Jail (Part 2 Chapter 1-2)

Meursalt's shameless behavior is just too much! He is conscious that he killed a man, but he is not ashamed at all. When the magistrate asked him if he regretted it he didn't even care to lie. No he did not regret what he did, nor did he tried to explain. " 'Do you want my life to be meaningless?' he shouted. As far as I could see, it didn't have anything to do with me, and I told him so." (pag. 69)Meursalt didn't even get upset after the scandal the magistrate did about God. Later on when he was in prison he admits he is not having a good time, but he is not desperate at all nor does he feel regretful. Then when Mary went to visit him, he was happy to see her but he never bothered to say anything meaningful. This character is extremely strange and he shows it with everyone of his actions.

Nevertheless, in these two chapters I saw Meursalt more human than ever. I chapter one he thinks something that really caught my attention: "I felt the urge to reassure him that I was like everybody else, just like everybody else" (pag. 66). I never imagined him saying something like this, it means he feels he belongs with everyone else and that he identifies himself with average people. "No. There was no way out, and no one can imagine what nights in prison are like" (pag. 81. I think jail is changing Meursalt because this comment I would never expect from him.

Killng an Arab (Chapter 5-6)

Chapter five starts when Raymond calls Meursalt and invites him and Mary to his friend's house on the beach. I never imagined one chapter later something so dramatic would occur. Mary tells him she wants to marry him and he agrees, then she asks him if he would marry any other girl in her current position, and he said yes. "I explained to her that it didn't really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married" (pag. 41). How can this be? Everyone, or at least everybody I know takes marriage as one of the most serious steps to take. Meursalt on the other hand takes this huge event for granted. He does this with love too. "I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn't mean anything but that I probably didn't love her" (pag. 41). How can it not mean anything? This definitely confirms that Meursalt is an insensitive human being.

Before the murder Meursalt and his friends had a great time on the beach. They walked, they talked and they ate. It was a perfect Sunday, very tranquil and very fun. Their first meeting with the Arabs was not such a big deal. I can't understand why he went back? Nor why did he react so savagely? This chapter is the climax of the book and it has all the emotion a climax should have.

The Cure wrote a song called "Killing an Arab" about the Stranger in which the murder scene is described perfectly. This song gives this part of the novel a certain attitude that makes it more intense. The book describes the sun, the sea, and the situation Meursalt is facing with the gun in his hands and the Arab laying on the sand. The song says: "Standing on the beach With a gun in my hand Staring at the sea Staring at the sand Staring down the barrel At the Arab on the ground I can see his open mouth But I hear no sound". Both are so similar that you could change the scene on the book for the song.

I loved it that when I read this part I could hear the rhythm of the song in my head.

Meursalt's life after Maman's death (Chapter 2-4)

Meursalt is definitely an incredible caracter! Throughout these chapters we can see his regular life as well as his life mourning, because they are both exactly the same. I have never seen someone so detached in my whole life. Everytime his mother's death catched his thoughts he would reject it and ignore it. In chapter four he says "For some reason I thought of Maman. But I had to get up early the next morning." (page 39) this is the perfect quote to describe his attitude towards such a painful thing. Another thing that impressed me was how he reacted when Raymond told him about his mistress and how he had beaten her. He was so relaxed and recieved it as if it were something completely normal. How can this be? Is it because of the year when this book took place?

Madame Meursalt's Death (Chapter 1)

I was very impressed about Monsieur Meursalt reaction regarding his mother's death. I can't believe he was so tranquil. At the beginning I thought he was digesting the information, and when he got to Marengo he would realize what had happened and become sad, but he didn't. When he got to the home he seemed absent. He did not know his mother's friends and instead of sharing with them his sadness, he just felt that they were judging him. Instead of feeling grief, the main character was feeling guilty. And this shows that he is giving more importance to what the old people think of him than the pain of loosing his mom. This first chapter tells me a lot about Monsieur Meursalt's personality because he seems pretty much detached from reality, and extremely insensitive.

Introduction

Hello, my name is Nicole Guindi and I have created this blog to facilitate the sharing of all the books I am going to read this year. I invite all of my classmates to comment on my blog.