“The outsider” - By Albert Camus
"The outsider" - By Albert Camus
From the beginning of time society has developed and redefined the way people ought to live and act, and exercised the power to elevate or banish people as it pleases. Therefore citizens not living by this rigid prescriptive framework are seen as outcasts and are treated with disrespect and zero tolerance Comprehending and accepting are too very different things. We must first understand a situation before truly been able to accept it. Albert Camus mirrors this concept in the novel "The Outsider", by introducing us to a character that we must first understand and then accept. He welcomes us into the world of an Individual's struggle to cope with the callousness of the society in which he lives.
Meursault, the main character, believes that all he said and did, throughout his life was rational and thus he was only found guilty, of his actions, after society judged him. When analysing the novel, the believability of Meursault's actions become more credible as the narrative develops. Consequently, by examining society's view of Meursault, his mother's death and in the end his own death, we are able to comprehend his point of view and accept it.
The setting is very important when analysing the text's believability, Meursault is a French character who is ostracized by his own society for not complying with its rules. The French society has traditionally been confident of its superiority. They believe that anyone not living the way they propose is not worthy of existence. Consequently, they seem to look down on people that do not conform or posses the characteristics that they display.
"He told me...that people described me as being taciturn and withdrawn..."
"I could tell I was making him uncomfortable"
This, conceited, society is portrayed as having a sense of arrogance towards any opposing race or outcast by using harsh actions or language when referring to them. Hence when analysing the text, the French society can be seen passing judgement on Meursault and find him guilty of not practising the life that they preach.
" He announced that I had no place in a society whose most fundamental rules I ignored, nor could I make an appeal to the heart when I knew nothing of the most basic human reaction"
A novel's believability depends on the approach taken by the author to present the story to his or her readers. In this case, Albert Camus used the technique of first person to present us with the character of Meursault. We the readers are welcomed willingly into the life and mind of Meursault, however as the narrative evolves we are practically forced to side with his way of life and thinking and to sympathize with the difficulty of his position. Meursault's character was one of self-confidence, he was not afraid to state what he really was and did not ...
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A novel's believability depends on the approach taken by the author to present the story to his or her readers. In this case, Albert Camus used the technique of first person to present us with the character of Meursault. We the readers are welcomed willingly into the life and mind of Meursault, however as the narrative evolves we are practically forced to side with his way of life and thinking and to sympathize with the difficulty of his position. Meursault's character was one of self-confidence, he was not afraid to state what he really was and did not hide his true feelings, therefore society felt threatened by this overly confident individual and retaliated. For instance, he was asked if he regretted the crime he committed and only replied that he felt more annoyance about it than true regret. It is this subtle difference in meaning that condemns him in the end. Meursault is also a character that lives for the moment and cares little about the future; you may say that he "drifts" with the flow of existence. He savours his every sensation, perception, sight, sound and touch of existence he may live through. However all other feelings are just an illusion to him and that is why emotion does not play a big part in his life. For example, Meursault has not cried or had the urge to cry in years, until the society in which he lived made their feelings heard.
" For the first time in years, I stupidly felt like crying because I could tell how much all these people hated me."
Despite Meursault's lack of emotion, his credibility (and through this the novel's) is redeemed by his overly developed descriptive nature. Meursault's character is preoccupied by physical data and therefore describes all he sees and all that affects him; he is an accurate and honest observer. He reports on the people on the street in much the same way that an artist would paint them and we therefore receive a pictorial representation of all he sees.
"It was a beautiful afternoon. And yet the pavements were grimy,
and the few people that were about were all in a hurry.
First of all it was families out for a walk, two little boys dressed in sailor suits, with the trousers below the knees, looking a bit cramped in their stiff clothes,
and a little girl with a big pink bow and black patent leather shoes.
Behind them the mother, an enormous woman in a brown silk dress and the father, a small, rather frail man whom I know by sight. He was wearing a straw hat..."
Meursault's descriptions become so real that we are able to see all that occurs around him from his point of view. As a result we are capable of comprehending and accepting what he sees and what he may feel. The novel then takes on a more believable approach.
Western society to this day is generally critical of people spending long periods of time doing nothing constructive, therefore when analysing the persona of Meursault it is very clear that his behaviour is not accepted by the French society. However in his mind, his actions and language are justifiable, as he does not live by society's rules and regulations, but rather on his own terms. In other words he does what he wants. For instance, Meursault spent the Sunday, after his mother's funeral and nearly every Sunday, lazing around on his balcony, observing and describing people's every move, while smoking large quantities of cigarettes, all because he "couldn't be bothered" doing anything else. From the time he awoke to the time he went to sleep he accomplished nothing productive and was in a manner glad that he "managed to get through another Sunday". Meursault's laziness results from his lack of interest in energetic activities he would rather spend all day observing and analysing people and things calmly, than be running around socializing. He takes life as it comes and rolls with the punches.
Most people on hearing of their Mother's death would be moved to reflect, to feel something, or if they didn't feel anything they would pretend for the sake of convention to be saddened. However Meursault does neither and instead behaves in a way that reflects his inner being. He shows no sign of emotional upheaval as he talks about his dead Mother and thus accepts her death calmly. As a result Meursault is seen to have no moral order at all as his actions on the funeral day and the subsequent day violate society's idea of appropriate behaviour after bereavement. Although he has no moral order, Meursault is still alive when most people assume that society needs such an order to survive, thus he becomes a symbolic figure. By his actions he suggests that we do not have to abide by society's unyielding structure to live our lives and simply exist. When Meursault received the telegram reporting his mother's death, the news did not initially settle in and he announced that attending the funeral would make the death a classified fact. Thus he only attended the funeral to confirm his doubts about the telegram.
"For the moment it's almost as if Mother is still alive. After the funeral though, the death will be a classified fact and the whole thing will have assumed a more official aura"
Meursault's mother was not a religious woman and when Meursault was told that she was to have a religious funeral, he did nothing to prevent it from occurring and just accepted the rituals that had been arranged for him. Once again we see Meursault's passivity and lack of initiative in regard to people making his decisions for him and thus in a way forming his destiny. The willingness of the character to do anything he is asked demonstrates that his fate lies in other people's hands. By accepting that Meursault is not the master of his outcomes we are obliged to believe that his actions are sometimes not intended.
As the story is coming to an end, Meursault is confronted with death, which makes him reflect and value what he has had. His outburst at the chaplain brings him to acknowledge that life is brief and once ended its gone for good. Therefore, he has come to the conclusion that his existence, on his own terms, was worthwhile and as a result he believed he did not have to seek redemption. He also acknowledges, although briefly, that he is an outcast in this strict French society by stating:
"For my final consummation and for me to feel less lonely, my last wish was that there should be a crowd of spectators at my execution and that they greet me with cries of hatred"
Meursault had become so well accustomed to people hating him he wanted to end his life with the familiar sounds that he heard everyday. He lived his life on the fringe of society and therefore made himself terribly vulnerable to life's harsh situations. Meursault's views also made it impossible for him to take action and save himself; nevertheless his ability to face his fate without searching for a prop, even when he is scared must be admired. Meursault in the end dies because he cannot play the game that his society dictated and therefore faces death defiant but happy that he got to live his life as he saw fit.
"I was happy. I existed for a time, and it was good. Now, like all creatures, it is over. But the existence I had cannot be undone."
Meursault was an individual whose actions were governed by his physical senses and perceptions. Therefore the death of his Mother was just a fact, yet to the society in which he lived the death of a close relative is an emotional event set about by expectations of the "proper behaviour of mourners. However once we got to know Meursault and his characteristics all his actions and use of language became so believable that anything he did, thereafter would be acceptable to us. It can be said that Meursault is a rebel against social conventions and does not live in a way that others want him to live and as a consequence he became an "outsider" existing entirely on his own terms. Thus Meursault becomes symbolic of those people who cannot accept the formulas that their society uses to determine right behaviour, happiness and beliefs. Given Meursault's actions and language, the novel's believability becomes strongly supported by this credible character. His lack of emotion accounts for his descriptive nature and his passivity for his lack of initiative.
