Journal 19: The Final Thesis

The susceptibility to change and disruption at any moment is what gives life its fragility.  Albert Camus uses the motif of silence in The Stranger to foreshadow key events in the novel by illustrating calm tranquility before tense development.

Journal 18: The Stranger Opinion

The second time reading this book was definitely a much easier, more enjoyable, and more comprehendible reading than the first.  The Stranger is a great work by Camus who did a lot of writings on absurdity and existentialism.  I think this book was a great absurd text.  Now that I understand what the intention of this novel was, I appreciate what it has to offer because it teaches a person what absurdity is and gives a good story to manifest the idea in.   Usually when a book is analyzed through an English class, the novel is ruined for me because you can't enjoy it again without thinking about the analysis.  With The Stranger, I feel like the analysis helped me to understand what Camus is actually trying to accomplish, which made reading it over a second time much easier.

A piece of literature to me is some piece of writing that one doesn't necessarily have to enjoy but teaches them about an abstract idea or perspective.  This book definitely is a good piece of literature because of its absurd story and characters.  It taught me that there isn't just physical pleasure and problems in this world, but emotional as well.

Journal 17: Topic, Quotes, Thesis

Topic: Silence

Thesis: In Albert Camus' The Stranger, the author uses the motif of silence to foreshadow events of important development in the novel.  It represents the fragility of life and how easily it can be disrupted.
[This needs help with the rewording.  Any ideas?]

Quotes:

1. "The sound was like the muffled jabber of parakeets" (5).
2. "Now it was all these people not making a sound that was getting on my nerves" (10). 
3. "The cop knocked on the door and we couldn't hear anything anymore" (35).
4. "He looked at me in silence.  The he said, 'Good night.'" (38).
5. "I said, 'No.' She stopped talking for a minute and looked at me without saying anything" (40)
6. "They were staring at us in silence, but in that way of theirs, as if we were nothing but stones or dead trees" (46).
7. "At that point, Raymond said something to Masson which I didn't quite catch" (50)
8. "Raymond went right up to his man.  I couldn't hear what he said to him, but the other guy made a move as though he were going to butt him" (51).
9. "The whole time there was nothing but the sun and the silence, with the low gurgling from the spring and the three notes" (53).
10. "I felt the smooth underside of the butt; and there, in that noise, sharp and deafening at the same time, is where it all started" (56).
11. "I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I'd been happy" (57).
12. "They weren't fanning themselves, but they were still watching me without saying a word" (85).
13. "if he had noticed that I was ever withdrawn, and all he would admit was that I didn't speak unless I had something to say" (88).
14. "When the prosecutor returned to his seat, there was a rather long silence" (98).
15. "We waited a long time - almost three-quarters of an hour I think.  Then a bell rang" (102).

Journal 16: Questions & Answers

1. Why does Camus use the motif of silence right before a scene of major development?
2. Is the author being racist when he only refers to the Arabs by their ethnicity and not by their names? Why?
3. What is the reason why Camus describes the old women as grotesque, ugly creatures?
4. Why does Camus' character of Meursault continuously talk about is happiness/enjoyment?
5. What is the effect of the authors use of strictly simple colors within his description?

Comments:

From Ivan's:

"By changing the interpretation of Meursault's philosophy between the two parts, Camus introduces an almost entirely new character to illustrate the change that takes place within a person who has just uprooted every moral he has ever known from one who lives an absurd lifestyle. " 

From Omar's:

"Camus creates  parallels the waves in the ocean and the Arab interactions to show that disturbing the shores of peacefulness will always create repercussive waves, causing conflict."

From Hannah T.'s:

"Camus grants his character, Meursault, the one emotion of happiness because is the source of motivation, even though he has very little.  Happiness propels a person towards their goals and desires."

From Tania's:

"Camus writes that Meursault searches for Marie's face among the stones because he, for the first time in his life, has a goal of happiness that he is striving for.  Meursault is not an emotionless character because he feels happiness and the absence of it."

From Kyla's:

"Albert Camus' character of Marie is the lone symbol of happiness in Meursault's life because even in the existentialist way of life, an individual must find their own purpose for life and Marie is Meursault's purpose."

Journal 15: A Tale of Two Halfs

Albert Camus writes two parts within The Stranger to illustrate the difference in Meursault's belief's and realizations between being arrested.  But to show this difference, Camus must parallel these halves in order to take out any variables.  In my reading, I found two examples of these parallelisms and one example of a difference in Meursault.

1.) Similar description of the old ladies.  Camus describes them quite grotesquely, creating a horrendous image of what those women look like.

"Almost all the womean were wearing aprons, and the strings, which were tied tight around their waists, made their bulging stomachs stick out even more. [...] I couldn't see their eyes, just a faint glimmer in a nest of wrinkles" (9).

"A little thin-lipped old woman dressed in black and a fat, bareheaded woman" (70).

2.) The Arabs are only known as "The Arabs."  Camus only presents them based on their ethnic appearance.  He never gives names to any of the Arab characters.

"The Arabs were walking slowly, but they were already much closer" (51).

"The murmuring of the Arabs continued below us" (72).

3.) Meursault is shifting his happiness in unexpected patterns.  When he shoots the Arab, he knows that his happiness is gone, but in jail, his is oddly content.

"Apart from these annoyances, I wasn't too unhappy; Once again, the main problem was killing time" (75).

"And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness" (57).

Journal 14: Six Questions of Insightfulness

1. Why does Mersault  point out and describe Masson's mannerisms if he eventually says that he doesn't pay attention to it anymore?
2. What is the reason behind Mersault's criticism of other people when they drink too much while he drinks just as much?
3. Why is "silence" recurring throughout this book?  None of the characters ever have dialogue and the Arab's never speak.  Camus will use silence as a description of the surroundings quite often.
4. What goes through Mersault's mind when he thinks about the Arabs?  It seems that he is going to through multiple scenarios.
5. Why does Camus go into such great description of how neither party makes a move on the scalding beach?
6. Why is the only emotion that Mersault feels after shooting the Arab unhappiness?  

Journal 13: What I Think...

I formed my idea of Groundism because I believe that all humans are on the same level of physical existence, yet like the literal ground, there must be a sky above it, which in the metaphorical sense is where only our minds are capable of venturing.

Precepts to Groundism:

• There is no "higher power" nor any type or form of god(s).
• Every action is not necessarily justified by a determined cause.
• All matter and tangible transformations are physical occurrences.
• The only entity capable of leaving the physical plane is the human mind through ideas and thoughts.
• The goal of life is to seek pleasure and spread it to as many people (including future generations) as possible through rational and anti-infringing actions.
• Death is the detachment of the mind from the body in order for it to wander the "sky" and explore ideas and concepts for eternity.  
• Groundists do not see other humans on a higher or lower plane than themselves

This idea of a higher power is just a way out of explaining life.  God is a dumping ground for explanations by saying that "everything has a cause" and "life is planned out before you live."  I believe that everyone is equal and has the same freedoms in life as long you don't infringe upon someone else's  freedom.  There is a biological explanation for every single physical function except for the mind's abstract thinking.  That and that alone is the only entity able to escape from this physical plane.  Life is solely physical and the humans must make the most of it by seeking pleasure and spreading it to the human race.  This belief is important because there are countless religions picketing for your support, which almost makes it out to be like a popularity contest.  Because of this, Groundism is vastly rooted in Naturalism.  There is no physical proof that a higher power exists, inferring that the underlying theme of this belief is physicality.  

Journal 12: Gilbert vs Ward + Title

Part 1:

I personally prefer Matthew Ward's translation over Gilbert's.  I believe Ward's version has more literary value because it takes an unbiased approach to it, the language is more relatable, and the structure reflects more of the character's behaviors.  Gilbert tries to relate the reader more closely with the story by using American details such as miles instead of kilometers and mother instead of maman.  Part of reading a foreign novel is understand and learning about that culture and seeing it from their point of view.  Ward creates a contemporary and simplistic feel of the novel.  Gilbert uses more formal language like "two days' leave" and "well before nightfall" whereas Ward would keep the reader closer with simpler descriptions such as "two days off" and "afternoon".  Like the previous argument about the word choice, Ward uses simple sentences as opposed to colons and semicolons.  This reflects better with the thought process of Mersault and flows easier rather than pausing at the colons.

Part 2:

The Unconnected is a more appropriate title for this book because Mersault is definitely a part of the culture and within the social implications, but he lacks involvement and interaction.  He's distanced from his family, doesn't care for his occupation very much, and feebly attempts to converse with his neighbors.  An example of him being disconnected from his mother arises where Mersault talks with Monsieur Perez for the first time and discover so much about how she spent her days and what was on her mind.  The bond of a mother and child are not easily broken but can be tarnish over time.