The Stranger: Different people and Punishment

p.98-123

Mersault is different. He has a different way of looking and living life. Mersault at the end shows us his strong personality and character, but at the same time we do know he is feeling weak. He is going to be executed, and he is not happy for this, but he knows he can’t do anything about this. Is it his fault for being different? Is it his fault for making a mistake? Mersault is almost like Sisyphus because they are both punished for being different. Are those who think alike and always act alike the powerful ones who get away with anything?

¨But my heart felt nothing, and I couldn’t even return her smile.¨ (p.105). Mersault is broken into pieces inside. He knows his life is over, and this is when not caring is the answer. What is the point of crying, or fighting back, when you are told that your punishment is execution? It must feel like a hole in your body, knowing that it could be your last day of living.

¨As for me, I didn’t want anybody’s help, and I just didn’t have the time to interest myself in what didn’t interest me.¨ (p.117). In this quote Mersault was being offered to dedicate his last time to ask God for help. But what was the point of this? Why should he ask God to help him right before being executed? What good would it have done if he was not even religious? Mersault was not interested in turning to God, he just had no interest at all for anything. He was different, he was careless, and so at the end of the book at the end of Mersault´s life you ask yourself, what if Mersault was not like this? What if he was not careless and if he was not different? Would he be in this position of being executed, and if he were to be a person with feelings in this position it would just be so much harder to let go of life.

The Stranger: Disappointment or Murder?

Part 2: Chapter 3

¨…with such glee and with such a triumphant look in my direction that for the first time in years I had this stupid urge to cry, because I could feel how much all those people hated me.¨ (p.89-90) Mersault knows that he is guilty , he killed someone but was it just self defence? Or was he just not thinking? Did he not care at all? At this point I think Mersault doesn’t know why what eh did was done; he just knows that he killed the Arab and that he is guilty for it. With this quote we get to see a little bit of Mersault feeling sadness. He feels people are disappointed at him. Not only are they disappointed at him killing a man, but also at the way he is and lives his life. In court they talk and ask many questions about his mother’s death and the day after showing and trying to make a point. They want to show that Mersault is bad and careless. I don’t think these other issues of Mersault´s life should be brought into the court room. It is a case about a murder. Mersault killed a man, but did he kill him on purpose?

I admire and respect the way Mersault goes through his prison days. His carelessness towards life helps him out, because he just takes his long days to think about his life and his memories. He doesn’t think sadly, he just thinks. If I were in his case I would not like to think at all about my life outside of prison or about my memories. It would kill me; I think it would make me more depressed. In prison is he feeling so careless because he thinks that there is nothing that can be done?

The Stranger, Part 2: Chapter 2

In this Chapter Marie visits Mersault for the first and last time. She would have been able to visit him more, but she is not his wife. So imagine if they would have gotten married, imagine if Mersault would have not been so stubborn and so careless and would have just fallen in love with Marie and married her, he would not have to be alone in jail without visitors. “I was feeling a little sick and I’d have liked to leave. The noise was getting painful. But on the other hand, I wanted to make the most of Marie’s being there.” (p.75). this quote interests me a lot because he seems to always be satisfied with Marie’s presence. But at this moment he is feeling that he really needs to take advantage that Marie is visiting him, because he liked her visit a lot. He does not like jail, I think at this point he is annoyed, and might just start finding meaning and care for everything that goes on around him.

The Stranger, Part 2: Chapter 1

In this part of the book I have basically confused myself with believing if Mersault has feelings or not. At the end of Part one he tells us that he was happy at the beach and ruined his day buy killing the Arab, but why does he have to not care about anything now? Chapter 1 of Part two shows us how disturbing he is of really not caring about anything. He is so careless, so ready for anything that is coming towards him without even being ready. “He asked me if he could say that that day I had held back my natural feelings. I said, “No, because it’s not true.” He gave me a strange look, as if he found me slightly disgusting.” (p.65). Mersault obviously does not want to lie. He feels that he has no need to. His lawyer is telling him to lie; he needs to lie so that they can win the case. If Mersault really did care about himself, he should lie and save himself. He does not want to tell the truth because he feels bad lying; he just doesn’t feel like lying because he does not care about what can happen. So what is going to Happen? How Far will Mersault go with his carelessness?

The Stranger: Chapter 6

“I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I’d been happy.” (p. 59). This quote is exactly where we learn that Mersault does have feelings. He had felt happy during the day he liked the beach, although, he had to ruin this happiness by killing the Arabs. What confuses me a lot is that right after he says this he shoots the Arab four more times. Why would he want to ruin the moment even more? After making sure the Arab is dead, he knows that from that moment on there’s no more happiness. Mersault obviously has no ambitions, and does not care so much for life. He has Marie a girl he has so much fun with and cares so much for that he doesn’t even care for what will happen with her. Raymond is his friend, but to kill someone brutally because of what had happen to Raymond is awkward, its to much. I feel that something is always going on in Mersault’s heard, but we do not know what it is. Its like as if he were scared to be happy.

The Stranger: Chapter 5

For any person the job offered to Mersault would have been a great excitement, but of course to Mersault it made no difference. His boss offered him the same job in Paris, and with traveling included part of the year. Mersault didn’t even care; he didn’t even give his boss a simple yes or no answer. He was not interested. His boss couldn’t believe that with such an offer given, an offer that could change his life, and Mersault did not even care, he could not find a reason to change his life, he did not believe in people changing their lives. After this Marie asks Mersault to marry him, which I thought was very weird because why would a woman have any reason to ask a man to marry her, especially when this man accepts that he does not love her. His answer to Marie is “sure” Mersault does not care to marry her, just like he does not care to get a better job with great opportunities. Everything to him is meaningless. Love, work, life it’s all meaningless and not an interest for him. At the end of the chapter he has a small connection with Salamano, which is nice because Salamano is lonely and they have a nice chat about Maman. So far, I really do not like Mersault he stresses me out. He is so indifferent and does not care about anything, that it just makes hi such a bad person. He doesn’t care about anything, and it just makes him even more hateful.

The Stranger: Chapter 4

Chapter four is a very shocking chapter. As it starts out you think that the same as always is going to happen, but no. Here we are given a little steam in the story. It all starts with a working day, movies with Emmanuel, and of course the comment of Raymond telling Mersault that he sent the letter. Mersault and Marie get together again. He really likes her and really desires her. On the weekend they planned a beach day. They had a fun day once again full of splashing and flirting. With a kiss on the beach they decide to take it to Mersault’s house quickly. As they have fun, cooking and just desiring each other the heat starts steaming with screams of Raymond and his mistress fighting. They cause a commotion, having people outside just staring with no reaction what so ever to call the police. Marie tells Mersault to call, but he does not because according to him he just does not like cops. After some time of show a cop shows up, breaks the beating up and the show for the people ends. Raymond asking his new pal Mersault for another favor, just ask him to say if he is asked that he is a witness to this woman cheating on Raymond. It is amazing, shocking, and disturbing to me that so much is taken into this little problem between Raymond and his girl. He does pay for her stuff, but it is not his duty to beat her up because she has cheated on him. It could be that its not even true. Men tend to treat woman like animals all the time. Just as old Salamano treated his dog: with disgust and hate. That’s how Raymond treated his lady. So much hate that Salamano had for his dog but in this chapter when he loses him, he feels sad and he cries alone, because he knows and realizes that from that moment on he was on his own without his company. You need to value the company that you have and the people around you. Raymond slapped around his mistress before she cheated on him, so maybe he did not treat her right. Maybe, he deserved to be cheated on and she definitely did not deserve to be beaten on.

The Stranger: Chapter 3

In Chapter three, Mersault tells us about his long day of work and how hard he was working since he got back from him long weekend. He mentions how nice his boss had been with him and the unusual small talk that they both had. Mersault introduces us to new characters which are his neighbors. Salamano is his old neighbor who has a dog. Mersault practically knows their daily routine perfectly. He says that both the man and the dog are very much alike, but that they hate each other. I think it very weird that Mersault has no relationship with this old man and his dog, but yet he is so observant to what they do every single day. Clearly he has no interest in them, but they always seem to catch his attention. Another neighbor he introduces to us is Raymond, he is a working man who beat his mistress and proudly invites Mersault for a bite in his apartment and tells him the story. He tells him the story with pride and basically saying that his mistress deserved a beating and more just because she was cheating on him and he gave her money for food and a place to live. Raymond asks Mersault to be his pal and for a favor. He asked Mersault that as a pal to write his mistress a letter. Mersault does it, and the chapter ends as he walks out Raymond’s apartment. Mersault’s neighbors are just as different as he is.

The Stranger: Chapter 2

Chapter two is short and careless. In this chapter Mersault talks about his extra days off from work given to him by his boss for his mother’s funeral. Mersault does not grieve and talk about the fact that he is tired and sad, but instead he mentions his two extra days of being able to just hangout. Mersault has a long, fun beach day with Marie whom he very much is attracted too. They spend a great day of flirty fun at the beach, than enjoy a movie being Marie’s choice, and end the day sleeping together. What a way to forget about his mother’s death. Although, he did not even think about it during the whole day, is that normal? The only time he mentioned his mother’s death was when he got dressed and Marie saw his suit and asked if he was in mourning. The next day Mersault spends his Sunday alone. He reacts to the fact that everything is all real again. Maman is dead and he has to go back to his simple everyday working life. He thinks about this, but does not care for it. Mersault is indifferent and careless. He is a stranger to the world and to himself.