" It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed"
after reading this it occurred to me that for Meursault Maman had already died. She was no longer a part of his day to day life, and now not a part of any of his life.
His weekend was over, He'd go back to work, and his life would remain the same as if Maman was still alive. It was as if he had already buried her and she had been exhumed for no reason in particular.
This also adds to his very passive grieving. If you dare to call it that. As this is her second death there is no reason for him to be like one of the grieving residents of the home he sent her to. For them this is her first and only death. The pain for them is much greater because they were with her until the day she died. Meursault had spent a great deal of time apart from Maman and was no longer connected to her in a day to day way. It may seem a little dark but connections between people can weaken or vanish when they are separated. However, I do have to say that for a son to not grieve over his mothers passing is a bit strange to understate it.
Yes i do agree that it is strange for a son to not grieve for his mother, but it adds to the point that Meursault feels like hes a stranger in his life, and he was a stranger to his mother. So for you to judge him in a way that would call it strange is unfair. Because Meursault seems to take any life emotion and compress it. He doesn't seem to feel anything but he doesn't seem to understand others emotions either. He says the lady was crying at the funeral and he said it annoyed him. Showing that he doesn't even see others emotions too.
ReplyDelete