Plot: Within in the story, conflict is created by the characters dreams. Meursault dream in the begging of the story is that he has none. Which ultimately causes the conflict in the story. Since Meursault is emotionless and doesn’t know the difference between good and bad this creates conflict. In the story, Meursault quotes “Then I fired four times at the motionless body.” Since Meursault has no dreams, because he is emotionless, he doesn’t know the right between good and bad and we see this here. Meursault kills the Arab on the beach, which causes conflict because he is later sent to prison because of this. Camus purpose of giving Meursault no dreams, is to move the plot forward because if Meursault had dreams he would focus on them and …show more content…
not do negative actions that would prevent him from accomplishing his dreams. However at the end of the story Meursault does have a dream. His dream at the end is to make society feel something as his father once felt something. The reader doesn’t know whether this dream is accomplished or not because Camus ends the story right there and then. The author’s purpose of giving Meursault a dream is to emphasis existentialism, since this is an existentialism book, the author wants to show that the choice of having a dream counts. Another dream that a character has is the prosecutor. The dream of the prosecutor, is to have Meursault killed by the death penalty. The prosecutor notices that Meursault is a threat to society because of his emotionless, and so he demands for him to be executed. In story the Meursault quotes “He stated that I had no place in society”. The prosecutor follows this by quoting “I have had occasion to call for the death of penalty, never as strongly as today have I felt this painful duty.” This is important because this dream not only effects Meursault but other characters as well. Because of this Meursault’s scared to die. In Part two of chapter 5 Meursault quotes “ All I care about right now is escaping the machinery of justice, seeing if there’s any way out of the inventible” We see how the prosecutor’s dream has Meursault emotionally he is afraid to die. Camus purpose for giving the prosecutor this dream, is to reveal the truth to Meursault. Because of this dream, Meursault realizes the choices we do make count. Another character who is affect is Marie, since Marie wants to marry Meursault her dreams are shattered. Structure: This story is structured into two parts, Part one and Part Two. The author does this to show existentialism. In part one Meursault shows nihilism and in part he shows existentialism by realizing the choices we do make count. This story is also structured in first person, which is important because it limits us to other characters in story. For example Marie she loves Meursault and is sexual, but after Meursault telling her she doesn’t lover her, we don’t know how she truly feels. We see how the structure of the plot being first person limits the reader, into seeing how the others characters feel, except for the main protagonist. Camus makes this story first person, because he the story to be revolved around Meursault because he emphasis existentialism. This story follows the Freytag pyramid because it goes in chronological order. Camus structured this plot in a specific order.
If any of the events that happen, would take place somewhere else, the plot would fall apart. For example Meursault kills the Arab in the beach. If this situation would have had occurred somewhere Meursault wouldn’t have killed the Arab. Because first of all the environment, Meursault says clearly in Part 2 “ the sun made me do it” Since Meursault has a weakness against a bright light, he feels sleepy and gazes off. This cause him to the shoot the arb. If Meursault was in a darker room, he wouldn’t have shot the Arab. We see how Camus order this turning point event to take place here for a particular reason. Another event that must be kept in this particular order, is the where prosecutor suggest that Meursault be killed. This has to happen in court for a particular reason. Camus has gather the majority of the characters in the story in this court room. So the prosecutor telling that Meursault be executed, not only effect Meursault but the characters around him. Such as Marie she emotionally broken. But what if this didn’t happen in the court room? None of the other characters would have known which affects characterization and tension. It affects tension because of all Meursault friends are there and they hope he doesn’t get executed which builds up to him getting the death
sentence. Rising action occurs in the story when Meursault, Raymond, and Marie see the Arabs on the way to the beach. The reader is informed that they have a conflict with Raymond, so tension build because we don’t know what actions might occur. The Climax of this story is when Meursault kills the Arab. This is the climax because the reader is feeling anxious and tension is build up because we don’t whether not if Meursault was going to kill the Arab but he does. After this falling action occurs in which everything takes a calmer pace. Falling action occurs throughout Meursault prison experience and resolution occurs when he finally finds something meaningful which his choices are. That are choices do count.
...iod when Camus writes this novel. Camus obviously knew the time period and explored different ideas and philosophies about pointless of life in people which comes out in his character, Meursault. In prison Meursualt also realizes that he’s trapped, and there’s no way out as he remembers what the nurse once said to him. His growth in self reflection results in unimportance of emotional values of life and help focus what’s directly ahead of him. This significant change results him in understanding himself and his voice, and figuring out his capabilities and philosophies. Time spent in prison helps Meursault finally understands himself, the meaninglessness of life, and the unimportance of time which shows the shift in the character after sent to prison.
All in all, the influence of Raymond is negative towards Meursault and leads to Meursault’s death sentence. The peer pressure put on Meursault to testify against Raymond’s mistress sets Meursault up and was the first of many instances where Meursault was manipulated into doing something. The aggression of Meursault to use violence against the Arab is a forced demand that Meursault is to fight for Raymond in times of hardships, as if Raymond owns Meursault. Finally, the declaration of Meursault as “a pal” influences the jury heavily because Raymond runs a whorehouse and the people one hangs out with have strong affects. Together, these three things lead to Meursault’s downfall, the death sentence, and Raymond is the one to blame.
Firstly, Camus juxtaposes the stories of Meursault and the Czechoslovakian man to create a presage of the denouement of Meursault. The Czechoslovakian man undergoes major life changes, and this ultimately leads to his demise. He goes to make a better life for himself, and he returns to his village with riches in wealth and in family. Unrecognizable to them, the Czechoslovakian man returns to his mother and sister, and he decides to play a simple joke “of taking a room” and “he had shown off his money” (80). This trick ends when “during the night his mother and sister had beaten him to death…in order to rob him” (80). The Czechoslovakian man’s newfound courage results in obstinacy. Contrastingly, until Meursault commits his crime of murder, his life appears nearly painfully simple. ...
He describes how the prosecutor illustrates him, “He said the truth was that I didn’t have a soul and that nothing human, not one of the moral principles that govern men’s hearts was within my reach” (The Stranger, 101). The prosecutor labels Meursault soulless, without ethics and consciousness. The prosecutor neglects the possibility for a different understanding towards the terms ‘soul’ and ‘moral principles’ by defining it under the majority’s value system. Camus expresses his dissatisfaction towards this neglect in his story, “Despite my willingness to understand, I just couldn’t accept such arrogant certainty” (The Stranger, 109). Camus points out that many are not willing to understand subjectivity because if the majority does not agree with it, it is wrong. Meursault may have a different set of principles he follows, but the fact that he is not the same makes him an outcast. However, even though Camus points out such alienation exists, his character Meursault never does anything about it. Meursault continues to sit in court passively observing the trial and even finds it difficult to stay awake; he embraces his subjectivity despite what the objective opinion
...s friends, companions, and circumstances make them for him and he ends up paying a heavy price. Camus proves Meursaults’ personal vulnerability mainly through the sun. He is tumbleweed blowing in the wind most times, without having something influence him, in most cases the sun. He lets the sun provoke him to make decisions he most likely would not make had the sun not been directly present. Regardless of the sun being present, Meursault should be able to make decisions for himself. Had Mearsault been able to be a stronger person and more strong minded, he would not have to ultimately die from lack of thinking before making decisions. Camus displays Mearsaults instability with detailed explications of events and lack of morals in his main character. He makes Mearsault a stranger to himself when influenced by the sun.
Meursault shows the reader his premeditation when he says, “Take him on man to man and give me your gun…” (Camus, The Stranger, p. 56). This when Meursault starts to think and starts planning to kill the Arab man. He takes Raymond’s gun and even though he did not kill the Arab man right then and there he eventually uses Raymond’s gun to kill the man. Meursault tells the reader that he thought about leaving the beach when he says “To stay or to go… A minute later I turned back to the beach and started walking” (Camus, The Stranger, p. 57). This shows how Meursault thought through either staying
Camus manipulates syntax to show how Meursault’s insensitivity symbolizes danger to society. When Camus makes Meursault be an insensitive person that does not care or feel anything for anyone else, he puts society in danger. When Meursault says, “I had never been able to truly feel remorse for anything” he never reveals any emotion at all even though the sentence sounds a little long and he also never gives a sign of compassion (Camus 100). Also, the very first sentence that Meursault states in the book only contains three words, which reads, “Maman died today” (Camus 3). No matter how long or short the sentences appear Meursault never shows a bit of compassion or feelings for her mother’s death. He just states it all plain and unemotional with only three words almost making it a fragment. For example, when Camus writes this long sentence, “He said the truth was that I didn’t have a soul and that nothing human, not ...
Camus’s motif of the sun illustrates Meursault’s emotions as he approaches the Arab, the sun’s rays separating Meursault from reality. “I knew that it was stupid, that I wouldn’t get the sun off me by stepping forward” (59). Yet after he utters this statement he takes another few steps forward. This sets the stage for the climax of Meursault’s murder of the Arab. More than anything the sun is depicted as a distraction to Meursault. It causes him to do things he would not normally do and clouds his judgment, causing him to commit a serious crime which will cause his own death. The sun is in a way a representation of the constraints society places upon Meursault. The effect the sun has on Meursault that results in death is a parallel to the effect of society on Meursault, which also results in death.
...e murder to his present state at the police office. Camus effectively allows uncertainty of details from the plot to delineate Meursault.
Camus creates the apathetic, socially dysfunctional, and insane character of Meursault as a social commentary on how society treats those who do not conform to social standards. While Meursault does murder a man in cold blood he is not put to death because of his crime itself but because of his nonconformity to social standards. Meursault displays no regret for his violent action, no grief for his mothers death, and it is this lack of emotions that makes the court and jury uneasy about his mental state. Meursault does show severe enough symptoms of social dysfunction to be considered insane and because of this Camus’ provides a social commentary on how society treats those who do not conform to social standards.
...ed by the court and then executed on the chaplain. Camus underlines the idea of the actual certainty in life, which according to Meursault is death itself. Before being executed, Meursault explains the main idea of novel – the absurd worldview, where our relevance in this world is almost negligible, we all live and all of us die and that at the end none of what we did with our life really has any significant value. Albert Camus effectively translates the concept of absurdity to the novel, proving the original contradiction to the human desire to rationalize the world and universe. To consolidate his ideas and transmit better his thoughts through the novel, he uses symbolism, through which he successfully strengthens the main theme. With the help of vivid symbolism he shows that life is fundamentally absurd, irrational and without any certain order in the universe.
Through narrative structure, Camus invites the reader to create and become the consciousness of Meursault. Utah Sate University Professor David Anderson notices that “Meursault takes the stance of simply reporting these impressions, without attempting to create a coherent story from them.” Indeed, in Part One, what Meursault reports are exclusively facts. Micheline Tisson-Braun comments that Meursault “registers facts, but not their meanings; ... is purely instantaneous; he lacks the principle of unity and continuity that characterizes man” (49). Through generalization, the reader links the details of Meursault’s life. The reader thereby creates their own meaning for Meursault’s actions. Meursault, without a memory or an imagination, refuses to spend time connecting events and contemplating essences. The reader does this for Meursault. Thus, the reader creates a consciousness for Meursault that is uniquely the reader’s. It exactly represents Meursau...
Meursault's final lines are paramount to the meaning of the novel. Just before his execution, Meursault finds grace in the vast, uncaring universe, and is prepared to go to his execution and relish the hatred poured upon him. This is maybe my favourite part of the novel: Meursault's death is a metaphor for life. In the end, Meursault becomes Sisyphus, and as Camus says in MoS, "we must imagine Sisyphus happy."
He feels free. He reflected on the life he lived and realizes the importance of his life. Rather than feeling regret or remorse for killing the Arab, he accepts his fate. Meursault is able to face death as he becomes aware of it and finally receives a visible perception of his own life and through this, as stated, accepted his fate. Death stands no importance to Meursault but, in value, it does. Killing the Arab did not drastically change the world. It surely did not make a difference in the universe. Meursault knows he deserves the execution, but is fine with that. He shows that death is his freedom. Meursault looks up to the sky, sees the stars, and says that he was happy. Camus absurdist philosophy of accepting death is confirmed through Meursault when faced with execution and accepting death, while also becoming content. There is no division or morality of right and wrong, or a sense of it either. We all live while searching for meaning but in the end, it is irrelevant because we all
I find it strange that Meursault knows that he has ruined his own sense of peace and happiness when he shoots the man on the beach, yet he then goes to shoot the man four more times. He even acknowledges that “it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness,” which reveals that to some extent, Meursault understands the consequences of his actions. But due to his total mental detachment from the world, he does not care about consequences, no matter how dire they may be. I cannot help but think that Meursault is as indifferent to the state of his own life as he is to the life of the man he killed.