In both The Stranger and King Lear, honesty condemns the main characters. In the Stranger, when Mersault is truthful about his apparent indifference to the traditional societal values, the public views him as a monster. He is accused of being a sociopath, and condemned to death. In King Lear, when Cordelia honestly tells her father that she cannot profess her love with theatrics equal to those of her sisters, he banishes her. Instead of lying and and "heaving" her heart into her mouth, she tells him simply that she loves him as a daughter should love a father, no more and no less. Lear is shocked by this honesty, because he was expecting all of his daughters to play into the game and flatter his ego.
Both characters refuse to conform to pressures from both society and family. Instead they are honest and vocal about their feelings, and for this they are condemned. While this courage and honesty condemns the characters, it can serve to help establish respect for the characters, if they are understood. For example, Kent and the King of France respect Cordelia once they hear her stand up to her father and tell him the truth. My question is, would I have the courage to tell the truth in that instant? Sure, we all like to think that we are brave enough to be honest about our feelings. But in keeping with the theme of being honest, I would probably lie to gain a third of the kingdom. I'm not proud of this, but in reality, I would not be as courageous as Cordelia or Mersault. That being said, I think that being honest and true to ourselves like these characters is something that everyone can strive for.
That's really a striking comparison between the two stories - one that I really did not connect myself. It's always nice to hear an ending note of honesty too :)
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