Monday, February 4, 2013
The Stranger
“I had been right I was still right I was always right. I had lived my life one way and I could just as well lived it another. I had done this and I hadn't done that. I hadn't done this thing and I had done another. And so?”(The Stanger) Meursault believes nothing matters. This is what makes him different. He doesn't fain emotions. He just does. Do you ever feel the walls of society slowly closing in? Molding you into something you're not? “I may not have been sure about what really did interest me, but I was absolutely sure about what didn't.” Sometimes holding on to simple things can allow your true heart to shine. Meursault simply believes that there is nothing after death. What he does doesn't matter. Eventually everyone is doomed to die. If everyone is going to die what's the point of life? Meursault is a true atheist. Meursault doesn't change even in the face of punishment and death. The popular thing is to beg for mercy and to convert to a God not known and he decides that there is no point to going with the grain.
There is another twist in The Stranger. Meursault won't lie. This virtue eventually leads him to his death. Instead of twisting the truth into something pleasing he stays with what really happened. "It was the sun." he says that made him kill a man. In his mind the sun was hot and the trigger slipped and so he killed a man. Society is full of little white lies and Meursault won't give into any lying. Society immediately sees him as a threat. What makes Meursault great is this amazing capacity for not caring. He doesn't care. He won't lie. This molds his personality. This choice creates a man who fights the idea of pleasing others. Honestly, although Meursault killed a man, Meursault fights the crowd in a way I have never seen. Try not to lie for an entire day. No white lies. You have to offer up the truth. You can't exaggerate anything. I dare you to try this man's lifestyle.
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Moriah,
ReplyDeleteI wondered what you would focus on in your discussion of Merseault. Your big question seems to be about identity and finding yourself, mostly through what you create. M seems to be pretty passive, and so doesn't create much. Part of what we do when we create, I think, is project a part of ourselves which was hidden, onto the outside world, where we can take a look at it and learn about ourselves. M doesn't seem to do that, and as you say, feels it doesn't matter. What I sometimes wonder is, why would M feel so strongly about telling the truth? What code of ethics is he following that makes him do that? You're right, that it would be really hard for us to do such a thing and live our lives in this way. What is it that makes M do it? His life would certainly be easier if he did lie a little. What do you think?
Your ideas about Meursault are very interesting. Though he may appear on the outside to be somewhat of a strange, immoral man, he is more true to himself than almost anybody. His constant desire to stay true to himself is very difficult but he doesn't waver. It's interesting that you brought up his behavior when his life is in jeopardy he doesn't change his character. It would make sense to change oneself if it meant staying alive, but Meursault is more concerned with sticking to what he believes; that's pretty courageous if you ask me. His desire to be 100% truthful definitely molds his personality, but, like Mr. Miles, I wonder his motivation for doing this. If he just knows what is truly moral for himself, then I think the rest of the world can definitely learn from him. It takes very strong character for a man to stay this true to himself. For that he can definitely be admired.
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