Don't Wish For More Than What You Can Get

I have just finished reading what I think was an antiquated version of a graduation speech. I don’t really understand what the general point of this handbook. As for the way it’s written I managed to observe that it has an uncanny resemblance to a tongue twister or a brain twister for that matter. “Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices, or, that is, whatever is not our own doing.” (Pg. 11) Quotes like this confuse me and they’re the ruling majority in this text.

As for some of the ideas I managed to pick up, I saw that Epictetus is trying to warn us about the future. He says we should change our ways in order to further understand the things that we own or not own.

“Do not seek to have events happen as you want them to, but instead want them to happen as they do happen, and your life will go well.” (Pg. 13)I would say that this quote refers to being fine with anything that happens, good or bad. We shouldn’t expect more than what we’re going to get, that way we will never be disappointed. According to my understanding of the text, I would say that it’s an ode to mediocrity. (I could be wrong, I didn’t understand the text all too well).

Thoughts of Life Before Death

A death sentence can be a very hard thing to deal with. I observed that Meursault felt the same way. He shows a lot of mental battles in the end of his life. At first, he describes his wishes to escape his fate, “All I care about right now is escaping the machinery of justice, seeing if there’s any way out of the inevitable.” (Pg. 108) but then he goes into a series of subjects with a rather profound meaning.

“At times like this I remembered a story Maman used to tell me about my father.” (Pg. 110) This is the very first time Meursault mentions his father. The thought of death being so close to him might have triggered a completely new set of memories. The context in which Meursault refers to his father is strange since it deals with the occasion in which his father went to witness an execution and how it deeply shocked him. I think it’s very interesting that this is the only memory Meursault has about his father. If I had never met my dad, I think I would be interested to find out all a can about him or even look him up; consequently, this shows that Meursault really isn’t a normal person. This might be the reason for his indifference, he’s not mentally sane.

Another set of thoughts that Meursault explains is his view upon death. “Since we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how doesn’t matter.” (Pg. 114) He manages to incorporate his ever present indifference into his ideas. I would say that this way of thinking is completely irrational. He’s saying that it’s the same thing if you have 10 or 70 years of life experience. Why does he bother worrying about his imminent death if he doesn’t care about his life?

“I told him I didn’t know what a sin was.” (Pg. 118) According to the church, you can only sin if you’re completely certain that your actions will go against God’s will. If Meursault didn’t know what a sin was, how could he tell that what he did was right or wrong? This made me arrive to a conclusion I found quite interesting. Maybe it’s not that he’s indifferent, but it could be that he doesn’t know right from wrong (according to society).

The Stranger made me think about big questions concerning society. I believe that Meursault’s way of thinking is so rare and so radical, that it makes him escape from society. Since people can’t comprehend his thoughts, they instantly see him as a threat and will do anything to eliminate him. As for the complexity of the protagonist, I would say that there are many different ways of interpreting his thoughts and actions. I would say that my point of view, concerning the novel as a whole, would change if I had a different life.

Bogus Trial

Right off the start, I believe this chapter was completely pointless. Instead of showing Meursault as a key part of the plot, he was portrayed as an observer in a situation he couldn’t control. “In a way, they seemed to be arguing the case as if it had nothing to do with me. “(Pg. 98) The whole chapter explains the different points the lawyers had; each one of them using very weak arguments to express their point of view. Most of page 99 showed the prosecutor’s way of thinking, but we don’t obtain information concerning Meursault’s reaction, he just says that he doesn’t care. In this instance I thought about my predictions regarding Meursault being forced to change making him a dynamic character. I would say that he didn’t suffer any kind of change; all we see is this guy that is indifferent to everything and everyone.

“But my heart felt nothing, and I couldn’t even return her smile.” (Pg.105) This quote was rather interesting since it shows a contradiction in Meursault’s thoughts. When he was in prison he fantasized about women and occasionally thought about Marie. Now, the least he could do was to show some kind of affection, but he just sits there.

I would say that my hopes for seeing change in Meursault are really low. I can only hope for some kind of event to happen where Meursault’s indifference is compromised. Still, using the rest of the novel as evidence, I think that that event will never come…

Corrections

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Guilty or Not Guilty? That Is The Question

Although this was a long chapter, length-wise, I observed that there wasn’t almost any information that helps in character or plot development. As I read, I found myself debating for and against Meursault.

As for the information that the prosecution used to try Meursault, I believe that it didn’t have almost any relevance with the case. They tried to approach the murder as an act made in cold blood. They attempted to use Maman’s death as evidence for showing that Meursault was a bad person with some kind of dark nature. “… a stranger may offer a cup of coffee, but that beside the body of the one who brought him into the world, a son should have refused it.’” (Pg. 91) I think that basing an argument upon a person’s mood for coffee is rather a feeble effort.

Considering the arguments I believed defended Meursault, I could see that he wasn’t a bad guy at all. The people he knew were good to him and I could see that even though he was always distant they managed to find him nice and approachable. When Céleste was called to give his testimony I found it interesting to see that Céleste really cared for him. Up until now, this character was vaguely mentioned or described. “He was asked if I was a costumer of his and he said, ‘Yes, but he was also a friend’…” (Pg. 92) Céleste also poses the argument that the murder was an eventuality. “The way I see it, it’s bad luck. Everybody knows what bad luck is. It leaves you defenseless. And there it is! The way I see it it’s bad luck.” (Pg. 92). Other than the testimonies given by the people who had had contact with Meursault, I went back and saw that Meursault could have committed murder in self-defense; the Arab was the one that drew his weapon first.

Regarding the few aspects concerning character development, I observed that Meursault shows weakness, something that isn’t part of his regular behavior. “..for a the first time in years I had this stupid urge to cry, because I could feel how much all these people hated me. “(Pgs. 89-90)

Heat appears again in the court scene. Yet again, we get the image of a suffocating environment very similar to the one when Meursault kills the Arab. I’m not sure whether heat is a motif or not, maybe if something interesting happens I the next chapter.

My Only Thoughts Were Those of a Prisoner

Life in prison, for Meursault, doesn’t seem to affect him all that much. It’s interesting to see that he lives in prison the same as he lives out of it since the way he acts shows the same indifference and carelessness he had before. I’m annoyed by the fact that prison has not changed him in any way. For example, he doesn’t appreciate Marie going to visit him; the only thing that concerns him in this instance was that the voices of the people around him were making him sick. “I was feeling a little sick and I’d have liked to leave. The noise was getting painful.” (Pg. 75) He still acts upon his immediate urges without caring about the people around him. In this particular scene, I noticed how he describes a man beside him who stares at an old lady in front of him without saying anything. It seems weird, since a regular prisoner would ask a lot of questions and be worried about how life is on the outside. It got even stranger when they say goodbye, “‘Goodbye, Maman,’ and she reached between two bars to give him a long, slow little wave.” (Pg. 76). I don’t really understand the meaning of this, but there has to be a connection between this old lady and Meursaults mother.

During this chapter I noticed how Camus emphasized on Meursault’s thoughts. “…the hardest thing was that my thoughts were still those of a free man.” (Pg. 76) It was interesting to see how Meursault, using his mind, could escape the prison and imagine himself being inside his room and seeing every little detail. Meursault used this ability to kill time, since that was his only problem. “Once again the main problem was killing time.” (Pg. 78) Reflecting about how he can wander off into his thoughts he comes to a rather astonishing conclusion. “I realized then that a man who had lived only one day could easily live for a hundred years in prison. “ (Pg. 79) With this quote we see that amount of information that one can get from one experience could outlast a lifetime.

In the last couple of pages we obtain a very disturbing comment made by Meursault. After finishing the story about the Czechoslovakian, he adds: “… it was perfectly natural. Anyway, I thought the traveler pretty much deserved what he got and that you should never play games.”(Pg. 80) I totally disagree; no one deserves death for trying to surprise his/her family. That’s a messed up way of thinking.

Feb 19 Homework

Part 2 Chapter 1

This chapter reveals us the true criminality of Meursault. Again we see a character that doesn’t care in any way about his reality. Before this, Meursault had started to show us a more sensitive side of his personality, but having read about the investigation of his murder, I could see that Meursault had not changed his way of thinking. In previous blogs, I expressed a certain relief when I observed that Meursault could show emotion, but with the following quote, apparently, I was proved wrong. “…he asked if I loved Maman. I said, ‘Yes the same as anyone’” (Pg. 67) In this case I thought that Meursault would admit that he really does love his mother, but he just discards the question as if it had no importance to himself or to his case. I believe that it will be his indifference that will condemn him I the end. Meursault’s indifference apparently bothers the people that are trying to help him with the case.

An occurrence that puzzles me was when the magistrate suddenly takes out a crucifix and starts using God as a way of convincing Meursault that he should feel bad. “…he told me that he believed in God, that it was his conviction that no man was so guilty that God would not forgive him, but in order for that to happen a man must repent and in so doing become like a child whose heart is open and ready to embrace all. “ (Pg. 68)I was able to understand a very interesting matter concerning Meursault’s criminality; Meursault clearly shows that he doesn’t care about what he did, giving him the image of the cold blooded murderer; in this case Meursault is evidently a criminal. Even Meursault admits that he is, in fact, a criminal. “But then I realized that I was one too. It was an idea I couldn’t get used to.” (Pg.70)

Reading the last couple of pages, I observed that Camus wants to show us something very interesting: we, as humans are afraid of what we don’t understand. “’I have never seen a soul as hardened as yours. The criminals who have come before me always wept at the sight of this image of suffering.’” (Pg. 69) This quote demonstrates how the magistrate acknowledges that he doesn’t understand Meursault’s indifference. Taking this a step further, people start despising Meursault because of their fear of the unknown “’That’s all for today, Monsieur Antichrist’” (Pg. 71)

Feb 18 Homework

Part 1 Chapter 6

This chapter has been the most eventful chapter by far. In previous chapters we have seen Meursault live his life like any other human being, but now the novel has gotten a lot more interesting. At the beginning of this chapter, we see that Meursault, Raymond and Marie are going to a beach house, to spend a day in the ocean and relax. Everything is going fine, when the Arabs (the brother of Raymond’s ex-mistress and his friend) start approaching them. Meursault, Raymond, and Masson (Raymond’s friend) go to meet them and end up fighting them. Raymond gets hurt, but it’s just flesh wounds. They decide to encounter the Arabs again, only this time they don’t fight, finally when Raymond, Masson, and the girls go, Meursault decides to stay in the scorching sun. Eventually, he encounters the Arab again, and is threatened by him. Meursault ends up shooting the Arab five times. With this sequence of events we manage to see that the novel has taken a sharp turn. Now Meursault finds himself in the middle of a catastrophic situation. I’m pleased to find that my prediction was accurate.

As I was reading this chapter I managed to see that Meursault was starting to feel more emotions towards Marie or to his general situation. “Together again, Marie and I swam out a ways, and we felt a closeness as we moved in unison and were happy.” (Pg. 50) This closeness that he mentions might be the beginning of love, or some kind of affection. We also see that this has affected what people think of him. “…then out of the blue he [Masson] announced to his wife that he liked me.” (Pg. 51) In another situation, I managed to see that Meursault is starting to show emotion. “Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace. And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness.” (Pg. 59)

In this chapter we see that Camus has put a great amount of detail to the whole situation. For example: While Meursault walks through the beach, before he kills the Arab, we see repetition. Camus mentions “the sun” several times (Pgs. 57-58). We obtain an image of incredible heat and discomfort. With this description that Camus gives us we can also see foreshadowing “The blazing sand looked red to me now.” (Pg. 53) This quote describes the incredible heat that characterizes this scene, but also the red can stand for the blood of the Arab.

Feb 15 Homework

Part 1 Chapter 5

In this chapter, I think we are getting foreshadowing right off the start. “He’d been followed all day by a group of Arabs, one of whom was the brother of his former mistress. ‘if you see him hanging around the building when you get home this evening, let me know’” (Pg. 40) This quote made me think that the Arabs that are mentioned will have something to do with Meursault; and maybe Raymond or himself will face the Arabs in some kind of situation. Another quote that demonstrates foreshadowing is the following. “I said that people never change their lives, that I any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied mine here at all.” (Pg. 41) I would say that this satisfaction Meursault speaks of will be broken since he, as a character, has to undergo through some kind of change. We learn that he accepts his reality and doesn’t want it to change, but I think that something will happen that will force him into changing his personality.

In these six pages we also learn about the relationship Salamano had with his dog and how losing it has affected him. Meursault listens to him and, in a way, tries to help his neighbor showing a slight sense of understanding. During this conversation I managed to pick up a very interesting quote, “…he knew me and he knew I loved her very much.” (Pg. 45) This quote serves as evidence of Meursault’s love towards his mother. Before this I thought that Meursault couldn’t care less about his mother, but with this quote, he admits that he truly loved her.

As for the things to come, I hope that Meursault will suffer some kind of change, making him a more dynamic character. Other than this, the novel progresses in a fluent and enjoyable manner.

Feb 14 Homework

Part 1 Chapter 4

In this chapter we obtain more information concerning character development. Meursault’s relationship with Marie has gotten more serious and demands more of his input, emotionally. In one instance, we see him craving her body, “I wanted her so bad when I saw her in that pretty red-and-white striped dress and leather sandals” (Pg. 34), in other occasions, she asks him if he loves her, and he avoids the question saying that it didn’t mean anything; as shown by the following quote: “A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so.” (Pg.35)

Another aspect of Meursault’s personality that is new to us was his position concerning Raymond’s violence towards the Arab girl. “I told him it seemed to me that she’d gotten her punishment now and he ought to be happy.” (Pg. 37) Being that it is a rather harsh point of view towards domestic violence, we see that the protagonist begins to show his opinion on matters that shouldn’t concern him. This behavior is also displayed when Salamano comes to him for advice on how to find his lost dog. Instead of blowing Salamano off, he provides places where the dog could be.

An interesting part of this chapter has to do with a very small fragment where Meursault says that he dislikes cops, “… and besides I didn’t like cops.” (Pg. 37) This quote made me raise some questions concerning Meursault’s past life. Has he done something illegal? Did he do time in prison? This behavior is only related to criminals.

Homework Feb 12 2008

Part 1 Chapter 3

With this chapter, I could understand the general image that Meursault has concerning his neighbors and people around him. The monotony that is his life is also seen in other characters like Salamano. “It’s the same thing everyday…This has been going on for eight years.” (pg. 27) This quote explains that the relationship between Salamano and his dog has been the same for the past eight years. Meursault’s life seems to contain the same monotony since he has been there to witness the relationship his neighbor has with the dog.

In this chapter I also learned a trait that Meursault has, he listens. “But he often talks to me and sometimes stops by my place for a minute, because I listen.” (pg. 28) In this particular event where Meursault meets with Raymond, another neighbor, we see that they have a rather deep conversation. Raymond tells Meursault about the time he beat a girlfriend of his because he suspected she was cheating on him. They agreed that Raymond had done well. In this case I would say that Meursault didn’t want to show an opposing and ethical point of view since he simply doesn’t care. I would say that Raymond should just talk to a wall. I believe that Meursault is a very boring and unresponsive person who couldn’t give a good piece of advice.

As for what will happen in the next chapters, I would say that a shocking event will happen where Meursault will be forced to change his indifferent ways and start to “feel” what living should feel like.

Homework Feb 11 2008

Part 1 Chapter 1

The Stranger by Albert Camus starts out with a seemingly tragic occurrence, the death of the main character’s mother. “Maman died today.” (pg. 3) Based upon the general feeling of the main character towards this event, I understood that Monsieur Mersault (the main character) doesn’t care much about his mother. He portrays a sense of indifference towards this event and everything around it. The rest of this chapter explains the funeral as well as some aspects of Mersault’s life.

Part 1 Chapter 2

In this chapter, Mersault’s indifference is emphasized by the lack of emotion that he manages to express. While reading this “fragment” it seemed as if a little kid was telling me a story; I didn’t seem to connect in any way with Mersault since the story he tells doesn’t appear to have a meaning. As for what the chapter is about, it begins with Monsieur Mersault wanting to go for a swim. He bumps into a girl he used to work with and spends the rest of the day with her. Some of the events included going to the movies and sleeping together. The next day Mersault spends the day looking out of his window to the street below. The chapter ends with him going to sleep alone.

I would say that a really important quote for character development appears in this chapter. “It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really nothing had changed.” (pg. 24) This quote manages to show the extent of Mersault ‘s indifference. I would say that this behavior is not normal, the lack of feeling or emotion puzzles me; it’s not a characteristic that you can find in other characters of other works.