The Stranger: Meursault's Lack of Morality
In Albert Camus’s The Stranger, Meursault is presented as a complex and almost unintelligible character. Seemingly unaffected by the world around him, he lives in the moment and does what comes most naturally to him without regard for the broader impact of his actions. Meursault’s neutrality by itself is no issue, but when he is exposed to certain conditions, he acts in somewhat unthinkable ways, like his seemingly random killing of the Arab man. While some may say that it is Meursault’s inability to perceive the outside world that causes him to act in these irrational and nonsensical ways, I’d argue that it is exactly Meursault’s perception of the outside world that influences his actions. More specifically, while he perceives the outside world perfectly, he lacks serious internal processing that allow for him to react in a sensical manner.
While Meursault is being questioned after killing the man, he makes an interesting comment about his nature: “I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings. The day I buried Maman, I was very tired and sleepy, so much so that I wasn’t really aware of what was going on,” (Camus, 65). This deduction shows that Meursault does in fact have a working awareness of the world, but it is simply his processing of it that causes him to be unlike other humans. It is the fact that he has no innate moral compass, no distinct sense of base emotion, that causes him to be unpredictably influenced by outside forces. As an extension of this lack of basic morality and emotionality, any outside form of discomfort causes an immediate negative reaction due to his inability to regulate his responses. In my opinion, it is not that he acts in an irrational manner, but instead that his behavior is an unfiltered reflection of the outside environment on us. If we “normal” humans are the surface of water, refracting that of which we see based on the material that is our moral compass, Meursault is a mirror, directly reflecting that of which he perceives.
The first instance we see of Meursault’s strange reactivity is during his mother’s funeral. He tells the reader, “-but I was tired and my back was hurting me. Now it was all these people not making a sound that was getting on my nerves,” (Camus, 11). This discomfort coupled with his earlier discomfort in having to attend the funeral, seemingly allow him to think and act unaffected, and even annoyed by the passing of his mother. With no internal forces to cancel the outside influences, the discomfort Meursault feels passes through him and he shows it through his expression of discomfort and thoughts of wanting to leave the funeral despite its deep emotional significance.
The second and most extreme example of Meursault’s irregular nature happens when Meursault is on the beach, and kills the Arab man. In this scene, he says, “It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire. My whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver,” (Camus, 59). To Meursault, the sun’s heat and intensity is intrusive. It is not only extreme to him, but incredibly unbearable, and in this moment, Meursault's intense discomfort and perhaps leftover animosity to the man from earlier, cause him to shoot him. After the shot is fired, Meursault feels no regret, perhaps believing that it was the sun that killed the man instead of his own hand. The Stranger demonstrates the deadly nature of Meursault’s neutrality and lack of moral compass that allow him to act in terrifyingly inhuman ways.
I love your metaphor of Meursault being a mirror, he judges others and fears judgement himself, and yet his moral compass is far from balanced. I would. argue that he has no moral compass at all; the existence of his neutrality would not be if he had any moral standings. Meursault had no regret for anything he did, no remorse either, just constantly living in his seemingly leveled set of the present.
ReplyDeleteI think its super interesting that Meursault displays some level of self-awareness in his description of his "nature". The fact that he is able to identify and explain the hierarchy of his desires suggests that on some level he understands that most people seek to satisfy emotional needs as well as physical. While it seems likely that he understands the concept of moral and emotional guidelines, his myopic nature prevents him from emulating this societal behavior.
ReplyDeleteI think that Meursalt lacks a moral compass. But that is whats so important about him and what makes the book work.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Meursault’s reactivity to external conditions highlights his lack of internal moral or emotional filtering. His response to discomfort seen at his mother’s funeral or under the oppressive sun really shows how external forces control his behavior. I like the metaphor of Meursault as a mirror, reflecting rather than refracting, captures his inability to process experiences in a way that aligns with societal norms.
ReplyDeleteYou make a really good distinction that it's not that Meursault doesn't understand what's going on around him or how the people around him feel, it's simply that he can't process and react to it in an emotional way. Meursault seems to only understand things on a surface level. He doesn't make his own judgements and resorts to agreeing with those around him, "reflecting."
ReplyDeleteI think this is one of the most important aspect of Meursault as a character, and also an important aspect of the trial. The prosecution connects his actions at Maman's death and the murder he commits to his fundamental nature; although he calls him a 'monster', it is because he is unpredictable, that he is considered a danger to society. This all stems from his lack of morals.
ReplyDeleteThis is great interpretation of Meursault's actions. The idea that Meursault is a mirror, reflecting external influences without internal filtering, is a compelling way to explain his behavior, particularly his cold reactions to all the things he's done.
ReplyDeleteI like that you acknowledge the fact that Meursault may lack morals and ultimately often acts with no regard for what is "right" or "wrong", but also that this does not mean that he does not recognize what society sees as right or wrong, he just himself struggles to distinguish between the two in his own actions. In the trial, he recognizes that what he did and his explanation are ones that will not be accepted by the rest of society, yet he holds fast to his own truth, his own reasons, however ridiculous; that comes from an "internal processing" issue, not one of misunderstanding society.
ReplyDeleteMerusault's lack of morality is something I find very interesting. I think Camus is trying to make a point that he isn't human or maybe more importantly, he isn't seen as human by society. So society sentences him to die because they are terrified by this..."thing" that isn't seen as human.
ReplyDeleteI like how your post disproves the argument that Meursault might actually have morals due to his focus on always being honest. He doesn't go out of his way to be honest and noble and a "good" person in our understanding of the word; he just tells it like he sees it. In this way, his objectivity is almost childish -- doing things just because he wants to, letting external triggers affect his emotions to the point that he feels compelled to shoot someone just to make the feeling go away. This was a very insightful post and I like how you framed the various examples!
ReplyDeleteI think we have similar ideas on Meursault's lack of morals. I think his lack of morals is similar to the idea of having bad morals which would make Meursault do similar things. However, Meursault doesn't see his actions as bad and he sees it as helping out his friend. Nice post!
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ReplyDeleteYou really nail how Meursault’s reactions are shaped by the world around him, without any internal filter or moral sense. I liked the mirror comparison—it fits perfectly, especially when you look at his detachment at his mother’s funeral and the way the heat drives him to kill. It really shows how dangerous his lack of emotional depth and moral compass can be. Great job!