Although The Stranger is not visibly a critique of the French prison system like Chicago is, Meursault, without his knowledge, becomes something of a local celebrity with the media attention around his case. In the movie, the women in jail dramatize their life stories vie for the attention of the press, while Meursault simply discovers that his case has become a story for the public's entertainment. Although these two different situations are very different, the situation of the inmates gaining outside popularity is fairly similar.
In the case of Meursault's popularity, the story is rather ironic given his completely apathetic and uninterested personality. He would be the absolute last person a reporter would want to write about if that writer met him in person. The mystery of his case, however, apparently was enticing enough to overcome his complete disinterest in most things in life and make his case an interesting one to the public.
Although the goals of the two characters, Roxie and Meursault, are quite different, with Roxie wanting to be found not guilty and Meurault not caring, their situations following their respective crimes and popularity are interestingly similar.
Wow Nellie I really like your connection here. I love the show "Chicago" and when reading this you did a really great job of highlighting the similarities. I really think it is interesting the tactics that some reporters and lawyers can use to make their defendant seem innocent. Drawing the attention of the press can really bring in the opinions of many other people in the community which can sometimes be controversial to the case. The press really can have an extreme impact on cases. Thank you for making this connection. Great job!
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