Women presented in The Stranger tend to be in the background of the entire book. Meursault's partner, Marie, is presented to the reader as weak and solely reliable of Meursault. Marie doesn't seem to care that Meursault doesn't love her and she even tries to stick by him after he murders someone with absolutely no explanation. Her undying devotion to Meursault seems a bit odd because I don't anyone who could ever love someone that shows zero amount of mutual affection. The only time Meursault shows any type of affection is when he is experiencing the physical pleasure of sex. Any type of love Meursault has for Marie is simply physical, not emotional. Similarly, Meursault doesn't cry at his mother's funeral and he doesn't sympathize with Raymond's ex-girlfriend when she is brutally beaten.
This book was written in 1942, when women were simply put in the background of society so it is not surprising that Camus' female characters were the sidekicks of the story. Camus' choice to use Marie as only a pleasure tool for Meursault shows how objectification of women was also widely accepted back in 1942. Meursault only shows any type of fondess when physical interaction is happening, showing that the only necessary role for women to play in a relationship is the physical part. The women in The Stranger were parts of the machine to show Meursault's robot-like emotions and his lack of empathy.
I love this post. I never really thought about your last line that women were only needed in the story to illustrate Meursault's lack of emotion, but I totally agree with it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your observation on women in the story. It's interesting how you brought background from the time period into explaining why women might be portrayed the way they are. My question is, how does the robot woman fall into your argument? She never seemed dependent on anyone. She was never controlled by Meursault. She was very different from Marie. I'm just curious as to how you think she fits into the machine of Meursault's life.
ReplyDeleteI love the last line of the women being, "parts of the machine to show Meursault's robot-like emotions and his lack of empathy." It really illuminates his (non-human) characteristics. His inability to have sympathy and only desire Marie for physical activities highlights his cold, bitter, personality.
ReplyDeleteI love this analysis. I really found it troubling how women were portrayed as the "other" throughout the novel, especially Marie. But even a woman who doesn't have a name and seems to mirror Meursault's machine-like disinterestedness was portrayed as the other. I am talking of course, about the robot woman. She was followed by Meursault because he was intrigued by her behavior. Both women who show emotion and women who do not were portrayed as separate from the narrative.
ReplyDeleteVery well written! I really do not like how sexist the book is, like you explained. I wonder if women were used to show the lack of emotion throughout the book or simply because they're the minority in society. Great job!
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