What do Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen, and Meursault, protagonist(ish) of the Stranger have in common?
What does Meursault, an existentialist (maybe), Frenchman living in Algeria (imperialist), and a murderer, have in common with Claudia Rankine, poet (maybe), black woman?
While they are very different in many ways they feel the same. By feeling the same I would say I feel a similar vibe when I read their thoughts. Meursault and Rankine have the ability to describe a moment so that the reader feels the heat of the day or the discomfort of a car ride. Meursault and Rankine feel the same loneliness in feeling like the only ones a lot of the time. The major difference there is that Claudia Rankine shares the experience of being a black woman in America with other black women in America. Through this shared experience Rankine does a better job than Meursault than evoking the same feelings that she does.
Very interesting point. I didn't think about this until reading your post. They both recognize issues within their societies however, like you said, Rankine does a better job of expressing her emotions and opinions on the problems. Even though they both have developed certain thoughts on society, it's significant in Citizen because it's poetry about something that is present in society. But tying it to The Stranger and Meursault is very riveting.
ReplyDelete