In my blog my best post was The Transition from Part 1 to Part 2. This is because i spent a lot of time thinking about the character, Meursault, his personality and the effects of becoming a criminal. My worst post was the Long Hot Road because it did not show that i was reading the book in depth and really thinking about it. The blog that helped me the most was Makayla’s she showed great insight into the novel and shared a lot of the same thoughts.
Meursault has a way of looking at life, it always is paired with death. No one person is more important than another because death is inevitable for everyone. And so there is no way to stand out, no way to make you more important. “…one life was as good as another…” (pg. 41) Meursault stated. Later he says, “I had lived one way but could have just as easily lived another .” (pg. 121) He doesn’t take any notice for individuality. He also mentions, if you die at 30 or 70, you will only be forgotten by those who knew you.
Being locked in a cage like a monkey at a zoo does not come without any results. One thing that changes in Meursault is his thought process. He observes, “My only thoughts were those of a prisoner. I waited for the daily walk or for a visit from my lawyer. If i had to live in the trunk of a dead tree, with nothing to do, little by little i would have gotten used to it. I would have waited for birds to fly by or clouds to mingle, just as here i waited to see my lawyer…” (pg. 77) Losing your freedom is probably one of the most stifling consequences available. His cigarettes were taken and therefore he lost his right to chose to smoke. His clothing was taken and therefore he lost his right to express individuality through style. And through these punishments he came to a conclusion during a conversation with a guard, “”But,” he said, “that’s exactly why you’re in prison.” “What do you mean that’s why?” “Well, yes- Freedom, that’s why. They’ve taken away your freedom.” I’d never thought about that. I agreed. “It’s true,” I said, “otherwise, what would be the punishment?” (pg. 78) Prison is there to take away freedoms. To limit the privileges given to those who obey the laws.
I’m not sure if I’m the only one who noticed this but i thought it was interesting how so much more emotion was displayed in the second half of the novel than the first. I believe that Meursault learned a lot about himself during the trial.
He unravelled a mystery that was pressing on me throughout the entire story. He said, “I had never truly bee able to feel remorse for anything. My mind was always on what was coming next, today, or tomorrow.” (pg. 100) Through this simple statement he tells why he had always seemed so detached. It is hard to have strong feelings for the future when you can not learn, or keep anything with you, from the past. But he begins to display emotion after being locked in a jail cell for many months and on the first day of his trial he observes, “I had the stupid urge to cry, because I could feel how much all these people hated me.” (pg. 90) Not only is this sad, but it shocks me that he cares! Meursault is not only sad about the fact that people do not like him but he even takes it as far as having the desire to cry! It is interesting that he describes the urge to cry as “stupid” because it shows that he looks down on, and is probably surprised by, his desire to shed tears over such an uncharacteristic thing. Then the sweet Celeste gave a very sincere and kind testimony towards Meursaults good nature and Meursault thinks to himself, “…it was the first time in my life i ever wanted to kiss a man.” (pg. 93) He showed appreciation for the kind words spoken by his old companion. It is so unlike him to even care about anything that even in this case it is a shock to see him express such feelings of thankfulness.
I justify his change by a single word, hope. Not because in Part 1 he had no hope, but because in Part 1 he had nothing to hope for. And there is the difference, in the beginning he was not scared for anything therefore he did not care for anything but towards the end, the prospect of the death penalty or of imprisonment demanded hope, it demanded feeling.
Unfortunately, when all hopes had been vanquished and all dreams silenced, he resorted to his original state. He accepted that there was nothing he could do, “”Have you no hope at all? And do you really live with the thought that when you die, you die, and nothing remains”"Yes,” I said.” (pg. 117) And that signalled the end, he accepted his death and with that, the last sparkle of hope within was smothered and put out. In the last paragraph of the book, he compares himself to the indifference of the earth, saying that he was “like a brother..” (pg. 123) in that he no longer cared.
**Well I tried to Google lyrics that reminded me of Meursault and this is what i found. I looked it up on YouTube but the people who sing it are really creepy (kind of like Meursault except a bit more extreme) so i decided to not put that on here. Also, there were a lot of not-so-school-worthy words so i rhymed them with other words and stuck those in there instead.
People say I talk too much
I don’t care I talk too much
Momma say I failed in life
I don’t care I failed in life
Daddy says I drink too much
I don’t care I drink too much
People say I’m headed nowhere
And I don’t strucking care
Jimmy Johnson’s gonna die
Sarah Suzie’s gonna die
Everybody’s dying slow
I don’t give a puck though
I’m only short like fifty bucks
I couldn’t give fifty plucks
I could really use some help
————————–
Everybody’s gonna die
Terror falling from the sky
Mothers with they children cry
And I could give a stuck why
They say you’ll never walk again
Well go plug the Sega in
I think somebody stole my truck
Tell someone who gives a duck
My entire world is falling
Entire world is falling
My entire world is falling
Entire world is falling
How much do they charge in there?
Wait a minute, I don’t care
I’ma shoot you in the face
I’ll tell you how the bullets taste
Critics say you immitate
I don’t give a truckulate
50 million people dying
Awwwww I’m crying
Tell me all the things you saw
As if I give a muck at all
You see me sitting in the chair
People dying even there
Everything you saying to me
PShhhhh, go right through me
If I was to pick it up
I’d have to give a luck, and I don’t
I don’t care nothing about it
I can’t do nothing about it
I can’t do nothing for you
I don’t care nothing about it
Rainforest burning down
War and riots all around
I’m inside like tuck them all
What’s the main event on RAW?
Posion, mad cow disease
Can I get that with double cheese
STD’s steady spreading
Bareback up in this neden
I don’t care
My entire world is falling
Entire world is falling
My entire world is falling
Entire world is falling
I don’t care nothing bout it
I can’t do nothing about it
I can’t do nothing for you
I don’t care nothing bout it
Everyday when I wake up
All I really wanna do is die
And go to the next phase
Ground up flesh is consumed
Everyone is gonna die…
cluck I ain’t afraid to die
Go on shoot me in the eye
Do it see if I survive
Give it to me point blank
Better…
Did you hit him?
Yes, and I don’t give a schmuck less
Careful it’s a dark night
Give your money or your life
Take ‘em both for all I care
Dump your bullets right here
Eviction notice on the door
Addicted crawling on the floor
Ask me did I ever care?
Nah…
I don’t care, I don’t care
I don’t care, I don’t care..
This person doesn’t care about death or what people think similarly to Meursault. Its so weird. I don’t understand him at all, but at least he’s happy with his life. I think that if Meursault wrote a song this would be it! He is so completely uncaring!
This picture reminded me of the “long, hot road” Meursault was forced to endure during his Mother’s funeral procession. The oppressive heat weighed heavily on him during the long walk and it seemed that his thoughts were only on the scene surrounding him rather than his deceased Mother.“I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all.” (pg. 41) This quote shows his indifference towards life and how he lives it. It also gives interesting insight to why he is the way he is. Meursault feels that no person is any more important than any other and that the lives they lead are essentially the same except a few minor details. This feeling of everything being boring and monotonous would only lead someone to feel as detached and uncaring as Meursault. Unique is a concept so far gone that he cannot grasp it even for something as obvious as the difference between two human lives.
Just some key personality traits I noticed in Meursault.
- detached “I have never seen a soul as hardened as yours…” (pg. 69) “I had pretty much lost the habit of analyzing myself… I probably did love Maman, but that didn’t mean anything.” (pg. 65) “I had no ambition… i quickly learned that none of it really mattered.” (pg. 41) He cares about nothing. Even when he was on trial for murder he just accepted it and seemed to not care. He made himself at home in his jail cell and openly admitted to the murder as if gossiping about a neighbor.
- honest He does not bother even pretending to be sad over the death of his mother when the judge asks him, regardless of the fact that he knows it will hurt his case. (pg. 64-65) “That evening Marie came by and asked if i wanted to marry her. i said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to. Then she wanted to know if i loved her. i answered the same way… i probably didn’t love her.”(pg, 41) Its weird that he is so open with his lack of feelings, you would think that he would be afraid of hurting her. This is also another sign of his unhealthy detached.
- amoral Meursault does not show any feelings of good or bad towards the beating of the dog by his neighbor. When asked by Raymond if he thought it was disgusting and pitiful he simply replied, “no.”(pg. 28) He seems to not think of anyone as having feelings or thoughts of his own. The Arab that he kills was thought of almost as an inadamant object. It didnt seem to hit him that he took away someones life. When he is asked by Raymond to write the letter he agrees because he “simply didnt have any reason not to please him.” (pg. 32)
- selfish “It took up my sunday- not to mention the the trouble of getting to the bus, buying the tickets, and spending two hours traveling” (pg. 5) His mother was an inconvenience to him. “my physical needs often get in the way” (pg. 65) He cares for his feelings more than the feelings of others.
- lacking social common sense He does not realize that telling people he understands beating a women and hurting a dog is not okay. He also seems awkward in conversations with his boss. For example, “ the roller towel you use is soaked through…I mentioned it once to my boss. He told me he was sorry but it was really a minor detail.” (pg. 25) having a damp towel in the bathroom is an odd thing to complain to your boss about. Meursault shows his lack of common sense with his insenitivity towards Marie when she says she loves him.
- obscene Meursault is constantly saying how he “wants Marie so bad.” It is clear that the reason he is dationg her is strictly for her outward beauty. He also talks about the appeal of her breasts and admits to completely understanding how Raymond still has sexual desire for his mistress but continues to want to punish her.
