That quote plainly states that French society can not tolerate a man like Meursault, but it is important to remember that the crime he is tried for has nothing to do with his mother, rather he was tried for the killing of an Arab man who the French care so little about that he is hardly even mentioned during the trial. French society would not have authorized the decapitation of a man just for killing an Arab, even if it were in cold blood (which it arguably is not, since Meursault is almost incapable of feeling anything, including hatred). It is plain that Meursault was tried, not really for the murder, but for his absence of emotions and how this was displayed at Maman's funeral. As his lawyer put it, "Come now, is my client on trial for burying his mother or for killing a man?".
So, the French refuse to allow someone who puts his mother in a home and doesn't cry at her funeral to keep living, but they seem perfectly content with someone like Raymond, who lures past romances to his apartment to beat them. He got off cleanly with the aid of some small amount of testimony that the girl had cheated on him, which seems insignificant and inconsequential. They also apparently have no qualms about people killing Arabs, since the trial that was supposed to be about the killing of an Arab was barely even influenced by the murder. Considering these points, "The Stranger" appears to be a strong critique of French society, or at least the contrived French society Camus describes: these people are ignoring true crimes, and killing a man whose only crime, according to them, is not shedding any tears, because people who beat women and kill Arabs fit nicely into society, but failing to show emotion deserves the death penalty. This makes the French people look illogical and distant from human morality.
It is made to look even more illogical by the fact that, until he was confronted by Arabs, Meursault seemed to have no enemies in the society that wanted him dead. Further, it was noted that the guard at the prison became friends with him while he was waiting for his trial. Even though the French people could overlook the crime of Raymond, they could also overlook these things in Meursault's favour in order to convict him of something as meaningless as putting his mum into a home. In short, Camus was either commenting on the French attitude towards Nazis invading France, or he thought that the French were all a bunch of nut-cases.
I really like that you compared French society's perception of Raymond with Meursault, because Raymond is arguably more of the "bad guy" and he gets off totally free. I think The Stranger definitely criticizes aspects of French society, especially because the Arab ended up being unimportant to the plot except as someone to die. Camus uses the absurdity of the plot to make statements on how the French court system is messed up.
ReplyDeleteThis is kind of a dumb question, but how relevant is it that the stereotype of French people is that they're romantic? I wonder how much that outsider caricature is prevalent within the culture to a French person, and whether that's part of the reason Meursault's apathy is so appalling to the court.
ReplyDeleteNobody cares about Meursault's lack of emotion before the trial. There were several times when someone noticed that he wasn't acting the way that he was expected to but it was never a big deal. Even when they were a little worried about it, like his date with Marie immediately after his mother's funeral, they were able to accept it and move past it. The court looks at all of these small inconsistencies as a whole and sees a much different picture. The court sees someone who can, and has, killed without any reason or motivation. The court is rightfully very worried about someone like this and this is why they sentence him to death. Although they don't try him for the right crime or follow the right procedures, they do pick up on something that they rightfully see as a big issue.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that the prosecutor and the judge were looking for a motive in order to explain the crime that happened. This is why they are so fascinated in his response to his mother's death. Its much easier to assume that the reason he killed the arab is because he is a lifeless monster who feels nothing. There is no other motive for them to believe, so it makes sense that they would focus on that aspect.
ReplyDelete