Albert Camus's book, The Stranger starts off in a very peculiar way. The first few lines, "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know" describe the narrator's reaction to the loss of his mother. Instead of displaying sadness or signs of grieving, his thoughts seem very careless and uncertain. Opening a novel with this unusual reaction to death really sets the mood for the reader. It gives us the idea that he is very disconnected from society, particularly his family.
In the next few paragraphs, he seems to do all that he can to avoid communication with those around him. He gives one word responses to questions and takes in the pity that people have for him without much acknowledgement.
Then, the story shifts when it says, "The home is two kilometers from the village. I walked hem. I wanted to see Maman right away." While given the assumption that he was not close to his mother in the beginning of the story, it is shown here that the narrator may not know how to grieve with such a loss. It is very common for people to shut down when they experience excessive sadness because it is far too hard to come to terms with the truth.
I also think the opening sentence is striking. It immediately shows the reader how detached Meursault was from his mother, and the unusual statement does a great job at grabbing the reader's attention. Great post Jackie!
ReplyDeleteI really like this analysis of how the narrator is dealing with the loss of his mother. I did not think of it in the way that he cares so much that he shut down, rather, I assumed he just did not care too much. I like your analysis better because there is a lot of good evidence to prove it.
ReplyDeleteI really like this analysis of how the narrator is dealing with the loss of his mother. I did not think of it in the way that he cares so much that he shut down, rather, I assumed he just did not care too much. I like your analysis better because there is a lot of good evidence to prove it.
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