Before I try to think of other random words starting with M to throw into the title (magic? maroon? make america great again?) let me say that The Stranger and Trust, while thematically similar, contain very different messages.
Both Meursault and Maria are living these "stripped down" lives in which they have little need or desire for material goods and have disavowed the comforts that hold meaning for most people. However, their paths quickly diverge.
Meursault continues to live this type of life till the day he dies and never buys into the systems that humans use to create meaning in their lives. Maria on the other hand strips her life down but then (note I have no idea how this movie ends and could be terribly wrong about everything) proceeds to build her life back up. She seems to lose all faith in love, family, and education but then is able to regain this faith in these systems and this time it is on her own terms. She finds her own versions of these systems in Matthew, going back to school, learning new vocabulary, etc. and is able to become happier because of it.
These differences between main characters result in completely different meanings. In The Stranger Meursault is happy because he didn't participate in the systems but Maria is happy because she built her own.
(And yes, I didn't mention Milk or Marie even once so I just want to say I'm sorry to let everyone down. I know everyone was looking forward to a deep discussion on the Milk Motif)
I do think that Maria will bring her life back up as you said, it seems to go in that direction but Hartlty has brilliantly put a new way of expressing people and maybe it wont end in a cliche, that Maria finds happiness.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Maria brings her life back up, and I agree that Meursault accepts his inevitable failure to gain anything back from his life. I do think that they were in very different situations though, and this may have affected how they were thinking.
ReplyDeleteI like your analysis and contrast between Maria and Meursault. Your last line, "Meursault is happy because he didn't participate in the systems but Maria is happy because she built her own", perfectly sums up the differences between the two complex characters. Great post Addie!
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea you brought up that she sort of finds a way to bring her life together through Matthew, I kind of brushed over that while watching the movie. Really good point Addie!
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