Essay about Mersaults Control Over his Actions in The...

Dialogue is simple throughout part one of The Stranger. Camus does not provide direct explanations for Meursaults actions and response to events. Instead the reader can find an unusual emphasis on the setting and physical aspects of events and characters in part one. Meursault has complete control and conscious awareness of his indifference towards social situations. It is Meursaults underlying radical attitude towards authority and social norms that provide for his dissent behavior. In order to prove that Meursault is free to act as he does, his inability to grieve over the death of his mother should not be accepted. Meursault attempts to justify his indifference by offering a detailed description of the setting from the â€Å"crackling of†¦show more content†¦In his relationship with Marie, Meursault remains indifferent to both love and marriage. His indifference should not however be accepted as an innate, uncontrollable response, rather a radical refuse of both social and religious affairs which authority impresses upon society. This indirect refusal to authority is also a present in Meursaults relationship with his boss. Meursault is offered a job in Paris and to his bosses’ surprise is indifferent to the situation stating that while â€Å"it was all the same†(41) that his life was content and â€Å"people never change their lives† in fact, â€Å"one life was as good as another†(41). Later however discussing the opportunity with Marie instead of displaying indifference describes Paris as â€Å"dirty†(42) with â€Å"lots of pigeons and dark courtyards†(42) and where â€Å"everybody’s pale†(42). Thus, despite his unemotional reaction to the boss, later displays resentment towards the situation. Meursaults relationship with Raymond is also down played in Meursaults narration. Helping Raymond write a knowingly manipulative letter because â€Å"he didn’t have any reason not to please hi m†(32) seems contradictory to his previously apathetic attitude that he â€Å"didn’t mind being his pal†(33). When Marie suggest that Meursault call the police he responds that he does not like police, thereby displaying an emotionalShow MoreRelatedJudgment in Peter Shaffers Equus and Albert Camus The Stranger1160 Words   |  5 PagesPersonal judgment in Peter Shaffer’s Equus and Albert Camus’ The Stranger, though internal in the first and external in the latter, mirrors society’s judgment of those who differ from the norm. The two postmodernist authors both use judgment as a tool to promote the postmodern idea that society oppresses and criticizes people who are not like everyone else. Camus and Shaffer place specific motifs and elements into their novels in order to push the idea of societal judgment on the reader. HoweverRead MoreAbsurdity Between Kafka and Camus4307 Words   |  18 Pagesman and his conflict with machines and scienti fic theories. Death, freedom, truth and identity are themes to be studies here in the sense of absurdity.    Kafka was born in Prague in 1883. On the Surface, it would seem that he led a very uninteresting life. He grew up in German-speaking Jewish family. His father was very oppressive towards him  which made  Kafka increasingly isolated.      Kafka thought of writing as both a curse and a blessing. His works have been interpreted in many ways. His prose exploresRead MoreThe Stranger3094 Words   |  13 Pages Finding Joy in Albert Camus’ The Stranger: A Different Perspective Existentialism is often defined as a philosophical movement that emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice. Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes a few main points, such as the freedom to choose and how the choices you make should be made without the assistance of another person or standard. From the existentialist point of view, you must accept the risk and responsibility of your choices and follow the