Thus far in the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, Camus has done a magnificent job of portraying Meursault as an extremely indifferent character. Furthermore, this portrayal of Meursault has been effective through only showing rather than telling. One instance of this "showing" that I found particularly striking occurred on page 41.
After his boss offers him a promotion and an opportunity to move to Paris, the passage reads,"I said yes but really it was all the same to me. Then he asked me if I wasn't interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn't dissatisfied with mine here at all. He looked upset and told me that I never gave him a straight answer, that I had no ambition, and that that was disastrous in business".
I found this passage very interesting because it shows Meursault's utter lack of ambition or desire for change, he was offered the chance of a lifetime but he turned it down because he was satisfied with where he was at the time. Meursault felt completely indifferent to the opportunity to change his life forever, for the better even. I think this passage exemplifies Meursault's indifference perfectly.
No comments:
Post a Comment