This is rare insight for Meursault to realize about himself, and it is rarer still for him to admit such a statement, when his life depends on convincing a jury that he should not be executed for murdering another man. With almost child-like innocence, Meursault tells the lawyer that he'd rather that his mother had not died.
Camus combines this stroke of description with the ridiculousness of an examination for murder taking place in a living room, suggesting further absurdity when Meursault admits that, when leaving, he does so almost as if he had finished a chat. He is ready to extend his hand and say good-by to the magistrate.
The court laughs. Again, Meursault's honest answerâonce again driven by the heat, the symbol of the indifference of the worldâholds no purchase in court, and entity whose entire purpose is to ascribe value and intention to actions, while Meursault can't comprehend that any actions have value or intention.
Meursault's attorney tells him that it wouldn't last more than two or three days because a more interesting parricide (the murder of a family member) case is coming up after his trial.
if Meursault felt any sadness the day of the funeral. The attorney asks him because it's very important and it would be a strong argument for the prosecution if he can't come up with some answers.
By Albert Camus At first, Meursault finds the pleading stage and closing remarks amusing. Both lawyers plead guilty, but his attorney does it with an explanation, whereas the prosecutor does so without one. Meursault feels that all through trial, more is said about him than about the crime he committed.
That would be too much trouble and Meursault is not sure that it is necessary for him even to have a lawyer. He is, in fact, pleased to learn that the court will appoint a lawyer for the defense; all the bothersome details will be taken care of.
What does Meursault's lawyer ask him not say in front of others? That people sometimes wish that their loved one's were dead.
What does Meursault feel about his lawyer's and the prosecutor's summations? Meursault thinks the prosecutor is a better lawyer than his own. They feel that they are almost the same because they both say he is guilty.
What is Meursaults complaint about the trial proceedings and especially about both the defense lawyer and the prosecuting attorney? How does he react? He finds the trial extremely boring. Can Meursaults crime be considered premeditated?
In a moral sense, the prosecutor argues, Meursault is just as guilty as the man who killed his own father. Calling for the death penalty, the prosecutor elaborates that Meursault's actions have paved the way for the man who killed his father, so Meursault must be considered guilty of the other man's crime as well.
Because there is no real truth in the trial, the verdict was unfair and illogical. Camus uses his beliefs of truth not existing and life being precious to point out the absurdity of the judicial system, and suggest the abolishment of the death penalty.
After the examination of Perez on the witness stand, he says, âHere we have a perfect reflection of this entire trial: everything is true, and nothing is true!â Unconsciously, the lawyer has just sided with Meursault-the truth of the court is arbitrary and meaningless.
What defense did Meursault's lawyer present? Meursault's lawyer offers an interpretation of the events that led up to the crime, speaking in the first person, as though he were Meursault.
What penalty does the prosecutor ask of the jury? Does Meursault have faith that his attorney will convince the jury of his innocence? No, the lawyer seemed ridiculous to him.
Thus he is capable of killing â because of his lack of feeling.
Waving a silver crucifix, he rants that he believes in God Almighty and that even the worst of sinners (presumably, Meursault) can obtain forgiveness.
Meursault dies because he refuses to lie in a court of law; he dies, says Camus in the same preface, "for the sake of truth.".
At this point, Meursault says only that he was "quite fond" of his mother. This is the most positive statement he can make, which does not carry much legalistic clout, especially when one is considering a charge of callous, cold-blooded murder.
But he does not because, as he says, he is too lazy to do so.
Later that day, when Meursault is taken to the examining magistrate's office, he notes, first of all, the intense heat in the room and that it seems to be flooded with light. Already we have seen how sensitive Meursault is to heat and light and so this visit begins badly.
The interrogation is brusque. Meursault, the magistrate says, has the reputation of being taciturn and somewhat self-centered.
Meursault realizes that he is judging his lawyer and that the man is not nearly as "talented" as the prosecutor.
The prosecutor adds that when he asks for the death penalty, he has never asked for a capital sentence with so little pain. Because Meursault is heartless, the prosecutor feels no qualms because, being a religious man, he is following not only his own conscience, but his sacred obligation.
Camus has altered the tone of his narrative slowly as Meursault has, after a fashion, somewhat adjusted to prison life and is now on trial for his life. In Part One, Meursault reacted either positively or negatively or was confused by questions and decisions that he alone could answer or make. Numerous times, the first-person narrative focused on the simplicity of Meursault's reactions. Now, however, even Meursault is aware of the sense of detachment that has grown within him. It was especially evident in the last chapter, and Camus emphasizes it even more in this chapter.
This is appallingly evident in the lawyer's failing to summon to the attention of the jury the issue of the trial: Meursault is on trial for killing an Arab â not for his actions at his mother's funeral and certainly not for any of his adventures with Marie and Raymond.
Meursault tells us that he is a man incapable of regret.
Meursault's only defense for his act was "because of the sun.". That is all: "because of the sun.". Meursault adds that he spoke too quickly and ran his words together; actually, what he said is of little importance for we are sure what the verdict will be.
Camus' ironic sense of comedy is included in the prosecutor's tirades. For the prosecutor, the facts of the crime are "as clear as daylight.". Recall that when Meursault fired the shots, he was mesmerized by the daylight. But the sun itself was not clear; it was thickly clotted by Meursault's mental state.
Again, Meursault's honest answerâonce again driven by the heat, the symbol of the indifference of the worldâholds no purchase in court, and entity whose entire purpose is to ascribe value and intention to actions, while Meursault can't comprehend that any actions have value or intention.
The prosecutor is muddling multiple arenas of justice when he should be sticking strictly within the bounds of legal justice. His discussion of Meursault's soul introduces divine justice. His discussion of Meursault being "morally guilty" brings in ethical or moral justice.
The jury files out to determine the verdict. Meursault's lawyer is confident that Meursault won't be sentenced to death. After forty-five minutes, the jury returns and Meursault is brought in to hear the sentence passed. He is told "in bizarre language" that he will be decapitated "in the name of the French people.".
The prosecutor claims to rest his case on the "clarity of the facts" â yet not only are his facts themselves unclear (since they're subjective opinions about Meursault's "insensitivity") their relevance to the case is also extremely murky.
Meursault finds his argument "plausible," and privately agrees he has no remorse. Yet he wishes he could explain to the prosecutor "cordially, almost affectionately" that he's never felt true remorse for anything.
As he is being interviewed, Meursault tries to convince his lawyer that he did not know the man he killed and that he shot him for no reason. The lawyer is a representative of society, a ânormalâ man and he does not seem to understand Meursaultâs way of thinking.
As Meursault goes to the beach and he went outside in the sun, he said: âit felt like a slap across the faceâ. One can see how much it affected him, since Meursault recognizes the physical world better than the emotional. When he gets to the beach Meursault is relieved to finally see the âclear waterâ.
Meursault does not understand why events, such as marriage or death of a loved one, usually have a sentimental value for people and this is what makes him appear as numb and disconnected with them. When Meursault is first introduced in the novel, he has to attend his motherâs funeral in Marengo.
Generally, Meursault is viewed as an outsider to society, since he cannot comprehend the consequences of his actions ...
The huge contrast between the water and the blistering sun seems to calm him down and as he gets in the water he appears more pleased and comforted. Later on, the protagonist is affected so much by the warmth of the sun, that he kills the Arab without a second thought.
One could say that Meursault lives his life with his own rules that please him. Lastly, he is not an outsider to his natural environment, because since he is so familiar with it, it has started to affect his emotions and mood. One can say that Meursault is an outsider to society, but not to himself and the environment.
In contradiction with the above paragraph, it can also be argued that Meursault is not an outsider to himself, he rather knows what he wants. He does not cry at his motherâs funeral and he does not mourn her death, simply because it did not mean anything to him.
Most murders are committed for reasons, whether it be hatred or jealousy, money or some other form of gain, yet Meursault killed the Arab because the sun was in his eyes. One might think this is enough reason to convict Meursault or at least conclude he is insane.
Share Link. In short, it is both. Meursault has shot a man in cold blood for no significant reason at all. This is why he is brought to trial. However, as the trial progresses and the evidence is brought out, the judge and jury become more perplexed by Meursault's strangeness in general.
Already he is being judged to be an inferior human being because he is refusing to go along with the game implied by the lawyer. Meursault plays by his own rules. As in Existentialism, he is an individual struggling against others in a finite world. It is a struggle for one's own identity and meaning.
In Book One we note that Meursault is honest to himself, indifferent, and nonjudgmental. In Book Two these characteristics are not dependent on him or his nature. He is the object and it is society's turn to decide how they will act in response to him.
He lives in his ability to kill prison time through memory, the crime story, sleep and other ways. With time dead, he turns to himself. For the first time in the book, we see Meursault looking at himself. His introspection reveals that he can not make his face smile.
Life is absurd, not controlled or monitored or rewarded, and Camus thinks that to live a full life, one must face the absurdity of death leading to nothingness instead of focusing all of one's energies on an abstract and unlikely concept.
After being taken away from the others, his thoughts are moved away as well. They do not affect him or make any difference, so he thinks little of them. Meursault admires how well the court takes care of details and stresses parts like this concerning his interrogation rather than much of anything unpleasant.
Meursault replies no, it just happened. The session is adjourned until the afternoon when it is hotter but otherwise the same. The witnesses are called, the home's director being first. He testifies that Meursault was very calm at the funeral: not crying, not wanting to see Maman, and leaving right after.
He mentions that Maman had compared man's ability to get used to anything to living in an hollowed tree where one would get used to looking forward to a bird's flight. Meursault is happy enough in prison. The main problem for him is killing time.
Meursault expresses a tenet of existentialism here: Each individual possesses only the present moment in which to act.
Meursault explains his response to his employer who offers to transfer him to Paris. Readers imagine that the employer might be hurt by Meursaultâs completely ambivalent response to such an offer as he accuses Meursault of lacking ambition, a grave defect for a businessman.
Meursault describes his physical reactions to details he notices in the world around him. Sights, smells, and motion combine to cause a change in consciousness that he can neither identify nor understand. However, readers learn that while he notices sensual details, he fails to notice human emotions. These moments of heat, glare, and sleepiness ...
When Salamano says that he must be feeling his motherâs death terribly, he makes no response because has no feelings that he can report. It is only when Salamano recounts the criticism the neighbors felt when Meursault sent his mother to an institution that he defends himself.