How I See Meursault


The article that my group gave our panel presentation on got me thinking about what I read into The Stranger. The article said that when people read books they tend to see it through their own eyes with their own experiences rather than what the author had intended. I definitely agree with that idea. To me the best part of reading is personally identifying with the story.

While I read The Stranger I found myself reading it differently from others around me. A lot of people saw Meursault’s emotionless indifference acceptable because he has no control over it. I, however, couldn’t find it in myself to like him or justify his decisions. When first introduced to him I thought he seemed like a problematic person. His reaction to his mother’s death was disturbing to me, the way he didn’t seem to care much about her loss at all. And then when we first see the abusive relationship between Meursault’s neighbor and his dog I knew I couldn’t stand him. The fact that he had no issue with Perez beating his own pet was crazy to me. An owner is a pet’s whole world and it can never understand why its owner would violate its trust. Then, later in the story, he doesn’t care at all that Raymond is beating his ex-girlfriend. Of course there’s also the whole issue of Meursault murdering the Arab.

Meursault is a terrible person who does not deserve to be defended. He has no empathy towards others and does not seem to care that he doesn’t. It’s hard defending a murderer, it’s impossible to defend someone that would end a life in cold blood. Camus attempts to make the reader see the murder through Meursault’s eyes and to make it almost seem okay. I don’t think he really achieved that as I saw basically every one of Meursault’s decisions to be as bad as it would be in real life.

Meursault and Raymond remind me of a few different people that my brother used to be very good friends with. They were in constant trouble and pulled my brother into it too. It changed him for a long time and we lost basically all contact with him. His friends didn’t care about what happened to him, they would get him into unsafe or illegal situations and when it backfired they’d let him take it all of the punishment. He managed to get out of that and now many of them have been arrested (a few times). So I suppose I’m just not very sensitive to people like Meursault and Raymond.

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 13, 2017 at 8:39 AM

    I totally agree with you Jess! I think that the reason why books are so interesting to read is because you can relate them to your life, and the current situation around you. I also believe that it is impossible to know how the author intended the book to be read. Camus does not give the reader a "how to" guide for interpreting "The Stranger" so it is our job as a reader to interpret the book in our own individual way! Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. BetsyNovember 14, 2017 at 7:04 AM

    Books are also cool because they put you into the head of the narrator, so you know how they feel (or don't feel, in Mersault's case.) We don't see Raymond's thoughts, but does it change your opinion to see everything from Mersault's POV?

    ReplyDelete
  3. blogged downNovember 14, 2017 at 8:58 AM

    A really interesting blog post! It made me look on Meursault from an outside perspective. I think the reason that I continued to find myself having sympathy for him throughout the book was because I saw him from the inside of his head, whereas if you say point blank things about Meursault I really hate him! Meursault is far from innocent by any standards. But, do we see Meursault as getting his "just deserts?" Were his actions punishable by death? In my opinion, that's a far more complicated, especially when we see such a negative view of the court system and the way that people fix on Meursault's case. Very interesting post!! Great job!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Antoinette and Mother Figures

            Antoinette had a complex relationship with the adults in her life. The people that you would expect to be there for her weren’t. Yet, the adult that didn’t need to care about her at all was the one that truly cared for her.             Antoinette grew up being constantly neglected by the woman who was supposed to care for her the most. Her mother, Annette, the woman her name was derived from, has ignored her and pushed her a way for as long as Antoinette can remember. Not only did she not care for Antoinette but she also chose Antoinette’s brother over her and spent all of her time caring for him. Annette would tell Antoinette to leave her be so that she could focus on Pierre. This would be detrimental to any young developing person. It was especially harsh for her because she didn’t have any other family to fall back on, she didn’t have close relationship with her father or, obviously,...
Read more

Jake Barnes: Relatable NOT Likable

            In The Sun Also Rises Jake Barnes’s charcter has a fascinating personality. It seems very relatable at times in the way he speaks to others and the thoughts he has. However, Jake is also not always particularly likeable. His thoughts are like the devil on your shoulder- that voice in the back of your mind that you try to push away. Like the jealousy he feels when he sees Brett enjoying herself with other people. He seems sarcastic a lot of the time, which I think most of us teenagers can identify with. In his thoughts he has snarky responses that he also tends to vocalize. Such as his analysis of the company Brett arrives to the club with when he says “It’s a fine crowd you’re with, Brett.” It is clearly meant to be ready as a teasing insult. Jake seems to crave company and a certain kind of attention that isn’t always readily available to him. This can be seen in the way he gladly accepts Georgette’s, a prostit...
Read more

An Exploration into the Relationship of Sally Seton and Clarissa Parry

            From the moment Sally Seton is introduced as a character it is clear that she was very important to Clarissa. One of the first things said when Clarissa thinks of Sally is “But all that evening she could not take her eyes off Sally”. Clarissa speaks of her as if she was a revelation in her life, someone she envied, admired, and loved. It is clear by the way that Clarissa speaks of her that she made a sizeable impact on her life. It is stated that “Sally it was who made her feel, for the first time, how sheltered the life at Bourton was.” Clarissa says that she taught her about everything from love to death. Sally told Clarissa about her own political views and they made plans to reform the world together.   She experienced feelings with Sally that she had never experienced toward any man before, or ever seems to have experienced since.             Clari...
Read more