He simply just exists, as if somebody forgot to give him his humanity. He cares about the physical, not the emotional.
His trial then ends up being not so much of a trial for killing a man, but more so about his failure to conform to societal standards of emotion, morality and humanity. His general lack of remorse and emotion is seen as inhuman by the court, so he must be sentenced to death not for murdering the Arab but for not being “human”. This lack of humanity is seen as a far bigger threat to society than the murder, and is the reason for his extreme punishment. The Stranger shows us how a society fears a person who rejects the ideas of humanity and emotion, illustrating how society pressures people into conformity and making the reader wonder if life has any inherent purpose.
It could be argued that living for immediate physical satisfaction does give life a meaning, however callous that may seem. After all that is what most humans are doing- seeking out meaning through gratification. The major difference is that most people abide by basic moral standards in their personal pursuit of happiness- something that Meursault fails to do.
ReplyDeleteAs a narrator, Meursault is uniquely uninterested in telling readers much about his past: in many ways, it's as if his life begins with him receiving the telegram announcing his mother's death, and almost all of the novel focuses directly on the week or so after the funeral and the court case that follows, "judging" that week and Meursault's actions and behavior during it. This is quite unusual, as first-person narrators go (consider how haunting the past is in _Mrs. Dalloway_ and _Beloved_, for contrast).
ReplyDeleteSo how did Meursault get this way? Maybe the most baffling aspect of his personality and worldview, for generally ambitious Uni students, is his apparent lack of ambition. When his boss offers him a promotion and opportunity to move to Paris, he declines--he's "used to" his current job and life, and doesn't see any point in changing. Most readers (especially at this school) likely gain most of their personal sense of "meaning" from their career, ambitions, and dreams for the future. There is reference to Meursault himself having to "give up his studies" (to take care of Maman), and he dates his lack of ambition to this period in his life. We get the sense that he HAD BEEN ambitious for a while, the way most people are raised to be, but (as usual) circumstances intervene and render him less ambitious. There's also the implication that his mother influences his views on ambition, as he cites her mantra as "you get used to anything eventually."
I agree, Meursault's trial becomes less about the murder and more about condemning his indifference, as society sees his lack of emotion as a threat to its values. Meursault’s focus on the physical over the emotional shows the dichotomy between his existence and societal expectations.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement that Meursault simply exists. He doesn't listen to the common idea of how one should life their life. This can be a good mindset to have, but Meursault's lack of emotion and lack of morals cause him to make poor choices. Good post!
ReplyDelete