Meursault
believes that death is inevitable
, which is what makes all men equal. He also does not believe in an afterlife, which leads to conflict with the chaplain. In the novel, Meursault comes to the conclusion that no matter what a human does, it has no impact on the world or his/her fate of dieing in the end.
Is Meursault happy to die?
At the end of The Stranger,
Meursault is able to die happy
because he (like Ivan Ilyich) is able to come to terms with himself as a constituent part of existence, and so live authentically.
How did Meursault react to his death sentence?
He fantasizes about a combination of chemicals that would kill the condemned only nine times out of ten
, because then at least he would have a chance of surviving. Meursault also dislikes the fact that the guillotine forces the condemned to hope that the execution works on the first try.
What does death mean to Meursault?
An essential part of Meursault's character development in the novel is his coming to terms with his own attitudes about death. At the end of the novel, he has finally embraced the idea that
death is the one inevitable fact of human life
, and is able to accept the reality of his impending execution without despair.
Why does Meursault feel so apathetic about the death of his mother?
Immediately on the first page in the novel, we confront the situation where Meursault's mother dies, and he does not care about it. “Maman died today. … Meursault
shows no emotion or care for his mother because he sends her away for someone else to take care of her
.
Is Meursault guilty or innocent?
According to Camus, not only is
Meursault innocent
, he is the only authentic person in his world. His authenticity takes the form of immediate contact with existence, the only real certainty for Camus, in contrast with the false moral, religious and customary beliefs of ordinary people.
Who died in The Stranger?
In the stranger the death, appears on three occasions. First, there is death in the beginning when
Mersaults mother
dies, then in the middle of the book when Mersault kills the Arab and finally at the end of the book – Mersaults own death.
What does Meursault symbolize?
The crucifix that the examining magistrate waves at Meursault symbolizes
Christianity
, which stands in opposition to Camus's absurdist world view. … When Meursault defies the magistrate by rejecting Christianity, he implicitly rejects all systems that seek to define a rational order within human existence.
What are Meursault's views on life and death?
Meursault believes that death is inevitable, which is what makes all men equal
. He also does not believe in an afterlife, which leads to conflict with the chaplain. In the novel, Meursault comes to the conclusion that no matter what a human does, it has no impact on the world or his/her fate of dieing in the end.
Should Meursault feel guilty for his mother's death?
In The Stranger by Albert Camus.
Meursault does not feel any great sadness over his mother's death
, yet everyone in the novel seems to try to justify his actions. … He seems to not have any kind of feelings or nothing for his mother's when she was alive if he did, he would not have been more remorseful for her death.
Why didn't Meursault cry at his mother's funeral?
Meursault didn't have a good relationship with his mother
and that's why he felt little at her funeral. The Prosecutor uses this as an opportunity to frame Meursault, not as an honest albeit dispassionate individual, but as a cold individual clearly capable of murder.
What did Meursault do at his mother's funeral?
Meursault spends
the night keeping vigil over his mother's body
. The caretaker offers him a cup of coffee, and, in turn, Meursault gives the caretaker a cigarette. Meursault finds the atmosphere in the mortuary pleasant and he dozes off.
Does Meursault feel guilty for killing the Arab?
In The Stranger,
Meursault is guilty of killing the Arab man
, although he feels no remorse for his actions. He had no reason for killing the man other than that the sun was in Meursault's eyes when he did it, and Meursault is convicted of murder.
Does Meursault regret killing the Arab?
Meursault admits to himself that he feels
little regret
; after all, the man whom he shot was a stranger; he was only an Arab, and, to Meursault, the prosecutor is overdoing the emphasis on Meursault's regret.
What makes Meursault realize he is guilty?
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.
