The Portrayal of Society in The Sound of Waves and The Outsider

        In The Outsider, however, Camus portrays society in a darker light than Mishima, where it condemns Meursault, the protagonist, to death, despite his honesty, bravery, loyalty, and endurance.

        Throughout the book, Camus depicts Meursault as a very moral person, committing himself to many societal values.  The most prevalent facet of Meursault’s morality would be his outstanding honesty – he strays from the politeness of society and does not hide his true feelings from others.  For example, when asked if he would like to see his late mother, he replies “‘I don’t know,’” (p. 12) whereas other ‘normal’ people would conform to society by simply saying ‘yes’.  Meursault is also brave, laughing at his death sentence, and willing to shoot a man.  This leads to another point: his outstanding loyalty toward his friends.  Meursault comforts Salamano who has just lost his dog, despite his rough appearance characterised by “reddish scabs on his face,” (p. 30) and thin, yellow hair.  Meursault even goes as far as to start a conversation with Salamano, which says a lot, since Meursault never instigates conversations – they come to him.  Meursault also aids Raymond a great deal.  Above all else, Meursault listens to Raymond.  To further help Raymond, Meursault writes a letter for Raymond’s girlfriend the instant Raymond asks him, and acts as a witness at the police station to defend Raymond (testifying that Raymond’s girlfriend had cheated on him).  Finally, Meursault shoots the Arab, just as Masson had asked.  Such actions (testifying and shooting the Arab) show an extreme amount of loyalty, since both actions are illegal.  Meursault also endures many hardships, such as his mother’s death and his arrest.  While most people would undergo a great deal of emotional distress from the said events, Meursault does not seem to be phased at all.  Instead of suffering, Meursault concentrates on the joys of life (to him), such as having sex, smoking, sleeping, and relaxing at the beach, but when jailed such opportunities are not available to Meursault.  Instead, he begins to sleep much more and take inventory of his surroundings to kill time.  By occupying himself, Meursault is not victim to the detrimental effects of jail (such as depression).  In the end, Meursault’s endurance, honesty, loyalty, and bravery should be revered by society, not shunned, for such values are the basic principles upon which society is built.  It is ironic, then, that the prosecutor at the trial announces that Meursault ignores society’s “most fundamental rules,” (p. 99) when in truth, he lives by such values.

        Still, the question remains: if both Shinji and Meursault were moral characters, why is Shinji accepted and Meursault condemned to death?  It is merely a matter of society’s intolerance for something different, be it a person, an ideal, or an object.  Shinji is a ‘normal’ Japanese fisherman – he fits in.  He displays traditional emotions, those expected regarding the circumstances, such as his relationship with Hatsue.  A classic love story, the two are obviously in love.  Now consider Meursault’s relationship with Marie – when she asks if he loves her, Meursault replies that he does not – an odd response considering their time together at the movies, the beach, and in bed.  Obviously, Meursault is honest, yet his untraditionally blunt attitude renders him much too different for the likes of society and he is deemed a “monster” (p. 99).  It is this refusal to lie that results in his downfall during the trial, which is ironic considering it is the truth which is to be sought in a court of law.

        Through the comparison of these two novels, it is evident that morality is a basis upon which to judge individuals, if they are included within society, such as in Shinji’s case.  In Meursault’s case, however, morality is not an issue, since he has excluded himself from society.  As Camus says, Meursault simply does not “play the game” (p. 118).  Such a conclusion can be applied in the real world as well: everyday, society as a whole is unwelcoming to anything different, whereas anything within society is accepted.  Even if immoral, anything within society is accepted – a murderer who is part of society for example, would undergo a fair trial, unlike that of Meursault’s, where irrelevant evidence was used to judge him, such as his actions regarding his mother’s death.  Still, as the years pass, society is becoming more and more open to new ideas; it only takes a matter of time until something is deemed as acceptable.  Hopefully one day, society reaches a point where it can fairly judge between what is right and what is wrong without a fear of the atypical.

Bibliography

Camus, Albert (translated by Laredo, Joseph).  The Outsider.  London:  Penguin Books, 1983.

Mishima, Yukio (translated by Weatherby, Meredith).  The Sound of Waves.  New York:  Vintage International, 1994.