Inevitable Death and Indifferent Life
In Albert Camus’s novel, The Stranger, Meursault exhibits a consistent lack of emotional attachment and indifference towards feelings and relationships. This detachment extends to his mother, Maman, as he displays no emotional reaction upon learning of her death or attending her funeral. However, despite this apparent disconnection from Maman, Meursault surprisingly recalls her and the lessons she taught him after being sentenced to death for a murder. Reflecting on Maman’s past words and actions leads Meursault to realize that death is ultimately unavoidable. With this understanding, he defies societal norms and lives life on his own terms. Thus, it can be argued that Meursault acquires his belief in the inevitability of death from his mother.
At first, Meursault clings to the idea of escaping and surviving his upcoming execution. He rejects accepting his inevitable fate and holds onto hope for any possible chance of staying alive. He then recalls a story from his mother about his father’s reaction to witnessing a murderer’s execution, which made him feel sick. Initially, Meursault was repulsed by his father’s response, but now he understands that it was entirely ordinary. He recognizes that nothing is more significant than an execution and ultimately, it is the sole thing that truly captivates someone’s attention.
Meursault believes that an execution is the most significant thing because it brings about the realization of death being inevitable. This understanding leads Meursault to adopt his own way of living, rejecting societal norms with indifference, just as his mother, Maman, had done. Meursault comprehends why Maman had chosen to start a new relationship towards the end of her life. He believes that she must have felt liberated and free to rebel against societal rules knowing that death was approaching. By disregarding societal expectations, Maman took Perez as her “fiancé,” finding happiness in the moment and understanding that such actions would have no impact after her death. Meursault comes to understand this and “embraced the gentle indifference of the world.” He acknowledges that, like him, the world is indifferent and that his actions are inconsequential. Meursault reflects on his past happiness with his indifferent way of life, which he is currently still enjoying. Despite his emotional indifference towards her, Meursault learns valuable lessons from his mother in Albert Camus’s novel, The Stranger.
Meursault comes to understand that death is inevitable, allowing him to rebel against societal rules and live life on his own terms. Despite being sentenced, he still holds onto the hope of escaping prison and being spared execution, but it is only when he reflects on his mother’s story about his father that he fully embraces the certainty of death. Meursault also learns from his mother’s relationship with Perez the joy of living indifferently and freely, without conforming to societal norms. In Albert Camus’ novel The Stranger, the syntax of literary elements plays a significant role in developing Meursault’s character. The use of short, simple, and direct sentence structures sets him apart as an unconventional protagonist. Through Meursault’s perspective, it becomes evident that he has little investment in the events unfolding around him. He maintains a detached attitude, even when directly involved in the situation.
Syntax is used in Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, to create the character of Meursault. Meursault’s unemotional response to emotional situations and his inability to sympathize or empathize with others is shown through the novel’s short, simple, and direct sentences. This sentence structure remains consistent even in situations that would typically elicit a deep emotional response. Usually, a more elaborate and complex sentence structure would be used to convey more compassion and emotion. For instance, when Meursault’s neighbor mistreats his dog, instead of showing sympathy, Meursault describes the situation as follows: “..till finally the old chap misses a step and nearly falls. Then he beats his dog and calls it names.”
In the excerpt from Camus (27), Meursault notices how the dog cowers and falls behind every time they go outside. Surprisingly, despite witnessing this sad scene of animal abuse, Meursault describes it without any emotion, as if he doesn’t care. This use of sentence structure by Camus shows that Meursault remains unfazed. This lack of emotional connection is further shown in Meursault’s character development, as he remains unaffected by situations involving his own and others’ feelings. Instead, he seems more focused on the physical aspects of these situations. For instance, when Marie expresses her love for him, Meursault doesn’t respond with affectionate or reciprocal words but instead dismisses her feelings. Although unintentional, this demonstrates his inability to match Marie’s level of emotion or sentiment.
The passage reveals Meursault’s lack of affection for someone when he responds, “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.” (Camus 27) This reply is unusual as one would typically feel overwhelming sorrow when attending their own mother’s funeral. Even after receiving the terrible news, Meursault observes, “Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can’t be sure. The telegram from the Home says: ‘That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday.'” (Camus, 3) Right from the start of the novel, Camus employs brief and fragmented sentences to depict situations where Meursault seems detached from everything. Through this syntax choice, Camus effectively conveys Meursault’s disconnection which enables readers to understand his uniqueness and why he ultimately faces a death sentence from the judge. It is Meursault’s indifference that differentiates him and leads to his execution.
