The effects of honesty by the protagonist in the outsider and the lack of it by the antagonist in crime and punishment (svidrigailov)?

International Baccalaureate World Literature

Rohan Bansal

Word Count- 1107

The effects of honesty by the protagonist in the outsider and the lack of it by the antagonist in crime and punishment (svidrigailov)?

“The outsider” set in the 1940s in the heat of Algiers is a novel written 80 years after “Crime and Punishment” and has some similarities in the protagonist of “the Outsider” and one of the antagonist from “Crime And Punishment”. Meursault an honest man is sent to his death for murder and his brutal honesty in the courtroom. Svidrigailov on the other hand commits suicide after a life spanning many murders and many other crimes. Both characters meet their end even after following completely separate paths and leaves the reader thinking as to what difference lies in honesty or in deceitfulness.

Truth is an underlying motif in “The Outsider” as Meursault is shown as being consistently honest and direct. Meursault is seen as being deathly honest who blatantly refuses to lie even when discussing matters in court or on love. Such as when asked by Marie on page 38 as to whether Meursault loves her to which he replies, “ I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so.” This blunt reply lacking any emotion is ultimately a weakness, as he never replies tactfully or in a way that society expects him to thus making his honesty reflect ignorance on his part. The first encounter with his lawyer is rather revealing of his personality, when he is asked if he felt any grief on the day of his mother’s death. His reply “I probably loved mother quite a lot, but that didn’t mean anything. To a certain extent all normal people sometimes wished their loved ones were dead.” (Page 65) This incorruptible honesty disgusts his lawyer and really set him apart from society due to his indifferent response to the death of his mother. It is interesting that he says once again says, “It didn’t mean anything” thus revealing his whole notion of life being meaningless and not of great value for him. His candor and never displaying emotions that he does not feel are his undoing as society is not able to accept such a man. He completely refuses to agree to the lawyer’s plea of him altering his statement on his mother’s funeral. This is what separated him from society and cast him as an outsider his will to cling on to the truth no matter what society wishes him to do.

Contrastingly Svidrigailov is a cryptic character as seen by the crimes he has committed and the occasional act of kindness. Svidrigailov is a sadist as is clear from his beating of his wife to pedophilic dreams that he has had but there is a certain complex air to him as he fluctuates between just and unjust acts. Svidrigailov’s perverted side is on show in part 6 chapter 4 when he blatantly exclaims, “I like all children. I like them very much,” laughed Svidrigaïlov.” This scoundrelly behaviour leaves the reader appalled and reveals his vulgar side. But whereas Luzhin only ...

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Contrastingly Svidrigailov is a cryptic character as seen by the crimes he has committed and the occasional act of kindness. Svidrigailov is a sadist as is clear from his beating of his wife to pedophilic dreams that he has had but there is a certain complex air to him as he fluctuates between just and unjust acts. Svidrigailov’s perverted side is on show in part 6 chapter 4 when he blatantly exclaims, “I like all children. I like them very much,” laughed Svidrigaïlov.” This scoundrelly behaviour leaves the reader appalled and reveals his vulgar side. But whereas Luzhin only has an evil side to him svidrigailov alternates between extremes of cruelty and kindness with a mix of honesty. Unlike Meursault who is completely honest Svidrigailov isn’t only leaning to one extreme but alternating between honest and deceitful. In part 6 Chapter 5 Svidrigailov tricks Dunia to come to his house and blackmails her into marrying him, revealing his selfish side and how he only thinks for himself. But after the third gunshot he suffers deeply and show that he might still be a good man from inside.

The path of honesty and dishonesty are intertwined in the respected books in the sense that both characters meet their demise due to that fault. When meursault is arrested he is asked if he has a lawyer and his response to that is rather telling,

“ I confessed that I hadn’t and inquired as to whether it was absolutely necessary to have one. ‘Why do you ask?’ I replied that I thought my case very simple.”

He questions the need for a lawyer and believes that the truth speaks for himself. His belief in honesty is to such an extreme that it could even be called eccentric. Svidrigailov on the other hand recognizes the mistakes he had made earlier and though he does not feel remorse he acknowledges them by saying that he isn’t a healthy man and has seen ghosts. Going so far as to say ghosts” are unble to appear expect to the sick” ( Part 4 Chapter 1). He believes that he is a sick man due to all the things he has done earlier on and goes on to say “ one little room, like a bathhouse in the country, black and grimy and spiders in every corner.” Believing that nothing better than this is in store for him after he dies and that he is coming to term with his deeds. There is a whole honest and dishonest side to him and he tries to repent for what he has done by giving away his money and committing suicide. Meursault sticks to honesty and even though it does not prevent him from being sentenced to guillotine he does get to know what he believes life is truly about and that death is the end and enjoys more freedom in the prison cell towards the end.

Svidrigailov finally comes to term with his shoddy past after Dunia fractures his dreams and he accepts that he will not be able to marry her. He only comes into the book in the 4th part and suicide’s in the 6th part but he proves to Raskolnikov that the superhuman theory of his unreal and changes his ways in a last attempt to come to terms with what he has done. Meursault on the other hand is sentenced to death partially for his murder but also because of unwillingness to say nothing but the truth. It is interesting to note even though svidrigailov is one of the villains he dies with dignity and his life becomes a meaning when he decides to help a family by giving that 10,000 roubles as his final act. Meursault also reaches some sort of a conclusion and comes to terms with life and is at peace. It is interesting to not that Svidrigailov kills himself of his own accord and he is the deceitful one and the antagonist of the book. Whereas Meursault despair’s first at the death sentence and takes some time to finally realise what he faces. In conclusion both the characters are killed due to different reasons but hence indicate that you be truthful about your deed it or try ignoring it for a certain point, but whatever your do you will repay in kind.