Thursday, January 20, 2011

Indecision in The Stranger

In The Stranger, by Albert Camus, the main character Meursault does not fight a great deal of indecision as does Rodya in Crime and Punishment. Meursault is outside societal bounds, and acts as the feeling comes to him, with complete truth. However, because he is a member of society, societal rules apply to him and govern him, and when he kills an Arab on the beach he is convicted of pre-meditated murder. His lack of conformity, which can be construed as a lack of adressing the consequences of his actions, leads to his isolation in prison. This takes away the ability to live life which he realizes was the most important part of his life. Unlike previous characters I've examined, Meursault's downfall is his lack of indecision, his mistake of not thinking about the societal boundaries that, in the end, he realizes bind everyone, even those who are not a part of it.

1 comment:

  1. Meursault, as character, presents an interesting antithesis--he's iconoclastic in terms of his lack of indecision.

    ReplyDelete