Indifference in Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider)
Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, examines what happens to a passive man when mixed in a murder. During the trial of the main character, Meursault, the prosecutor examines Meursault’s normal behavior as callous and cold. In order for the prosecutor to have a case in the reader’s mind, Camus must create the past that the trial calls for. Camus shows a passive man, and the way that he deals with normal life occurrences. Camus must create a portrait of indifference.
When Meursault is talking to Raymond Sintes, a neighbor of his, Raymond tells his tales of violence and asks Meursault for advice. Meursault seems withdrawn during his time with Raymond. Raymond had actually asked Meursault into his room so that he may ask Meursault’s opinion: “because I was a man, I knew about things, I could help him out, and then we’d be pals.” (Camus, 29) Meursault remains quiet in the conversation, but eventually does speak up: “I didn’t say anything, and he asked me again if I wanted to be pals. I said it was fine with me: he seemed pleased.” (Camus, 29) It really made no difference to Meursault if he was stated as a friend of Raymond’s or not. The way that Meursault does not contribute to the conversation and that it is just “fine with [him]” to be friends creates an image of indifference. This image continues to grow as Raymond continues to talk to Meursault. Raymond goes on to tell of his problems with women, and Meursault still remains silent. After his Raymond’s confessions are over he once again thanks Meursault for being a pal: “I didn’t mind being his pal, and he seemed set on it.” (Camus, 33) Once again, Meursault’s attitude makes it seem that he doesn’t really care if he is Raymond’s pal. It has no effect of him, but it will help out Raymond, so he’ll be his pal.
When Meursault is asked to deal with serious relationship questions and issues, he shows his indifference again. Because Meursault becomes romantically involved with Marie, she eventually asks him if he loves her, “I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so.” (Camus, 35) This seems to be a very cold response to a question that is taken seriously, but M was telling the truth. It didn’t really matter to him.
The United States is the only country who does not use the metric system (meters, kilometers, litters); instead they use the customary system (inches, feet). For example, if you will have to drive in another country you will not understand how far another grocery store because the sign tells you in meters not in miles.
...ll. The inner city has many complications the fact that most are African American is a mere coincidence. If we as a nation are capable of fixing all institutions and structural issues we could bring the slums out of poverty. The cycle of unemployment and poverty is a terrible cycle that cannot only be judged by race and cultural values. When reading this book keep in mind the difficulties, any family or person could go through these tribulations. There are many arguments and sides to each problem; this is another one of those. The battle for inner city poverty, and the factors that go along with it, has not been finished. Wilson brings out a different aspect which could help people expand horizons and come up with better solutions.
In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the theme of the story is dramatically illustrated by Jackson’s unique tone. Once a year the villagers gather together in the central square for the lottery. The villagers await the arrival of Mr. Summers and the black box. Within the black box are folded slips of paper, one piece having a black dot on it. All the villagers then draw a piece of paper out of the box. Whoever gets the paper with the black dot wins. Tessie Hutchinson wins the lottery! Everyone then closes in on her and stones her to death. Tessie Hutchinson believes it is not fair because she was picked. The villagers do not know why the lottery continues to exist. All they know is that it is a tradition they are not willing to abandon. In “The Lottery,” Jackson portrays three main themes including tradition, treason, and violence.
Meursault is a fairly average individual who is distinctive more in his apathy and passive pessimism than in anything else. He rarely talks because he generally has nothing to say, and he does what is requested of him because he feels that resisting commands is more of a bother than it is worth. Meursault never did anything notable or distinctive in his life: a fact which makes the events of the book all the more intriguing.
Every character that revolves around Meursault seems to be in direct contrast to him. Meursault is an amoral person who does not seem to care passionately about anything. He acts in accordance with physical desires. In other words, Meursault is a sensualist person. At this particular time in his life, his path crosses with his neighbor, Raymond, who feels as though his girlfriend is cheating on him. He decides to take revenge with minor aid form Meursault. Meursault helps him only because he thinks he has nothing to lose if he does. As things lead into one another, the first major violent act of the book is committed.
Meursault is a man who chooses to observe people, rather than interact with them. He often people watches from his balcony in the evening, than actually going down to communicate with them. While he was in exile, he was forced to converse and discuss his feeling to strangers like his lawyer, and the chaplain of the prison. Due to being a severe introvert, the idea of discussing his problem to another person was foreign for him. The experience of opening himself up to others for help was alienating, and contradicted his personality of being a stranger to everyone. Camus writes, “He didn’t understand me, and he was sort of holding it against me. I felt the urge to reassure him that I was like everybody else, just like everybody else.” (Camus, 66) Meursault wanted to help his lawyer understand his point of view, but his nature is so closed off that he’s unable to put his feeling into words for others
Wood, Kerry.” Literary Analysis : Irony In ‘ The Cask Of Amontillado’ by Edgar Allan Poe.”Humanities 360. Helium, Inc., 9 Nov 2007. Web.17 Mar 2014.
In The Stranger, Albert Camus describes the life of the protagonist, Meursault, through life changing events. The passage chosen illustrates Meursault’s view during his time in prison for killing the Arab. In prison, one can see the shifts in Meursault’s character and the acceptance of this new lifestyle. Camus manipulates diction to indicate the changes in Meursault caused by time thinking of memories in prison and realization of his pointless life. Because Camus published this book at the beginning of World War II, people at this time period also questions life and death similar to how Meursault does.
"Why did William Golding Write His Novel, Lord of the Flies? - Homework Help - ENotes.com." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Meursault in the book tries to overcome his emotional indifference within himself. One example shows Meursault emotional indifference against Marie. In this quote, “A minute later she asked me if I loved her”. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so.” The quote explains how Meursault doesn’t really think about the consequences of other people’s emotions.
“Then he explained that was what he needed advice about. He stopped to adjust the lamp’s wick, which was smoking. I just listened. I’d drunk close to a liter of wine and my temples were burning.[…]What bothered him was that he ‘still has sexual feelings for her.’ But he wanted to punish her” (31). Raymond tries the make the setting more comfortable as he adjusts the lamp’s wick, and has Meursault slightly drunk. When someone is drunk, his judgment is impaired. Thus, Meursault easily agreed to whatever is coming next. Raymond re-appeals to Meursault physical desires by claiming he still has sexual feelings for the woman they are discussing. This scene is significant because it illustrates how Raymond understands that Meursault has existentialist traits, thus, cannot be easily wowed by emotional desires but rather by physical ones. As the dialogue progresses, Camus’ conflict builds: “But Raymond told me he didn’t think he could write the kind of letter it would take and that he’d thought of asking me to write for him. Since I didn’t say anything, he asked if I’d mind doing it right then and I said no” (32). “I tried my best to please Raymond because I didn’t have any reason not to please him” (32). Taking advantage of the ambiguous response, Raymond gives Meursault the supplies to write the letter, thus, achieving his objective. “He stopped calling me ‘monsieur.’ It was only when he announced
Mr. Summers is a bright and cheerful man. His attitude, demeanor, and name represent the summer. Mr.Graves' name represents what is about to happen. They are sending someone to their grave. These names are obvious as to what they mean.
Often times an author incorporates a thought or philosophy into a work that can shape or reshape the attitude emitted from the novel. In Albert Camus', The Stranger, the Existential philosophy that the author fills into the work give an aura of apathy. With the opening lines of "Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure," Camus immediately sets a tone of indifference (1). Though the protagonist, Mersault, is not completely without cares, the overall attitude of passiveness he has toward himself, as well as toward others, give the entire novel a tone of apathy.
In The Stranger, Camus portrays women as unnecessary beings created purely to serve materialistically and satisfy males through the lack of a deep, meaningful, relationship between Meursault and females. Throughout the text, the main character, Meursault, creates closer, more meaningful relationships with other minor characters in the story. However, in his interactions with females in this book, Meursault’s thoughts and actions center on himself and his physical desires, observations, and feelings, rather than devoting his attention to the actual female. Living in Algiers in the 1960s, Meursault originates from a post-modernist time of the decline in emotion. Meursault simply defies the social expectations and societal ‘rules’, as post-modernists viewed the world. Rather than living as one gear in the ‘machine’ of society, Meursault defies this unwritten law in the lackluster relationships between he and other females, as well as his seemingly blissful eye to society itself. In The Stranger, males, not females, truly bring out the side of Meursault that has the capacity for compassion and a general, mutual feeling relationship. For example, Marie and Meursault’s relationship only demonstrate Meursault’s lack of an emotional appetite for her. Also, with the death of Maman, Meursault remains virtually unchanged in his thoughts and desires.
Efforts to engage Meursault in secular structures of meaning are equally futile. When Meursault's boss offers Meursault a position in Paris, he expects Meursault to embrace the opportunity for career advancement. Meursault, though, lacks all ambition and turns down the boss' offer without considering it. As a student, Meursault recalls, "I had lots of ambitions…But when I had to give up my studies I learned very quickly that none of it really mattered." When Marie asks Meursault whether he wants to marry her, she expects him to take the institution of marriage seriously. Yet Meursault is indifferent towards it, thinks "it didn't mean anything" to love a person, and agrees to marry Marie simply because she wants to marry him. Though he grows fond of her, he doesn't cultivate any attachment to her more meaningful than superficial attraction. Throughout his trial, Meursault is equally bemused by the meaninglessness of the justice system and finds its attempts to impose rational, meaningful structure on his actions ridiculous. He considers the guilty verdict he eventually receives entirely arbitrary, and describes its "certainty" as "arrogant."