Throughout his trial, the judge and opposing council seem more disturbed by Meursault's indifference towards the situation than the fact that he murdered another human being. All parties involved in this case seem to be so desensitized to this blatant felony. On page 100, the prosecution states that Meursault's case is no "ordinary murder", which to me is an oxymoron. The lawyer's reasoning is that Meurault did not feel guilty about his actions, and therefore has an abnormal case. Both the Chaplain and Meursault's lawyer give him multiple opportunities for moral redemption, and they are offended when he does not take the bate.
Meursault does not lie to the jury to protect himself. In fact, he is brutally honest with them. As well as he is able to identify his motivations, he shares them (99). As any good lawyer would, the prosecutor takes this opportunity to paint Meurault as a sociopath guilty of deliberate murder. The prosecutor drives his argument home by reminding the jury that Meursault has not shown any remorse for his crime (100). I think that the jury was more appalled by Meursault's lack of emotional expression and refusal to conform to societal expectations than the crime itself.
To be honest, I am impressed by Meusault's dedication to the truth. He could have almost definitely avoided the death penalty by simply pretending that he regrets his actions. I cannot help but ask the question then, did Meursault have a death wish or did was he just truly indifferent? In the last few pages he tells himself that he would die anyway, so what's the difference between now or 20 years from now? Whether he really believed this initially, he did a good job of convincing himself because once he let himself be truly indifferent, Meursault was overwhelmed by happiness (123).
I completely agree with this analysis of Meursault's character and his inability to lie, to help himself even when he is condemned to death. I believe that it would be difficult for us to always tell the truth like he did because we were brought up to lie. We lie for the comfort and acceptance of others and if telling the truth threatens our place in society I think that the majority of people would never be able to completely tell the truth. Meursault's belief in the necessity of truth I think reflects his true independence, in his mind, and therefore his death was just a result placed on him by society.
ReplyDeleteI believe Meursault was truly indifferent. Personally, however, I think indifference to the opinions other people, as Meursault is to the extreme, is irrational and harmful. Expressing the truth as vocally as Meursault is pointless when it can only do harm. Truth should be treasured and nurtured so that it can be spread before it is dismissed.
ReplyDeleteYes I love your analysis of Meursault's character, I was thinking the same thing while reading! I think he was truly just an indifferent person, if he had a death wish I feel he would've put himself in more dangerous situations during his life, or even worked at ruining his trial faster. It was frustrating for me to read the last few chapters because he truly did not care about his trial. A few days that decided his actual fate, and all he could think about was the heat of the room! I would be on pins and needles paying attention to everything everyone was saying! It is truly fascinating reading his perspective in the book.
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