Friday, October 2, 2015
Mersault Today
It's interesting to think about how Mersault would be treated if he existed in modern day America. In our society, anyone on trial for murder is likely to be considered abnormal or damaged, but even ignoring the fact that Mersault shot the Arab, I think he would face a few possible diagnoses for his general sense of detachment to the world around him. He might be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder or aspbergers for his emotionless nature, lack of moral reasoning, and indifference in social situations. The fact that none of this was brought up in the novel (because of the setting) is really cool because it gives much more dimension to Mersault as a character than if we were to label him with a disorder. We get a good sense of who Mersault is, and accept his traits as a part of who he is, rather than as a part of a diagnoses.
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It's funny you say this, because as I was reading the book I was diagnosing Meursault in my head without realizing it. He's clearly a sociopath, as he literally admits that he has never felt remorse in his life. I doubt he has Aspergers, as his problem seems to be more of ignoring social guidelines rather than not understanding them. What's interesting to me is that, although he fits the most important aspect of sociopathy - lack of empathy or remorse - he doesn't fit some of the other key aspects. For one thing, sociopaths are often compulsive liars, and Meursault never lies.
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