In chapters 5 and 6, Camus further explores the absurdity in Meursault’s life and his indifference towards meaning. Through Meursault’s relationship with Marie, Camus shows how love is absurd. “Then she asked me again if I loved her. I replied, much as before, that her question meant nothing or next to nothing-but I supposed I didn't.”(52) For most people love is something that they strive for, it is their goal to find love. Yet for Meursault, love means nothing. This contrast with Marie’s desire to love and be loved. She is almost disgusted with Meursault’s indifference towards her declaration of love, “”Suppose another girl had asked you to marry-I mean, a girl you liked in the same way you like me-would you have said ‘yes’ to her, too?” “Naturally”.”(53). Through the contrast in characters, we see that Meursault has no intentions to find love and doesn't care to try. It is almost as if he sees it as an obligation. Why if he thinks love is meaningless does he even agree to marry Marie?
I think that Meursault views the idea of marriage as meaningless. After all, it's only a contract and some legal changes. He realizes that the basics of his life aren't going to change dramatically after he gets married. There is no difference between marrying Marie and another girl who he likes just the same way, because besides a difference of name, you wouldn't be able to distinguish between the two. Marie on the other hand, attaches emotional sentiment to Meursault, making him "unique." Camus is juxtaposing someone who is detached and someone who is wholly committed, which will probably illustrate a point of existentialism later on in Part Two.
I too, agree with Belinda. As Belinda said, Meursault thinks marriage is meaningless, so naturally if Marie suggests it to him, he offers no opinion. As evidenced before in this novel, Meursault agrees to requests and propositions with no regard to his own wishes. He does so because" there's no reason not to" like when Raymond asks Meursault and he agrees with "I didn't have any reason not to please him" (32). This applies to Meursault's acceptance to Marie's proposal because he does things for others' benefits since every thing is meaningless to him; marriage is only a label.
Something I noticed in this section, was Camus’ different uses of the sun to describe Meursault’s personality. In the beginning of chapter 6, Meursault, Marie, and Raymond go to the beach to visit Raymond’s friend. While they are hanging out on the beach, they decide to go swimming. Meursault says, “Out in deeper water we floated on our backs and then sun on my upturned face was drying off the last of the water trickling into my mouth,” (pg 50-51). This quote gives a warm, comforting tone. It shows that Meursault feels comfortable, relaxed and living in the moment. He does not feel discontent in his current situation. Being able to sit in the sun after you have been swimming for a long time is a very satisfying thing. However, near the end of chapter 6, when Meursault and Raymond are about to get into a fight with the Arabs, Meursault describes the sun and says, “We walked on the beach for a long time. By now the sun was overpowering. It shattered into little pieces on the sand and water,” (pg 55). This gives the sun a negative connotation. Meursault also describes the fight, “The sun glinted off Raymond’s gun as he handed it to me,” (pg 56). I think that these two quotes show Meursault’s discomfort and his negative outlook on life. It gives the effect that life is supposed to be considered precious and valuable, but instead he considers it pointless and dull.
I agree with the points you made. The sun is seen as something negative and I like how you said that the quotes show how Meursault's uncomfortable with his life. I also agree with that fact that Meursault sees life as dull with no meaning, when it should actually be valued.
The peacefulness of the setting contrasts with the violent events that happens during Meursault's stay at the beach. There was a lot of peaceful imagery when Meursault describes the place as the "motionless sea and, farther out, a massive, drowsy-looking promontory in the clear water"(pg. 49). As the sea is said to be motionless and clear, it creates a sense of tranquility, relaxation, and happiness. Despite these descriptions, Mersault is going to experience horrific and violent events with the Arabs. This creates a feeling of deception to show that not everything is like what they appear to be. Even in a cheerful place that seems to be safe and warm, unexpected and hostile things can happen. After knowing the Ramon gets stabbed in a place like this, the place is given an twisted, tense, and negative feeling that it's no longer a place for comfort. The author makes this contrast to point out how in our world, even though things seem simple and straight forward, we must uncover what's truly beneath all of the worlds' deceptions and find out ourselves what the world truly is. When Mersault is about to shoot the Arab, the setting dramatically changes from peaceful to malicious as "the sea carried up a thick, fiery breath...the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire"(pg. 59). The weather seems to reflect on Mersault's mood because as soon as he feels threatened and unsafe, he sees the weather change to an apocalyptic disaster. This indicates how prone people are to anxiety and discomfort to unknown things because Mersault panicked the moment his vision is blurred with sweat. This contrasts with the idea of existentialism because existentialism requires people to think outside of the box and explore their own meaning of life, not to rely on other philosopher/teachers' explanations.
Throughout both chapters 5 and 6 we get further into Meursalt and Marie’s relationship. At the very beginning of chapter five Meursalt says, “That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to” (41). This leads me to question why Marie continues to be in love with him. It is human nature to want to be loved by someone yet Meursalt never expresses any of his emotions towards her. However, I have noticed that there is a motif of Marie’s laugh, causing Meursalt to suddenly want her again and usually leads to some sort of sexual encounter. This is shown on pages 20, 43, and 47. Although it is very small, I believe that this might have some sort of significance or might stand as some kind of symbol in the story, curious as to what others think? To conclude my thoughts, I don’t believe that Meursalt is ever going to love Marie, which made me feel pity towards Marie. The readers especially feel sorry for her when Camus writes, “She just wanted to know if I would have accepted the same proposal from another woman, with whom I was involved in the same way. I said ‘Sure’” (42). Personally I’d like to think that nobody would want to be at the same importance as another with a significant other. I think it can be inferred that Marie doesn’t want to admit it but she feels insecure and it makes me sympathize with Marie.
I also picked up on the motif of Marie's laughter and the response it arouses from Meursault as I read through this book. Meursault feels nothing for Marie because he feels nothing in general in his life, but he wants to feel something. The desire to feel something is what makes Marie's laughter so alluring to him--it's an audible display of real and genuine emotion, and Meursault's arousal due to the laughter comes from his desire to control that emotion and feel it as well.
I agree with Nolan and his interpretation of the laughter. This is also similar to the motif of Marie's smile which is somewhat present at this point but becomes more noticeable in the next act when Marie visits Meursault in jail. Just as laughter is an audible display of emotion, Marie's smile is a visual display of emotion. Though, I am not sure why it does not arouse Meursault in the same way as laughter.
I found Camus's description of the sun and weather on the beach to be very in tune to the events taking place. As Mersault, Marie, and Masson arrive at the beach Camus describes the setting through Mersault "But i soon ceased paying attention to this trick of his; I was basking in the sunlight, which, I noticed, was making me feel much better." (63) another pleasant description of the beach by Camus was, "The ground was covered with yellowish pebbles and wild lilies that showed snow-white against the blue of the sky, which had already the hard, metallic glint it gets on very hot days." (620) both of these detailed descriptions in chapter 6 paint the picture of a glorious day ahead for Marie and Mersault. As the day goes on and the weather gets more painful so does the events that occur. At the very end of chapter 6 Camus describes the sun, "And each time I felt a hot blast strike my forehead, I gritted my teeth , I clenched my fists in my trouser pockets and keyed up every nerve to fend off the sun and the dark befuddlement it was pouring into me." (73) Simultaneously as this description is given, Mersault becomes closer and closer to the Arabic stranger on the beach. The intensity of the weather seems to be a parallel to the events and becomes more intense as the scene progresses. This was very interesting to me because it became hard to read in fear that the conditions of Mersault and his livelihood were becoming unstable. As for what Mersault does at the end of this chapter seemed to be very out of his character and rather confused me. During Mersault and Raymond's first interaction with Arabs, Mersault seemed as though he wanted to keep peace and make sure Raymond did not use his gun. But it is evident when Mersault shoots the stranger that he is not thinking of the consequences that lie ahead of him. Do you think Mersault shoots the stranger out of self defense?
I think that there is no explanation for why Meursault shoots the Arab man -- at least, there's no logical or fundamentally rational argument for his actions, and it was not an accident. Camus elaborates extensively on the weather and how the man flashes the sun at Meursault's eyes, but if we look at this incident through the lens of absurdism, ultimately, regardless of other influencing factors, it was his decision. This idea also illustrates the idea that the world is absurd - like his decision of agreeing to marry Marie "didn't matter either way," what's done is done, and I think Camus is trying to tell us that there simply was no reason at all.
The relationship that exists between Mersault and Salamano continues to intrigue the reader, as Mersault seems disinterested in Salamano's attempts to make an emotional connection due to his life circumstances. As Salamano continues to reminisce about his dog, he also proceeds to state that before the dog got extremely sick, "his coat was the best thing about him"(45). The old man, just like any other human being remembers the good times that he had with his only dog as well as its appearance before he got sick. The reader is able to note the fact that the old man enjoys revisiting the past as the past contains happy memories of his companions: the dog and his wife. Even after participating in the dog's beating the old man still appreciates its companionship by confiding in Mersault and, in a way, regretting the fact that the dog is gone. He also continues to justify that the "dog's real sickness was old age and there's no cure for old age"(45). The old man resents life, in the sense that everything has to go at some point as time passes. He thinks that the sickness was inevitable as the older one gets, there's a higher chance of acquiring a disease. If time could be reversed, the old man would rewind back time back to when his life was happy so that he wouldn't have to reminisce but actually live in that happy reality. The reader is able to emotionally connect with the man as he opens up about his inner thoughts, unlike Mersault. He goes to state that as the old man was explaining himself, "he yawned"(45). As actions speak louder than words, Mersault's action of yawning expresses disinterest as he believes in the absurd. In this case, the old man was giving his relationship with the dog a meaning that Mersualt can not perceive. Therefore, Mersault isn't interested in what the old man is saying as he allows himself to fall asleep and shows complete disrespect. The motif of sleep and dreaming is utilized throughout the book to signal Mersault's escape from one meaningless reality to another as his dreams aren't meaningful like they are for normal people.
I also think that the fact Salamano yearns for his lost companion despite their abusive/violent treatment towards one another definitely highlights the oddity in the situation, helping communicate the greater picture that life itself is absurd.
Throughout the few first chapters, the audience is presented with Meursault's striking indifference to the world and life itself. In Chapter 4, for once, I personally got the sense that he experienced a moment of emotional importance and self-realization when he said, "For the first time maybe, I really thought I was going to get married" (50). This was said when Meursault watched Marie laugh with the wife of Masson. For whatever reason, in that brief moment, he gave in to his emotions, which seemed to suddenly surface from nowhere. Perhaps for a second he felt loving feelings towards Marie. He felt something and this quick surge of emotion suggests he gave life the meaning he ignored to create beforehand, however short-lived it was. This goes to show how giving life meaning and finding some kind of purpose is an intrinsic desire of humans, no matter how hard it is tried to be concealed or suppressed with cold, hard reality. Another quote that captivated me enough to ponder considerably was when Raymond and Meursault encountered the Arabs at the beach for the second time. Meursault thinks, "It was then that I realized that you could either shoot or not shoot" (56). This here emphasizes the fact that even if life is regarded as totally meaningless, one can still demonstrate free will. Everyone has the right to make choices for themselves and their actions are their own responsibility, which is a very existentialist principle. Meursault, at least to me, appears to be "floating" through life, swaying this way and that, not ever really taking a firm stance on anything for himself because of the extent of his indifference.
In chapter five, Camus reveals that Salamano possesses deep affection for his old dog even though he beat it every single day. I found myself comparing Salamano and his dog to Meursault and his mother. As Salamano finishes talking about his dog, he mentions that "he knew me [Meursault] and he knew I loved her [Maman] very much." (Camus, 45) Yet, Salamano is just as much of a stranger to Meursault as Meursault is to the rest of the world. Meursault himself did not know why the man would say that, and the reader is further puzzled because he made no display of affection to his mother in the first place. In the same sense, Salamano is just the same. The reader initially believes that Salamano is a horrible man because he beats his dog, but then suddenly the reader feels empathy and pity for the man who said he cared so much for the poor creature, creating a tone of guilt that lingers as Salamano exits with his parting line. Now, if Meursault had cried at his mother's funeral and had shown love, would that then justify his complete emotional distance from her before she died? It's interesting to see how what a character says can influence the readers' perceptions, even though we know no absolute truth about what he/she is really like. The effect here is to make the reader question why Salamano is different from Meursault - they essentially treat a "loved one" the same way, yet elicit different reactions from the reader.
As for chapter six, I noticed an evolution in the type of diction Camus uses. When nearing the end of the chapter, he begins to use more flowery and complicated language, using metaphors and extravagant descriptions. Before the murder, for example, Meursault says, "All I could feel were the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead and, indistinctly, the dazzling spear flying up from the knife in front of me. The scorching blade slahed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes." (Camus, 59) As we learned in class, Camus combines emotion with logic by mixing lavishness with simplicity. According to that knowledge, Meursault is being affected by some deep, profound emotion. We can also see that this language has been linked to the sun (and bright lights). What does this represent, and what emotion is being illustrated here?
At the end of Chapter six, Meursault makes a very notable and unprecedented assertion: that he felt happy. Meursault says after firing Raymond’s gun at the Arab, “I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I’d been happy” (59). Meursault has spent the entirety of the book miring in his own boredom, so I found his admission of happiness somewhat unexpected. However, as usual, I began to appreciate what the quote was actually saying once I thought about it more. Much like how all of Rita Dove’s poems were about sex, all of the quotes in this book link back to existentialism. Meursault was happy on the beach that day because it was the last remaining vestige of his innocence, of a life where he had not confronted the absurdity of existence and had his inevitable existential crisis. The figurative shattering of the harmony by the gunshot illustrates how Camus viewed existential crises: not as slow acceptance of the absurdity of human existence but rather a sudden an unexpected epiphany. The meaning behind Meursault’s happiness becomes even clearer when he later says of the gunshot, “And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness” (59). According to Kierkegaard, unhappiness and unease were normal reactions to an existential crisis, and Meursault will react in such a way to his own existential crisis. Once again, the choice of figurative language—a series of knocks on a door—helps illustrate how Camus viewed existential crises as sudden realizations. The fact that figurative language is even being used differs greatly from the earlier parts of the book, and reflects Meursault’s growing connection and interest in the story he is telling. Life before existentialism was bland and unremarkable for Meursault, and the language used to tell the story gives a similarly bored and disinterested tone. However, the use of metaphors and similes like the ones quoted above help strip away this tone and replace it with a more regretful one, which fits with Meursault’s eventual fate.
After the first 4 chapters, I thought that there was a chance that Mersault might change, but I think that is absolutely not going to happen. Initially, I thought that the fact life seems to be meaningless for Mersualt was the problem, but in fact it isn't. So far, he does not seem to be bothered by the fact that nothing really matters, he is still content in his life, because there is nothing he can do about it, and if truly nothing matters, he doesn't have any reason to be upset. The indifference that Mersault has to everything in life makes him a very odd character to root for. Since he has no ambitions and nothing really exciting about him, that does not make him very likable. On the other hand, he treats most people well, and he is such an absurd character that it is hard not to cheer him on in whatever seemingly meaningless action he is doing. In chapter 5 Camus writes "Having nothing better to do, I followed her for a short distance...but soon I forgot about her" (pg.56). This is a prime example of how little the everyday actions affect or mean to the main character of this novel. Nothing at all seems to stick to Mersault, not even his mothers death. After any event, he simply stops caring or thinking about it, and the other reason he does half the things he does, is simply because he doesn't have anything else to do. This mindset would definitely make life easier, but the lack of meaning and substance in his life, just makes it feel like he is going through the motions. Another quote, I assume one of the more famous quotes in the book says "And just then it crossed my mind that one might fire, or not fire- and it would come to absolutely the same thing" (pg. 72). While this is not true in every sense, it really makes you think. If he does shoot, then he has to live with the guilt, and if he gets caught, he will have to face the consequences, which are obviously not pleasant. But if he does not shoot, he will not have to deal with any of those things. So clearly it will not result in the absolute same thing. When you really think about it though, and have the mindset of Mersault, maybe it is not as big of a deal as one would think. If Mersault believes life is pointless, and there is nothing after death, it does not matter if he shoots or doesn't. No matter what he does, in the end, nothing counts and the universe does not care about him at all. He will find happiness whether he does kill the Arab or not, nor will he find a meaning to a life that has no meaning. The big picture does not change no matter what his actions are, because the universe is so much bigger than him, and he does not put any meaning into his life at all. The book gives off a tone that creates a thought provoking atmosphere for the reader, that has to think about much more than the story they are reading.
In Chapter Five, Meursault’s detachment to the world around him becomes very clear to the reader. Because of this detachment, Meursault has the incredible ability to view the world from an unbiased perspective. After Meursault’s boss asks Meursault if he would enjoy a change in his life, Meursault simply responds by saying, “One life was as good as another, and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.” (Camus, 41). In the majority of the world’s industrialised societies, people are fixated on the pursuit of happiness. This obsession is so fundamental to society that people allow it to take control of their lives, and it becomes a way that people search for meaning. By including this passage, Camus demonstrates that the pursuit of happiness distracts from living fully in the now. One cannot live in the present while constantly thinking about the future. It is interesting to note the contrast between Meursault’s character and Marie’s character. Meursault explains that Marie has repeatedly come to Meursault to say that, “She wanted to marry me.” (42). Marie not only has a fixation on Meursault’s love, but the idea of marrying him as well. Marie attempts to give her life meaning through Meursault’s love, and is obsessed with pursuing love and happiness in the future. However, Marie’s attempts fail her, and she is stuck in a state of uncertainty and unhappiness. Through the contrast of Meursault and Marie’s characters, Camus demonstrates that the pursuit of happiness and fixation on the future leads to the lack of ability to find peace and meaning in the present.
Throughout chapters 5 and 6, the role of the sun plays an imperative role. The sun is used for a variety of purposes in The Stranger in regard to Meurault's mood and emotions. In previous chapters, it can be noted that the sun appears to instigate or intensify Meursault's responses to situations. This is also evident in chapter 6. At the beginning, Meursault goes swimming and felt, "absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me [Meursault] a lot of good," (50); and even further on,"the sun made me [Meursault] doze off," (51). In this passage, the sun has a very positive and calming tone to it. Meursault becomes relaxed by the sun and feels at peace when the shine and its heat reaches him. In this case, the sun has a beneficial effect on Meursault. However, shortly after, the sun has the exact opposite effect on Meursault and the two sides of the sun become contrasted. Instead of pacifying Meursault, the sun drives him to commit an act of murder. In the heat of the moment (haha) between the confrontation with Meursault and the Arab, he feels that, "the sun was starting to burn my cheeks...the same as it had been the day I'd buried Maman...it was this burning, which I couldn't stand anymore, that made me move forward." (58-59). In this case, the sun becomes the underlying influence that persuades Meursault to kill. The negative feelings he felt from the death of his Maman return and this time, exacerbate his already negative emotions. Next, diction becomes aggressive, and the imagery is violent with a tone of panic and discord. The sun becomes personified as Meursault feels, "the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead.." (59). The personification of the sun gives off a sense that some one else was telling Meursault to kill the Arab and makes the sun appear to be the reason for the crime even though that is highly implausible. The scene is very intense as it reflects whirlwind of Mersualt''s thoughts and emotions before his final decision to shoot The purpose of the sun in this chapter is highly versatile and this contrasts against itself multiple times. The sun reflects Meursault's emotions and serves to intensify his feelings, whether is be for the better or for the worse.
With the murder of the Arab man, Meursault’s life as a free man will inevitably come to an end. Leading up to the murder, Camus uses increasingly intense imagery and diction juxtaposed with diction of silence and peacefulness to exaggerate the impact of the event. The weather was beautiful just a few minutes before the men decided to take their walk. However, during their walk, and especially after they notice the arabs coming their way, the temperature becomes increasingly hotter; “The blazing sand looked red to me now”(53). The sun is starting to become painful but at this point it is simply a mere annoyance. Though, the fact that it occurs at the same time as the arrival of the Arabs shows that the sun is linked to the conflict. The sun eventually becomes a driving force inside of Meursault when he returns alone to the beach. The heat from the sun creates a catch-22 for Meursault. He can either return home, and face an excruciating amount of pain, or he can continue towards the beach which would inevitably lead to a conflict with the Arab. As Meursault approaches the Arab, gun in hand, the sun becomes overpowering; “It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire… I knew I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I’d been happy”(59). The vivid imagery creates a tone of powerlessness. Camus uses such imagery to create the illusion that some events are out of a person’s control. The murder depicts major tenant of existentialism that people believe that there are some events that are out of their control but in reality, the individual can control every aspect of their life.
One thing I noticed that was very interesting in chapter five and six is the relationship between Marie and Meursault. Camus portrays their relationship to only be a physical relationship. Meursault does not show any emotional affection towards Marie and is very submissive. He says that he will marry Marie but he does not naturally love her. This raises the question to the reader why he wants to marry her. To me it seems like he is representing nihilism because he does not think there is meaning to anything he does and everything around him. “I explained to her that it had no importance really, but, if it would give her pleasure, we could get married right away” (pg. 53). I don’t know why Marie would want to continue to love him if there is no emotional giving from Meursault. He is showing how love is absurd and for him it means nothing. He is seeing marriage as meaningless and that if he was to get married nothing in his life would change. I started to feel bad for Marie when he said “Naturally” in response to her question, “ Suppose another girl had asked you to marry her- would you have said ‘yes’ to her too?” (pg. 53). This supports how he has no intention of marrying anyone and it doesn’t mean enough to him for Meursault to care.
Meursault and Raymond’s relationship is an interesting one. Meursault has written deceitful letters for him, acted as a witness for him, and talked him out of shooting a man. The latter is the most interesting because in chapter 6, Meursault decides to take Raymond’s gun and shoot a man himself. Meursault describes the moment as he receives Raymonds gun as if, “everything came to a stop there between the sea, the sand, and the sun, and the double silence of the flute and the water. It was then that I realized that you could either shoot or not shoot” (Camus 56) Meursault describes the setting with many words starting with ‘s’. Camus uses this repetition to create a tone of calmness and tranquility however it is the calm point before Meursault decides whether or not to ruin the tranquility. Although it is not necessary for the sake of Raymond, Meursault goes back out to kill the arab. Meursault describes the experience as, “ The trigger gave; I felt the smooth underside of the butt; and there in that noise, sharp and deafening at the same time, is where it all started. I shook off the sweat and the sun. I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day” (Camus 59) It is interesting how Meursault describes the burning agony he had felt from the sun as the harmony of the day. Again, Camus uses a lot of physical imagery to describe the scene but in this case it creates a tone of ending tranquility. There is a lot more action that causes the reader to feel more solemn and surprised. This action proves that Meursault didn’t need Raymond to commit this act yet their relationship stirred Meursault up too much.
What I wanted to talk about in this section at first is the shooting scene with the Arab, the sun,the foreshadowing, but since we've already discussed that in class and a lot of people already wrote about it, I looked for something else, and I did find something pretty interesting. In chapter six, we could see how Meursault is starting to change. Near the beginning of the chapter, when the Narrator talked about Raymond and his beach house, Meursault says something almsot out of ordinary. He says, "Just then his wife was laughing with Marie. For the first time maybe, I really thought I was going to get married" (Camus, 50). This is an interesting thing for Meursault to admit since before, he was totally against marrying Marie. He would answer her with very brutal honesty and said that it didn't matter. But here, just seeing Raymond's wife laughing with her, he thinks he would marry her. And, he starts appreciating being with her, while they swim later. Why do you guys think that is? I think that all he is feeling is physical desire and that he just wants to be physically satisfied. So while they were swimming, Meursault states, "Together again, Marie and I swam out a ways, and we felt a closeness as we moved in unison and were happy." (Camus, 50). This just proves that their relationship is based on just the physical aspects. And this is supported by even the next couple pages about how he swims with her, against her, takes a nap, suddenly gets hungry and has an appetite. This all shows how he is starting to be aware of his feelings and desires.
So far in the book, The Stranger, all the characters have some message to the reader or commentary on Meursault. We see this with Marie, Raymond, and Salamano and we notice that these main characters have some symbolic meaning. But in chapter 5 when Meursault goes to Celeste's restaurant we are introduced to this random girl. Yet she is only in the book for a page or so. This really stood out to me because it is so odd. I believe that the significance of this random lady is to show characteristics of Meursault and show this other side of him that we really don't see before. So far, Meursault has really been oblivious and just going through the actions of life without seeing smaller things. This lady comes in to the resturant and Meursault suddenly gets very detail oriented. Camus writes, "Her gestures were jerky and she had bright eyes in a little face like an apple,"(43). Personally I think this is an interesting simile to compare her face to an apple but it is more of a positive and bright symbol, which is a different mood for the reader. Most of the other things the Meursault describes have gave off a very dull feeling for the reader yet as he talks about her it gives a more intriguing mood to the reader, making it stand out. The detail-ness of the description and the actions shows Meursault in a different light. We see him caring more about something and just watching this lady's actions. I think that she is so intriguing to Meursault because of how different she is in comparison to him. She is definitely in a different state of mind of him. He gets so interested almost passionate about learning and studying this woman that he follows her out from the restaurant. Yet as she walks Meursault loses her and within minutes doesn't care anymore, again. Meursault thinks, "I thought about how particular but forgot about her a few minutes later,"(44). This burst of detail and interest that we see when Meursault first encounters this lady is gone so quickly after it stands out to the reader. In the elongated paragraph we see the quick personality change of Meursault and back to his normal self. This shows that Meursault can care yet doesn't. Camus put this situation in here to show how people cannot actually effect your everyday personality, and people can change, yet only momentarily.
I found Meursalt's actions in Chapter 5 to be very interesting. Two major things happen in this chapter. The first is Marie asking to marry Meursalt and him accepting. The other is the woman that sits by him in the resturant that peaks his interest. “That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn't make a difference to me and we could if she wanted to.” (Camus 41). Even when committing to marriage, Meursalt gives off his usual apathy but this is strangely contrasted later in the chapter. In Celeste, a woman sits next to Meursalt and begins to list radio programs while quickly eating. This action sparks inquiry in Meursalt and he decides to follow her. “Then she stood up, put her jacket back on with the same robotlike movements, and left. I didn't have anything to do, so I left too and followed her for a while.” (43). This is one of the few moments where any sort of emotion is invoked in Meursalt which is a fairly strange thing to feel emotion about when compared to the events that DIDN'T invoke any emotion. Although he quickly goes back to his old ways after losing sight of the woman.
In chapter 5, we see the best example of absurdity so far: the "strange little woman" (Pg43). She asks Meursault if she can sit as his table, and he lets the stranger sit with him. When she begins a series of strange actions such as checking boxes on a television program, Meursault calmly watches her with interest, but accepts these strange actions. Then when she finishes her food and leaves Meursault follows her until "I eventually lost sight of her and turned back. I thought about how peculiar she was but forgot about her a few minutes later" (p44) This entire non-interaction is so strange and abrupt that it really stands out to the reader. The juxtaposition between Mersault's unemotional and flat emotions and this strange woman's frenzied zeal for her task serves as a way to show the acceptance of the absurd on Meursault's part. Any other normal person would have shown the same interest in the woman at the beginning but would not have then followed this woman and forgotten about her a few moments later. This shows that Meursault has the capacity to feel some sort of emotion because he can be interested in something rather than be apathetic all the time.
I also thought that Camus' inclusion of the woman was very interesting. While Meursault was watching this woman, all the while he thought that she was very odd. Her fast paced actions seemed very weird to him. As a reader in the 21st Century in America, the woman would portray a typical busy business woman who is always on the go who isn't much out of the ordinary, but to Meursault, she's very eccentric. Camus' implementation of the women shows how he is condemning the people who don't live in the present and live their lives without any meaning, which contrasts with the existentialist belief.
In Chapter 5, the quote "Then he asked me if I wasn't interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn't dissatisfied with mine here's at all" (41). This quote from Meursault answers the question of he is an absurdist or existentialism, I believe that because of this quote, he is an absurdist. He has an absolute define to life as being dissatisfied and not important when he says, "people never change their lives, that in any case one life was good as another" it is define but meaningless. In chapter 6, I founded very interesting when Meursault shot the Arab. We have seen throughout the book that Meursault has an ironic detachment to things. He prefers observing events to getting directly involved. When he shoots the Arab, there's a sense that he is not really there, not really doing what he is doing, "The sea carried up a thick, fiery breath. It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire" (59). It seems as he is observing himself shoot than actually him shooting.
In Chapter 6 of Part I, the sun had a lot of impact on Meursault. "I was absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me a lot of good." (50). When Meursault first walked on the beach, the sun was warming him and making him feel good, which reflected the enjoyable time he had with Marie on the beach. They laid on the beach and absorbed the warm rays of the sun. In this part, the sun gave a warm and relaxing tone. Contrary to this, as Meursault was getting close to the Arab, before he was going to kill him, the sun was described with violent diction. "But the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, was pressing on my back... The sun was starting to burn my cheeks." (58). The sun that was once perceived as good and relaxing, immediately turned to something harmful and almost dangerous in this vital situation. Meursault described the sun as a danger posed to him and something he should stay away from rather than embrace. The tone in this passage is harsh and scary, and accurately foreshadows what's to come right after, the unfortunate event of Meursault killing the Arab.
Throughout the final chapter of the first part of The Stranger, Camus uses symbolism and allegory to convey the theme that no human motive is logical or understandable. The fact that Meursault blames the Sun’s heat for his act of murder is absurd, but it is also the beginning of Meursault’s recognition that all of his influences are ultimately meaningless. For example, Meursault mentions that the “overpowering” sunlight “shattered into little pieces on the sand and water” on the beach where he is fated to kill the Arab, foreshadowing the deconstruction of an absurdly intense world (or even an uncontrollable divine being) in Meursault's mind (53). The constant descriptions of the Sun's oppressive heat form an interesting contrast with the imagery of cool weather and quiet evenings that Camus introduces in the final chapters of this book; the idea that Meursault is merely seeking shelter from the heat suggests that Meursault's emotionless state could be pitiable, in a way, if the reader can understand that Meursault is not responsible for his “stranger's” perspective. The sensory intensity of the sun imagery also is significant; it seems that the scene of the murder contains the greatest appeals to sympathy on Meursault's behalf. In addition, it is likely that the Sun's role in worsening a conflict rather than creating it suggests the existentialist principle that human beings must accept blame rather than accusing an outside or random influence. Finally, the fact that Meursault compares the sun to “cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead” and a “scorching blade slash[ing] at my eyelashes” represents the idea that Meursault, as an absurdist figure, has been psychologically assaulted by the cruelty of the absurd (59). Overall, the primal power of the Sun's heat in this scene serves to create a climax at which Meursault realizes that he has no real agency in his life and must reform his entire philosophy; all of the physical “attacks” imposed by the Sun can be equated to the onslaught of the truth of existentialism on the individual.
eursault recalls mentioning to his boss once how unpleasant the bathroom's roller towel got by the end of the day “because the roller towel you use is soaked through… I mentioned it to my boss. He told me he was sorry but it was a really minor detail.” (29). His boss thinks the roller towel is minor, but physical details are beyond important to Meursault, showing different parts of his character that set him apart from others.
Later, the neighbor Raymond invites Meursault to dinner. Raymond is unpopular with others and is said that “he lives off women” (31), but Meursault finds “what he has to say interesting” (31) and sees no reason to avoid him. Though others avoid Raymond, Meursault sees nothing wrong with him. Thus, Meursault's perspective doesn't match society's.
In chapter five, during a conversation between Meursault and Marie, she asks him about Paris. Meursault tells her, "'It's dirty. Lots of pigeons and dark courtyards. Everybody's pale'" (42). This quote really stood out to me because shows that Meursault only sees the outside of things. He tells Marie that "'Everybody's pale'" and this contrasts with the Meursault's constant observations of Marie's tan. In chapter 6, we see Meursault seeming to enjoy the day at the beach. He seems to be a bit less uncaring. Meursault starts to voice his opinions : "... I stretched out on my stomach... and put my face on the sand. I said it was nice and he agreed" (51), "I said I was starving.... The bread was good; I devoured my share of the fish." Instead of saying that "it was fine" or that "it didn't matter," Meursault tells Masson that the sand feels nice, which is one of the first times we see Meursault stating his emotions. Also, instead of giving dull descriptions in short sentences, Meursault now describes bread as "good" and uses various sentence lengths.
In Chapter 5, Camus uses negative diction to convey his philosophical ideas, and to overall create a tone of apathy for the reader. This tone helps characterize Mersault, adding to his indifference. When talking to Salamano about his dog, Salamano tells him of how the dog had aged very quickly and developed a skin disease that required daily ointment. Meursault states: "Every night and every morning after the dog had gotten that skin disease, Salamano rubbed him with ointment. But according to him, the dog's real sickness was old age, and there's no cure for old age" (45). Like in other chapters, this negative diction helps communicate the existentialist idea that, above all else, we will all die. By adding "there's no cure for old age", Camus was striving to use Meursault to convey his ideas about existentialism, and to show that sometimes we get scared of death, but we shouldn't be because it's ultimately the only thing we know will happen. This quote also depicts Salamano cleaning the dog's scabby coat "every night and every morning". This is symbolic of how most people will be afraid of death and do everything they can to return to good health, like Salamano with his dog, but that this is futile and that one should accept that we all die.
In chapters 5 and 6, Camus further explores the absurdity in Meursault’s life and his indifference towards meaning. Through Meursault’s relationship with Marie, Camus shows how love is absurd. “Then she asked me again if I loved her. I replied, much as before, that her question meant nothing or next to nothing-but I supposed I didn't.”(52) For most people love is something that they strive for, it is their goal to find love. Yet for Meursault, love means nothing. This contrast with Marie’s desire to love and be loved. She is almost disgusted with Meursault’s indifference towards her declaration of love, “”Suppose another girl had asked you to marry-I mean, a girl you liked in the same way you like me-would you have said ‘yes’ to her, too?” “Naturally”.”(53). Through the contrast in characters, we see that Meursault has no intentions to find love and doesn't care to try. It is almost as if he sees it as an obligation. Why if he thinks love is meaningless does he even agree to marry Marie?
ReplyDeleteI think that Meursault views the idea of marriage as meaningless. After all, it's only a contract and some legal changes. He realizes that the basics of his life aren't going to change dramatically after he gets married. There is no difference between marrying Marie and another girl who he likes just the same way, because besides a difference of name, you wouldn't be able to distinguish between the two. Marie on the other hand, attaches emotional sentiment to Meursault, making him "unique." Camus is juxtaposing someone who is detached and someone who is wholly committed, which will probably illustrate a point of existentialism later on in Part Two.
DeleteI too, agree with Belinda. As Belinda said, Meursault thinks marriage is meaningless, so naturally if Marie suggests it to him, he offers no opinion. As evidenced before in this novel, Meursault agrees to requests and propositions with no regard to his own wishes. He does so because" there's no reason not to" like when Raymond asks Meursault and he agrees with "I didn't have any reason not to please him" (32). This applies to Meursault's acceptance to Marie's proposal because he does things for others' benefits since every thing is meaningless to him; marriage is only a label.
DeleteSomething I noticed in this section, was Camus’ different uses of the sun to describe Meursault’s personality. In the beginning of chapter 6, Meursault, Marie, and Raymond go to the beach to visit Raymond’s friend. While they are hanging out on the beach, they decide to go swimming. Meursault says, “Out in deeper water we floated on our backs and then sun on my upturned face was drying off the last of the water trickling into my mouth,” (pg 50-51). This quote gives a warm, comforting tone. It shows that Meursault feels comfortable, relaxed and living in the moment. He does not feel discontent in his current situation. Being able to sit in the sun after you have been swimming for a long time is a very satisfying thing. However, near the end of chapter 6, when Meursault and Raymond are about to get into a fight with the Arabs, Meursault describes the sun and says, “We walked on the beach for a long time. By now the sun was overpowering. It shattered into little pieces on the sand and water,” (pg 55). This gives the sun a negative connotation. Meursault also describes the fight, “The sun glinted off Raymond’s gun as he handed it to me,” (pg 56). I think that these two quotes show Meursault’s discomfort and his negative outlook on life. It gives the effect that life is supposed to be considered precious and valuable, but instead he considers it pointless and dull.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the points you made. The sun is seen as something negative and I like how you said that the quotes show how Meursault's uncomfortable with his life. I also agree with that fact that Meursault sees life as dull with no meaning, when it should actually be valued.
DeleteThe peacefulness of the setting contrasts with the violent events that happens during Meursault's stay at the beach. There was a lot of peaceful imagery when Meursault describes the place as the "motionless sea and, farther out, a massive, drowsy-looking promontory in the clear water"(pg. 49). As the sea is said to be motionless and clear, it creates a sense of tranquility, relaxation, and happiness. Despite these descriptions, Mersault is going to experience horrific and violent events with the Arabs. This creates a feeling of deception to show that not everything is like what they appear to be. Even in a cheerful place that seems to be safe and warm, unexpected and hostile things can happen. After knowing the Ramon gets stabbed in a place like this, the place is given an twisted, tense, and negative feeling that it's no longer a place for comfort. The author makes this contrast to point out how in our world, even though things seem simple and straight forward, we must uncover what's truly beneath all of the worlds' deceptions and find out ourselves what the world truly is. When Mersault is about to shoot the Arab, the setting dramatically changes from peaceful to malicious as "the sea carried up a thick, fiery breath...the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire"(pg. 59). The weather seems to reflect on Mersault's mood because as soon as he feels threatened and unsafe, he sees the weather change to an apocalyptic disaster. This indicates how prone people are to anxiety and discomfort to unknown things because Mersault panicked the moment his vision is blurred with sweat. This contrasts with the idea of existentialism because existentialism requires people to think outside of the box and explore their own meaning of life, not to rely on other philosopher/teachers' explanations.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThroughout both chapters 5 and 6 we get further into Meursalt and Marie’s relationship. At the very beginning of chapter five Meursalt says, “That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to” (41). This leads me to question why Marie continues to be in love with him. It is human nature to want to be loved by someone yet Meursalt never expresses any of his emotions towards her. However, I have noticed that there is a motif of Marie’s laugh, causing Meursalt to suddenly want her again and usually leads to some sort of sexual encounter. This is shown on pages 20, 43, and 47. Although it is very small, I believe that this might have some sort of significance or might stand as some kind of symbol in the story, curious as to what others think? To conclude my thoughts, I don’t believe that Meursalt is ever going to love Marie, which made me feel pity towards Marie. The readers especially feel sorry for her when Camus writes, “She just wanted to know if I would have accepted the same proposal from another woman, with whom I was involved in the same way. I said ‘Sure’” (42). Personally I’d like to think that nobody would want to be at the same importance as another with a significant other. I think it can be inferred that Marie doesn’t want to admit it but she feels insecure and it makes me sympathize with Marie.
ReplyDeleteI also picked up on the motif of Marie's laughter and the response it arouses from Meursault as I read through this book. Meursault feels nothing for Marie because he feels nothing in general in his life, but he wants to feel something. The desire to feel something is what makes Marie's laughter so alluring to him--it's an audible display of real and genuine emotion, and Meursault's arousal due to the laughter comes from his desire to control that emotion and feel it as well.
DeleteI agree with Nolan and his interpretation of the laughter. This is also similar to the motif of Marie's smile which is somewhat present at this point but becomes more noticeable in the next act when Marie visits Meursault in jail. Just as laughter is an audible display of emotion, Marie's smile is a visual display of emotion. Though, I am not sure why it does not arouse Meursault in the same way as laughter.
DeleteI found Camus's description of the sun and weather on the beach to be very in tune to the events taking place. As Mersault, Marie, and Masson arrive at the beach Camus describes the setting through Mersault "But i soon ceased paying attention to this trick of his; I was basking in the sunlight, which, I noticed, was making me feel much better." (63) another pleasant description of the beach by Camus was, "The ground was covered with yellowish pebbles and wild lilies that showed snow-white against the blue of the sky, which had already the hard, metallic glint it gets on very hot days." (620) both of these detailed descriptions in chapter 6 paint the picture of a glorious day ahead for Marie and Mersault. As the day goes on and the weather gets more painful so does the events that occur. At the very end of chapter 6 Camus describes the sun, "And each time I felt a hot blast strike my forehead, I gritted my teeth , I clenched my fists in my trouser pockets and keyed up every nerve to fend off the sun and the dark befuddlement it was pouring into me." (73) Simultaneously as this description is given, Mersault becomes closer and closer to the Arabic stranger on the beach. The intensity of the weather seems to be a parallel to the events and becomes more intense as the scene progresses. This was very interesting to me because it became hard to read in fear that the conditions of Mersault and his livelihood were becoming unstable. As for what Mersault does at the end of this chapter seemed to be very out of his character and rather confused me. During Mersault and Raymond's first interaction with Arabs, Mersault seemed as though he wanted to keep peace and make sure Raymond did not use his gun. But it is evident when Mersault shoots the stranger that he is not thinking of the consequences that lie ahead of him. Do you think Mersault shoots the stranger out of self defense?
ReplyDeleteI think that there is no explanation for why Meursault shoots the Arab man -- at least, there's no logical or fundamentally rational argument for his actions, and it was not an accident. Camus elaborates extensively on the weather and how the man flashes the sun at Meursault's eyes, but if we look at this incident through the lens of absurdism, ultimately, regardless of other influencing factors, it was his decision. This idea also illustrates the idea that the world is absurd - like his decision of agreeing to marry Marie "didn't matter either way," what's done is done, and I think Camus is trying to tell us that there simply was no reason at all.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThe relationship that exists between Mersault and Salamano continues to intrigue the reader, as Mersault seems disinterested in Salamano's attempts to make an emotional connection due to his life circumstances. As Salamano continues to reminisce about his dog, he also proceeds to state that before the dog got extremely sick, "his coat was the best thing about him"(45). The old man, just like any other human being remembers the good times that he had with his only dog as well as its appearance before he got sick. The reader is able to note the fact that the old man enjoys revisiting the past as the past contains happy memories of his companions: the dog and his wife. Even after participating in the dog's beating the old man still appreciates its companionship by confiding in Mersault and, in a way, regretting the fact that the dog is gone. He also continues to justify that the "dog's real sickness was old age and there's no cure for old age"(45). The old man resents life, in the sense that everything has to go at some point as time passes. He thinks that the sickness was inevitable as the older one gets, there's a higher chance of acquiring a disease. If time could be reversed, the old man would rewind back time back to when his life was happy so that he wouldn't have to reminisce but actually live in that happy reality. The reader is able to emotionally connect with the man as he opens up about his inner thoughts, unlike Mersault. He goes to state that as the old man was explaining himself, "he yawned"(45). As actions speak louder than words, Mersault's action of yawning expresses disinterest as he believes in the absurd. In this case, the old man was giving his relationship with the dog a meaning that Mersualt can not perceive. Therefore, Mersault isn't interested in what the old man is saying as he allows himself to fall asleep and shows complete disrespect. The motif of sleep and dreaming is utilized throughout the book to signal Mersault's escape from one meaningless reality to another as his dreams aren't meaningful like they are for normal people.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the fact Salamano yearns for his lost companion despite their abusive/violent treatment towards one another definitely highlights the oddity in the situation, helping communicate the greater picture that life itself is absurd.
DeleteThroughout the few first chapters, the audience is presented with Meursault's striking indifference to the world and life itself. In Chapter 4, for once, I personally got the sense that he experienced a moment of emotional importance and self-realization when he said, "For the first time maybe, I really thought I was going to get married" (50). This was said when Meursault watched Marie laugh with the wife of Masson. For whatever reason, in that brief moment, he gave in to his emotions, which seemed to suddenly surface from nowhere. Perhaps for a second he felt loving feelings towards Marie. He felt something and this quick surge of emotion suggests he gave life the meaning he ignored to create beforehand, however short-lived it was. This goes to show how giving life meaning and finding some kind of purpose is an intrinsic desire of humans, no matter how hard it is tried to be concealed or suppressed with cold, hard reality. Another quote that captivated me enough to ponder considerably was when Raymond and Meursault encountered the Arabs at the beach for the second time. Meursault thinks, "It was then that I realized that you could either shoot or not shoot" (56). This here emphasizes the fact that even if life is regarded as totally meaningless, one can still demonstrate free will. Everyone has the right to make choices for themselves and their actions are their own responsibility, which is a very existentialist principle. Meursault, at least to me, appears to be "floating" through life, swaying this way and that, not ever really taking a firm stance on anything for himself because of the extent of his indifference.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter five, Camus reveals that Salamano possesses deep affection for his old dog even though he beat it every single day. I found myself comparing Salamano and his dog to Meursault and his mother. As Salamano finishes talking about his dog, he mentions that "he knew me [Meursault] and he knew I loved her [Maman] very much." (Camus, 45) Yet, Salamano is just as much of a stranger to Meursault as Meursault is to the rest of the world. Meursault himself did not know why the man would say that, and the reader is further puzzled because he made no display of affection to his mother in the first place. In the same sense, Salamano is just the same. The reader initially believes that Salamano is a horrible man because he beats his dog, but then suddenly the reader feels empathy and pity for the man who said he cared so much for the poor creature, creating a tone of guilt that lingers as Salamano exits with his parting line. Now, if Meursault had cried at his mother's funeral and had shown love, would that then justify his complete emotional distance from her before she died? It's interesting to see how what a character says can influence the readers' perceptions, even though we know no absolute truth about what he/she is really like. The effect here is to make the reader question why Salamano is different from Meursault - they essentially treat a "loved one" the same way, yet elicit different reactions from the reader.
ReplyDeleteAs for chapter six, I noticed an evolution in the type of diction Camus uses. When nearing the end of the chapter, he begins to use more flowery and complicated language, using metaphors and extravagant descriptions. Before the murder, for example, Meursault says, "All I could feel were the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead and, indistinctly, the dazzling spear flying up from the knife in front of me. The scorching blade slahed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes." (Camus, 59) As we learned in class, Camus combines emotion with logic by mixing lavishness with simplicity. According to that knowledge, Meursault is being affected by some deep, profound emotion. We can also see that this language has been linked to the sun (and bright lights). What does this represent, and what emotion is being illustrated here?
At the end of Chapter six, Meursault makes a very notable and unprecedented assertion: that he felt happy. Meursault says after firing Raymond’s gun at the Arab, “I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I’d been happy” (59). Meursault has spent the entirety of the book miring in his own boredom, so I found his admission of happiness somewhat unexpected. However, as usual, I began to appreciate what the quote was actually saying once I thought about it more. Much like how all of Rita Dove’s poems were about sex, all of the quotes in this book link back to existentialism. Meursault was happy on the beach that day because it was the last remaining vestige of his innocence, of a life where he had not confronted the absurdity of existence and had his inevitable existential crisis. The figurative shattering of the harmony by the gunshot illustrates how Camus viewed existential crises: not as slow acceptance of the absurdity of human existence but rather a sudden an unexpected epiphany. The meaning behind Meursault’s happiness becomes even clearer when he later says of the gunshot, “And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness” (59). According to Kierkegaard, unhappiness and unease were normal reactions to an existential crisis, and Meursault will react in such a way to his own existential crisis. Once again, the choice of figurative language—a series of knocks on a door—helps illustrate how Camus viewed existential crises as sudden realizations. The fact that figurative language is even being used differs greatly from the earlier parts of the book, and reflects Meursault’s growing connection and interest in the story he is telling. Life before existentialism was bland and unremarkable for Meursault, and the language used to tell the story gives a similarly bored and disinterested tone. However, the use of metaphors and similes like the ones quoted above help strip away this tone and replace it with a more regretful one, which fits with Meursault’s eventual fate.
ReplyDeleteAfter the first 4 chapters, I thought that there was a chance that Mersault might change, but I think that is absolutely not going to happen. Initially, I thought that the fact life seems to be meaningless for Mersualt was the problem, but in fact it isn't. So far, he does not seem to be bothered by the fact that nothing really matters, he is still content in his life, because there is nothing he can do about it, and if truly nothing matters, he doesn't have any reason to be upset. The indifference that Mersault has to everything in life makes him a very odd character to root for. Since he has no ambitions and nothing really exciting about him, that does not make him very likable. On the other hand, he treats most people well, and he is such an absurd character that it is hard not to cheer him on in whatever seemingly meaningless action he is doing. In chapter 5 Camus writes "Having nothing better to do, I followed her for a short distance...but soon I forgot about her" (pg.56). This is a prime example of how little the everyday actions affect or mean to the main character of this novel. Nothing at all seems to stick to Mersault, not even his mothers death. After any event, he simply stops caring or thinking about it, and the other reason he does half the things he does, is simply because he doesn't have anything else to do. This mindset would definitely make life easier, but the lack of meaning and substance in his life, just makes it feel like he is going through the motions. Another quote, I assume one of the more famous quotes in the book says "And just then it crossed my mind that one might fire, or not fire- and it would come to absolutely the same thing" (pg. 72). While this is not true in every sense, it really makes you think. If he does shoot, then he has to live with the guilt, and if he gets caught, he will have to face the consequences, which are obviously not pleasant. But if he does not shoot, he will not have to deal with any of those things. So clearly it will not result in the absolute same thing. When you really think about it though, and have the mindset of Mersault, maybe it is not as big of a deal as one would think. If Mersault believes life is pointless, and there is nothing after death, it does not matter if he shoots or doesn't. No matter what he does, in the end, nothing counts and the universe does not care about him at all. He will find happiness whether he does kill the Arab or not, nor will he find a meaning to a life that has no meaning. The big picture does not change no matter what his actions are, because the universe is so much bigger than him, and he does not put any meaning into his life at all. The book gives off a tone that creates a thought provoking atmosphere for the reader, that has to think about much more than the story they are reading.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter Five, Meursault’s detachment to the world around him becomes very clear to the reader. Because of this detachment, Meursault has the incredible ability to view the world from an unbiased perspective. After Meursault’s boss asks Meursault if he would enjoy a change in his life, Meursault simply responds by saying, “One life was as good as another, and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.” (Camus, 41). In the majority of the world’s industrialised societies, people are fixated on the pursuit of happiness. This obsession is so fundamental to society that people allow it to take control of their lives, and it becomes a way that people search for meaning. By including this passage, Camus demonstrates that the pursuit of happiness distracts from living fully in the now. One cannot live in the present while constantly thinking about the future. It is interesting to note the contrast between Meursault’s character and Marie’s character. Meursault explains that Marie has repeatedly come to Meursault to say that, “She wanted to marry me.” (42). Marie not only has a fixation on Meursault’s love, but the idea of marrying him as well. Marie attempts to give her life meaning through Meursault’s love, and is obsessed with pursuing love and happiness in the future. However, Marie’s attempts fail her, and she is stuck in a state of uncertainty and unhappiness. Through the contrast of Meursault and Marie’s characters, Camus demonstrates that the pursuit of happiness and fixation on the future leads to the lack of ability to find peace and meaning in the present.
ReplyDeleteThroughout chapters 5 and 6, the role of the sun plays an imperative role. The sun is used for a variety of purposes in The Stranger in regard to Meurault's mood and emotions. In previous chapters, it can be noted that the sun appears to instigate or intensify Meursault's responses to situations. This is also evident in chapter 6. At the beginning, Meursault goes swimming and felt, "absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me [Meursault] a lot of good," (50); and even further on,"the sun made me [Meursault] doze off," (51). In this passage, the sun has a very positive and calming tone to it. Meursault becomes relaxed by the sun and feels at peace when the shine and its heat reaches him. In this case, the sun has a beneficial effect on Meursault. However, shortly after, the sun has the exact opposite effect on Meursault and the two sides of the sun become contrasted. Instead of pacifying Meursault, the sun drives him to commit an act of murder. In the heat of the moment (haha) between the confrontation with Meursault and the Arab, he feels that, "the sun was starting to burn my cheeks...the same as it had been the day I'd buried Maman...it was this burning, which I couldn't stand anymore, that made me move forward." (58-59). In this case, the sun becomes the underlying influence that persuades Meursault to kill. The negative feelings he felt from the death of his Maman return and this time, exacerbate his already negative emotions. Next, diction becomes aggressive, and the imagery is violent with a tone of panic and discord. The sun becomes personified as Meursault feels, "the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead.." (59). The personification of the sun gives off a sense that some one else was telling Meursault to kill the Arab and makes the sun appear to be the reason for the crime even though that is highly implausible. The scene is very intense as it reflects whirlwind of Mersualt''s thoughts and emotions before his final decision to shoot The purpose of the sun in this chapter is highly versatile and this contrasts against itself multiple times. The sun reflects Meursault's emotions and serves to intensify his feelings, whether is be for the better or for the worse.
ReplyDeleteWith the murder of the Arab man, Meursault’s life as a free man will inevitably come to an end. Leading up to the murder, Camus uses increasingly intense imagery and diction juxtaposed with diction of silence and peacefulness to exaggerate the impact of the event. The weather was beautiful just a few minutes before the men decided to take their walk. However, during their walk, and especially after they notice the arabs coming their way, the temperature becomes increasingly hotter; “The blazing sand looked red to me now”(53). The sun is starting to become painful but at this point it is simply a mere annoyance. Though, the fact that it occurs at the same time as the arrival of the Arabs shows that the sun is linked to the conflict. The sun eventually becomes a driving force inside of Meursault when he returns alone to the beach. The heat from the sun creates a catch-22 for Meursault. He can either return home, and face an excruciating amount of pain, or he can continue towards the beach which would inevitably lead to a conflict with the Arab. As Meursault approaches the Arab, gun in hand, the sun becomes overpowering; “It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire… I knew I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I’d been happy”(59). The vivid imagery creates a tone of powerlessness. Camus uses such imagery to create the illusion that some events are out of a person’s control. The murder depicts major tenant of existentialism that people believe that there are some events that are out of their control but in reality, the individual can control every aspect of their life.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I noticed that was very interesting in chapter five and six is the relationship between Marie and Meursault. Camus portrays their relationship to only be a physical relationship. Meursault does not show any emotional affection towards Marie and is very submissive. He says that he will marry Marie but he does not naturally love her. This raises the question to the reader why he wants to marry her. To me it seems like he is representing nihilism because he does not think there is meaning to anything he does and everything around him. “I explained to her that it had no importance really, but, if it would give her pleasure, we could get married right away” (pg. 53). I don’t know why Marie would want to continue to love him if there is no emotional giving from Meursault. He is showing how love is absurd and for him it means nothing. He is seeing marriage as meaningless and that if he was to get married nothing in his life would change. I started to feel bad for Marie when he said “Naturally” in response to her question, “ Suppose another girl had asked you to marry her- would you have said ‘yes’ to her too?” (pg. 53). This supports how he has no intention of marrying anyone and it doesn’t mean enough to him for Meursault to care.
ReplyDeleteMeursault and Raymond’s relationship is an interesting one. Meursault has written deceitful letters for him, acted as a witness for him, and talked him out of shooting a man. The latter is the most interesting because in chapter 6, Meursault decides to take Raymond’s gun and shoot a man himself. Meursault describes the moment as he receives Raymonds gun as if, “everything came to a stop there between the sea, the sand, and the sun, and the double silence of the flute and the water. It was then that I realized that you could either shoot or not shoot” (Camus 56) Meursault describes the setting with many words starting with ‘s’. Camus uses this repetition to create a tone of calmness and tranquility however it is the calm point before Meursault decides whether or not to ruin the tranquility. Although it is not necessary for the sake of Raymond, Meursault goes back out to kill the arab. Meursault describes the experience as, “ The trigger gave; I felt the smooth underside of the butt; and there in that noise, sharp and deafening at the same time, is where it all started. I shook off the sweat and the sun. I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day” (Camus 59) It is interesting how Meursault describes the burning agony he had felt from the sun as the harmony of the day. Again, Camus uses a lot of physical imagery to describe the scene but in this case it creates a tone of ending tranquility. There is a lot more action that causes the reader to feel more solemn and surprised. This action proves that Meursault didn’t need Raymond to commit this act yet their relationship stirred Meursault up too much.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wanted to talk about in this section at first is the shooting scene with the Arab, the sun,the foreshadowing, but since we've already discussed that in class and a lot of people already wrote about it, I looked for something else, and I did find something pretty interesting. In chapter six, we could see how Meursault is starting to change. Near the beginning of the chapter, when the Narrator talked about Raymond and his beach house, Meursault says something almsot out of ordinary. He says, "Just then his wife was laughing with Marie. For the first time maybe, I really thought I was going to get married" (Camus, 50). This is an interesting thing for Meursault to admit since before, he was totally against marrying Marie. He would answer her with very brutal honesty and said that it didn't matter. But here, just seeing Raymond's wife laughing with her, he thinks he would marry her. And, he starts appreciating being with her, while they swim later. Why do you guys think that is? I think that all he is feeling is physical desire and that he just wants to be physically satisfied. So while they were swimming, Meursault states, "Together again, Marie and I swam out a ways, and we felt a closeness as we moved in unison and were happy." (Camus, 50). This just proves that their relationship is based on just the physical aspects. And this is supported by even the next couple pages about how he swims with her, against her, takes a nap, suddenly gets hungry and has an appetite. This all shows how he is starting to be aware of his feelings and desires.
ReplyDeleteSo far in the book, The Stranger, all the characters have some message to the reader or commentary on Meursault. We see this with Marie, Raymond, and Salamano and we notice that these main characters have some symbolic meaning. But in chapter 5 when Meursault goes to Celeste's restaurant we are introduced to this random girl. Yet she is only in the book for a page or so. This really stood out to me because it is so odd. I believe that the significance of this random lady is to show characteristics of Meursault and show this other side of him that we really don't see before. So far, Meursault has really been oblivious and just going through the actions of life without seeing smaller things. This lady comes in to the resturant and Meursault suddenly gets very detail oriented. Camus writes, "Her gestures were jerky and she had bright eyes in a little face like an apple,"(43). Personally I think this is an interesting simile to compare her face to an apple but it is more of a positive and bright symbol, which is a different mood for the reader. Most of the other things the Meursault describes have gave off a very dull feeling for the reader yet as he talks about her it gives a more intriguing mood to the reader, making it stand out. The detail-ness of the description and the actions shows Meursault in a different light. We see him caring more about something and just watching this lady's actions. I think that she is so intriguing to Meursault because of how different she is in comparison to him. She is definitely in a different state of mind of him. He gets so interested almost passionate about learning and studying this woman that he follows her out from the restaurant. Yet as she walks Meursault loses her and within minutes doesn't care anymore, again. Meursault thinks, "I thought about how particular but forgot about her a few minutes later,"(44). This burst of detail and interest that we see when Meursault first encounters this lady is gone so quickly after it stands out to the reader. In the elongated paragraph we see the quick personality change of Meursault and back to his normal self. This shows that Meursault can care yet doesn't. Camus put this situation in here to show how people cannot actually effect your everyday personality, and people can change, yet only momentarily.
ReplyDeleteI found Meursalt's actions in Chapter 5 to be very interesting. Two major things happen in this chapter. The first is Marie asking to marry Meursalt and him accepting. The other is the woman that sits by him in the resturant that peaks his interest. “That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn't make a difference to me and we could if she wanted to.” (Camus 41). Even when committing to marriage, Meursalt gives off his usual apathy but this is strangely contrasted later in the chapter. In Celeste, a woman sits next to Meursalt and begins to list radio programs while quickly eating. This action sparks inquiry in Meursalt and he decides to follow her. “Then she stood up, put her jacket back on with the same robotlike movements, and left. I didn't have anything to do, so I left too and followed her for a while.” (43). This is one of the few moments where any sort of emotion is invoked in Meursalt which is a fairly strange thing to feel emotion about when compared to the events that DIDN'T invoke any emotion. Although he quickly goes back to his old ways after losing sight of the woman.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 5, we see the best example of absurdity so far: the "strange little woman" (Pg43). She asks Meursault if she can sit as his table, and he lets the stranger sit with him. When she begins a series of strange actions such as checking boxes on a television program, Meursault calmly watches her with interest, but accepts these strange actions. Then when she finishes her food and leaves Meursault follows her until "I eventually lost sight of her and turned back. I thought about how peculiar she was but forgot about her a few minutes later" (p44) This entire non-interaction is so strange and abrupt that it really stands out to the reader. The juxtaposition between Mersault's unemotional and flat emotions and this strange woman's frenzied zeal for her task serves as a way to show the acceptance of the absurd on Meursault's part. Any other normal person would have shown the same interest in the woman at the beginning but would not have then followed this woman and forgotten about her a few moments later. This shows that Meursault has the capacity to feel some sort of emotion because he can be interested in something rather than be apathetic all the time.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that Camus' inclusion of the woman was very interesting. While Meursault was watching this woman, all the while he thought that she was very odd. Her fast paced actions seemed very weird to him. As a reader in the 21st Century in America, the woman would portray a typical busy business woman who is always on the go who isn't much out of the ordinary, but to Meursault, she's very eccentric. Camus' implementation of the women shows how he is condemning the people who don't live in the present and live their lives without any meaning, which contrasts with the existentialist belief.
DeleteIn Chapter 5, the quote "Then he asked me if I wasn't interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn't dissatisfied with mine here's at all" (41). This quote from Meursault answers the question of he is an absurdist or existentialism, I believe that because of this quote, he is an absurdist. He has an absolute define to life as being dissatisfied and not important when he says, "people never change their lives, that in any case one life was good as another" it is define but meaningless. In chapter 6, I founded very interesting when Meursault shot the Arab. We have seen throughout the book that Meursault has an ironic detachment to things. He prefers observing events to getting directly involved. When he shoots the Arab, there's a sense that he is not really there, not really doing what he is doing, "The sea carried up a thick, fiery breath. It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire" (59). It seems as he is observing himself shoot than actually him shooting.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 6 of Part I, the sun had a lot of impact on Meursault. "I was absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me a lot of good." (50). When Meursault first walked on the beach, the sun was warming him and making him feel good, which reflected the enjoyable time he had with Marie on the beach. They laid on the beach and absorbed the warm rays of the sun. In this part, the sun gave a warm and relaxing tone. Contrary to this, as Meursault was getting close to the Arab, before he was going to kill him, the sun was described with violent diction. "But the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, was pressing on my back... The sun was starting to burn my cheeks." (58). The sun that was once perceived as good and relaxing, immediately turned to something harmful and almost dangerous in this vital situation. Meursault described the sun as a danger posed to him and something he should stay away from rather than embrace. The tone in this passage is harsh and scary, and accurately foreshadows what's to come right after, the unfortunate event of Meursault killing the Arab.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the final chapter of the first part of The Stranger, Camus uses symbolism and allegory to convey the theme that no human motive is logical or understandable. The fact that Meursault blames the Sun’s heat for his act of murder is absurd, but it is also the beginning of Meursault’s recognition that all of his influences are ultimately meaningless. For example, Meursault mentions that the “overpowering” sunlight “shattered into little pieces on the sand and water” on the beach where he is fated to kill the Arab, foreshadowing the deconstruction of an absurdly intense world (or even an uncontrollable divine being) in Meursault's mind (53). The constant descriptions of the Sun's oppressive heat form an interesting contrast with the imagery of cool weather and quiet evenings that Camus introduces in the final chapters of this book; the idea that Meursault is merely seeking shelter from the heat suggests that Meursault's emotionless state could be pitiable, in a way, if the reader can understand that Meursault is not responsible for his “stranger's” perspective. The sensory intensity of the sun imagery also is significant; it seems that the scene of the murder contains the greatest appeals to sympathy on Meursault's behalf. In addition, it is likely that the Sun's role in worsening a conflict rather than creating it suggests the existentialist principle that human beings must accept blame rather than accusing an outside or random influence. Finally, the fact that Meursault compares the sun to “cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead” and a “scorching blade slash[ing] at my eyelashes” represents the idea that Meursault, as an absurdist figure, has been psychologically assaulted by the cruelty of the absurd (59). Overall, the primal power of the Sun's heat in this scene serves to create a climax at which Meursault realizes that he has no real agency in his life and must reform his entire philosophy; all of the physical “attacks” imposed by the Sun can be equated to the onslaught of the truth of existentialism on the individual.
ReplyDeleteeursault recalls mentioning to his boss once how unpleasant the bathroom's roller towel got by the end of the day “because the roller towel you use is soaked through… I mentioned it to my boss. He told me he was sorry but it was a really minor detail.” (29). His boss thinks the roller towel is minor, but physical details are beyond important to Meursault, showing different parts of his character that set him apart from others.
ReplyDeleteLater, the neighbor Raymond invites Meursault to dinner. Raymond is unpopular with others and is said that “he lives off women” (31), but Meursault finds “what he has to say interesting” (31) and sees no reason to avoid him. Though others avoid Raymond, Meursault sees nothing wrong with him. Thus, Meursault's perspective doesn't match society's.
In chapter five, during a conversation between Meursault and Marie, she asks him about Paris. Meursault tells her, "'It's dirty. Lots of pigeons and dark courtyards. Everybody's pale'" (42). This quote really stood out to me because shows that Meursault only sees the outside of things. He tells Marie that "'Everybody's pale'" and this contrasts with the Meursault's constant observations of Marie's tan. In chapter 6, we see Meursault seeming to enjoy the day at the beach. He seems to be a bit less uncaring. Meursault starts to voice his opinions : "... I stretched out on my stomach... and put my face on the sand. I said it was nice and he agreed" (51), "I said I was starving.... The bread was good; I devoured my share of the fish." Instead of saying that "it was fine" or that "it didn't matter," Meursault tells Masson that the sand feels nice, which is one of the first times we see Meursault stating his emotions. Also, instead of giving dull descriptions in short sentences, Meursault now describes bread as "good" and uses various sentence lengths.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 5, Camus uses negative diction to convey his philosophical ideas, and to overall create a tone of apathy for the reader. This tone helps characterize Mersault, adding to his indifference. When talking to Salamano about his dog, Salamano tells him of how the dog had aged very quickly and developed a skin disease that required daily ointment. Meursault states: "Every night and every morning after the dog had gotten that skin disease, Salamano rubbed him with ointment. But according to him, the dog's real sickness was old age, and there's no cure for old age" (45). Like in other chapters, this negative diction helps communicate the existentialist idea that, above all else, we will all die. By adding "there's no cure for old age", Camus was striving to use Meursault to convey his ideas about existentialism, and to show that sometimes we get scared of death, but we shouldn't be because it's ultimately the only thing we know will happen. This quote also depicts Salamano cleaning the dog's scabby coat "every night and every morning". This is symbolic of how most people will be afraid of death and do everything they can to return to good health, like Salamano with his dog, but that this is futile and that one should accept that we all die.
ReplyDelete