Meursault and Marie - 792 Words

Meursault as â€Å"The Stranger† The way a person reacts to ordinary situations determines the opinions of others based on their behavior. Yet, when this behavior is abnormal or different from the rest of society, it causes society to form an opinion based totally on a person’s behavior not their true personality. In Meursault’s case, his strange opinions and unexpected remarks put him in this position, without ever really giving him an opportunity to be truly understood. However, Meursault cannot change his actions and behaviors from the past, therefore making him responsible in the society he freely chooses to live in. Meursault’s complete indifference to society and human relationships causes him to appear as the actual â€Å"stranger† with†¦show more content†¦His encounter with the Arab shows how the presence of other people in his life makes absolutely no impression on him. Taking the Arab’s life was something he did as a natural reaction, he pulled the trigger think ing it was justified where as any normal human being would think other wise. Once on trial, Meursault constantly observed the people in the courtroom as if he had no idea of how the rest of society lived. Every thing he saw was new to him and it brought him a feeling of excitement, as if he was enjoying being on trial. Fear only came after his verdict. He didn’t even consider his fate early on in the trial because he was in awe of the rest of society; their behaviors and actions were all new to him. In chapter three part two Meursault explained this by saying: Usually people didn’t pay much attention to me. It took some doing on my part to understand that I was the cause of all the excitement. I said to the policeman, â€Å"Some crowd!† He told me it was because of the press and he pointed to a group of men at a table just below the jury box. He said, â€Å"That’s them.† (83-84) The only thing Meursault is worried about is the press, not the fact that his fate is about to be determined by a group of people that don’t even know him. He doesn’t even care about death at this point, only how he is excited to see all these new people and be able to watch the court proceedings. Before Meursault’s incarceration, he lived a life of desire based on his ownShow MoreRelatedMarie and Meursault: Meant to Be or Want to Be?830 Words   |  4 PagesMarie and Meursault: Meant to Be or Want to Be? â€Å"It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Mamam was buried now, that I was going back to work and that really, nothing had changed.†(1.1.15) These are some of the words that ran through Meursault’s mind after his mother’s death. He was very isolated from her so he felt as if nothing had changed. He was not the most outgoing person but the same cannot be said about his love interest, Marie. Throughout the novel, The Stranger, MeursaultRead MoreMeursault And Marie s Relationship973 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"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†(Camus 41). When Meursault states this in Camus, The Stranger, it becomes aware, if not already, that his relationship with Marie is quite different than other peoples relationships. Their relationship has already been noted as odd due to the fact that it started the da y after Meursault came home from burying his mother and showing no grief thatRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Stranger 1191 Words   |  5 PagesThe Characterization of Meursault in The Stranger In The Stranger, the author Albert Camus, initially portrays Meursault as a monotonous character lacking emotions toward the events surrounding his life. Meursault reflects indifference at the thought of his girlfriend s proposal in addition to not demonstrating empathy in relation to Raymond s abusive actions toward his girlfriend. Even so, Meursault s character gradually develops from a detached individual to a dynamic person as secondary charactersRead MoreThe Insignificance of Women in Camus’ The Stranger Essay931 Words   |  4 Pagesdeep, 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 ofRead MoreThe Stranger By Albert Camus1411 Words   |  6 Pagesof Salamano and Marie are utilized in order to contrast the author’s ideas about contemporary philosophies. Albert Camus’s creation of minor characters such as Salamano and Marie in The Stranger embody the expectations and perspective of society. Camus’s purpose in utilizing minor characters is to contrast societal norms and ideals to absurdist principles and values. Albert Camus’s creation of the character Salamano in The Stranger provides a contrast between him and Meursault, polarizing the perspectivesRead MoreThe Stranger Character Analysis1634 Words   |  7 Pagesof a man named Meursault, who received notice that his mother had passed away. Meursault was not emotionally connected to his mother, and his reaction is not what the reader would expect, as he did not seem to care at all. Therefore, the day after attending his mother’s funeral, Meursault goes to the beach and meets up with his girlfriend, Marie. After the beach, Meursault and Marie go to a movie and spend the night together. When he returns home from work the next day, Meursault runs into his neighborRead MoreCharacter Analysis of Meusault in The Stranger637 Words   |  3 Pagesin The Stranger, Meursault is mentally not attached to the world. He is unable to decipher good or bad in his actions. The passing of his mother has no effect on him or a girl’s con tinuous proposal whom he is very attracted too, also, he murders a man for no apparent reason and does not see anything wrong in doing so. Meursault is seen as a careless monster too society. At the beginning of this story Meursault is told his mother has passed away. After hearing the news, Meursault does not know howRead MoreThe Stranger By Albert Camus1365 Words   |  6 PagesCamus uses routinesituations to demonstrate how the protagonist, Meursault is not just another ordinary individual. Camus depicts Meursault as an independent being, disinterested in his surroundings, contrasting him with the majority of his peers. Meursault traverses the entire novel, exhibiting little to no emotion. Instead, he displayscharacteristics synonymous to someone suffering from psychopathy. Regardless of the situation, Meursault refrainsfrom assigning meaning or significance to his environmentRead MoreThe Insignificance of Women in Camus’ The Stranger Essay example914 Words   |  4 Pagesdeep, 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 ofRead MoreThe Stranger Essay1048 Words   |  5 PagesThe novels protagoinist, Meursault, is a distanced and indifferent young man. He does not believe in God, and lives his life with seemingly sensuous abandon. After Meursault is caught up in the life of a local pimp, he rather inexplicably murders a young man on the beach, and is put on trial. In a ridiculous and seemingly arbitrary trial, he is essentially tried and found guilty for failing to adhere to societys beliefs and morals. It is during this trial that Meursault comes to terms with the