The Stranger was heralded as a radical piece of literature but through the context of colonialism, it suffers from the accepted values of its time. The lack of empathy displayed by Meursault is supposed to represent a total adherence to the truth and because of this he inadvertently allows us to recognize the attitude of the colonist French and the native Algerians. For example, the description of the woman at the restaurant while she does not have a name her mannerism create the sense of a true person. While she is relatively unimportant to the plot she described as more than her race. She is used as an actual unique person which is a right which is never granted to the Arabs.
Meursault does not truly care about anyone, but he does recognize a varying degree of importance to other characters. He uses other characters names in his mental discussion but does not with the Arabs. Whether it is deliberate or just a product of the environment this was written in, the lack of humanization through Meursault inner monologue is at its most evident when describing the Arabs.
I think that the fact that there are no named nonwhite characters is just part of the problem. There are no named nonwhite characters because they are only minor characters sure, and the white minor characters (Celeste, etc) are named, but another major problem is that there are no nonwhite main characters in the book at all, which takes place in Algeria (obviously a majority Muslim country). The fact that Camus deems any Arab too irrelevant to play a major part in the story at all is another large part of Camus' lack of racial awareness. (I would argue that the man Meursault kills is not a major character because he is just a vessel for the plot of the story to continue- all he does is get shot so that Camus can further explain Meursault's life perspective.)
ReplyDeleteI did not notice this when I was reading but now that you have brought it up I totally see this. It is strange to me that Mersault seems to not care much about social constructs but the idea of racism which is based solely on societal norms he seems to be acting in this. This is similar to the way he reacted to the 'Robot Women.'
ReplyDeleteI think this supports the argument of why almost every Arab character in the book is silent and described as part of the background. Arabs in the visiting area in the prison are said to be murmuring loud enough for their family members to hear but Meursault is unable to comprehend what they are saying. Throughout the book, the general "Arab" is silenced through their oppression by the French. The only scene in which Arabs are allowed to rebel against the norm is in the prison scene, where they can communicate without fear of the colonizer understanding.
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