The Stranger 2 Essay Research Paper — страница 2

of unhappiness, something relatively mild on the scale of emotions. As part two unfolds, the reader begins to see Meursault s change in his efforts to develop meaningful relationships, which he is more involved in and in which he share his feelings and views. He shows these changes with many of the characters such as Marie, as he lusts for her to be in his arms again on the beach to express his love for he. With Celeste he wants to show gratitude, these confrontations shows that he is experiencing emotion; and even though he doesn t usually feel it, or maybe act on it, that its still there. He recalls Raymond and a few others such as Solomon and more calling him friend; the reporter outside the courthouse he wants to thank and shake his hand for looking into and the publicity of

Meursault s case. In one instance he comments that he wants to kiss the man, and that this is the first time I have ever had this feeling. Meursault and the Jailer engage in meaningful and exciting conversations, which he looked forward to each day. The Magistrate who he wants to please but cannot give into his views on religion as Meursault also does with the Chaplin. His lawyer whom Meursault whishes could understand him better to represent him. He also wished he could have made a better relationship between him and the prosecutor so he could avoid the questions about his mother. Most of all, his dead mother when he says what I can say for certain is that I would rather maman had not died to the court expressing his love for his mother. He also states that he loves her, which

he also says but that still doesn t mean anything which the prosecutor uses against him to get him convicted, not for the murder but the lack of love in the relationship for his mother. It is here he shows a great change in his relationships, when Meursault s emotions almost come through to the surface, when he sates that he feels like crying, which he hasn t felt in years, because he could feel how much everyone there hated him. His development of meaningful relationships, and his newly discovered ability to think, to imagine and to remember the past and relate it to the present which is established in part two seems to have come at an unneeded time, because now that he begins to recall past experiences and develop his feelings his life is being taken away. His newly discovered

ability to think, to imagine, and to remember the pat and relate it to the present takes Meursault to new heights before his execution and gives him a new view on life. Towards the end of the book, he thinks a lot about his death, but not in a negative way, almost in a curious way. He thinks about his father going to witness an execution and tells what he thought after meditating on this: “nothing more important than an execution” that it’s the “only thing a man could truly be interested it.” He wonders what it will feel like to climb the scaffolding up to the guillotine. He believes that the world is indifferent or hostile, and that there really is no point to it. People are born; they live; and they die. “But everybody knows life isn’t worth living…it doesn’t

much matter whether you die at thirty or at seventy, since in either case other men and women will naturally go on living…we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how don’t matter. This in some aspects is true. People are all going to die, and others will keep on living but since he doesn’t really feel emotions, he doesn’t think about the pain that death can cause other people, and doesn’t experience it himself. Meursault believes that there is no such thing as human nature. By eliminating emotions, romance, and attachments, not much of what is considered human nature remains. People may choose to do what they wish, as long as they are responsible for their actions and face the consequences. He considers the story of a man being beaten to death by his

sister and mother who did not know that it was their relation, “perfectly natural.” This shows that he believes there is a lack of human nature, or at least that he believes in a different human nature than most. Another quote that supports the fact that there is no thing as human nature and that people are unique is when he says about the lawyer “He didn’t understand me, and was sort of holding it against me.” Meursault is unique but isolated, finds the world to be indifferent or hostile, life to be unexplainable, romance to be fallacy, emotions to be detrimental and absurd; that man has freedom of choice; and that man has to be responsible for his actions. These are all shown in various instances throughout the book. The complexity of this character, trying to figure