Thursday, October 13, 2016

Marry Marie?

"When she laughed I wanted her again. A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her I didn't think so. She looked sad. But as we were fixing lunch, and for no apparent reason, she laughed in such a way that I kissed her," (page 35).
I used to think that Meursault was falling for Marie and would eventually marry her. In the first part of the novel it seemed so clear that he was falling for her because whenever she would laugh, he felt a sudden urge to kiss. I feel that if you are in love with someone when they do something very minor and you feel the need to be close with them, even if it is just a minor action.
"For example, I was tormented by my desire for a woman. It was only natural; I was young. I never thought specifically of Marie. But I thought so much about a woman, about women, about all the ones I had known, about the circumstances in which I had enjoyed them, that my cell would be filled with their faces and crowded with m desires," (page 77).
While reading the end of part two, I realized that Meursault never truly loved Marie. He liked her company but never really longer for anything more. It was clear to me that he only wanted something mostly physical with Marie when he stated "I never thought specifically of Marie," this statement somewhat shocked me since I had thought that Meursault was falling for Marie. Meursault desired sex when he was in his cell, so much so that at a point he feels like his cell is filled with his desire. If he had loved Marie he would have thought of being with her specifically rather than just someone he had been with along with dozens of other women. Marie never stood out to him, just like the other women in his life. I don't think Meursault is incapable of love, I think he's incapable of opening himself up to the idea of being with just one person.

1 comment:

  1. I completely agree with the conclusion that Meursault never truly loved Marie, but just enjoyed their physical relationship. I also noticed that when Marie comes to visit Meursault in prison it is as if he is bored. He doesn't know what to say and the detail he noticed about Marie is her forced smile. I definitely do not think anyone who is in love would react in that way to seeing their person.

    ReplyDelete