Through the entirety of The Stranger, Meursault does everything he can to avoid confrontation. He gives simple answers and never explains himself to others. However, toward the end of the novel while he is in jail, Meursault explodes in his response to the chaplain. The event that finally evokes an extreme emotional response from Meursault is when the chaplain says, "I shall pray for you"(120).
He is so deeply disturbed by these five words that they cause him to break down and to finally try to explain his thought process to someone. He feels violated by these words, because they imply a slight lack of control over his own life and actions. The single factor that causes him to make all of the decisions that he does is his need for absolute control over himself, which is threatened when someone else says he will pray for him. Even the slight idea of a higher power or another man having influence over him is too much for Meursault to handle.
During his meltdown, he says that he is sure about himself, and that he had"lived his life one way" and could "just as well have lived another"(121). Facing death, he feels the slightest bit of closure knowing that he lived his life exactly how he wanted to. He knows that he did not let society influence his actions, and he is frustrated because he is being punished for not letting societally constructed systems, like family and religion, control him. The chaplain's assertions that he will pray for Meursault threatens the one small comfort he has while on the path to his execution-- his complete power over his own self.
I really like how you highlighted Meursault's explosiveness in the ending of "The Stranger". I think that while many of us read through the book, we do not pay enough attention to the parts of it where Meursault is actually expressing his emotions and portraying his feelings. I also really love how you mentioned the sense of calm Meursault had at the end of the book. He excepted his fate, and he is happy with how he has lived his life.
ReplyDeleteI would be mad too if someone were trying to convince me to look to God and then when I rejected God them only saying "I'll pray for you". I like how Camus made the cause and effect of the charged interaction with Meursault and the chaplain. And I agree with you on Meursault's "ah ha" moment at the end of his life and how he enjoyed living life without the influence of society.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your analysis of the ending. I felt that the ending of "The Stranger" is such an important part for the book overall and Meursault. The fact that you discuss about how reactive he gets once someone of a "higher power" asserts dominance over him is important as well. The calm before Meursault's final moments is sort of an eye opening experience for the reader as well, it informs the reader that at the end you should be happy and be happy that you lived your life the way you wanted and not the way society expected you to.
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