- Why does Camus use the motif of silence right before a scene of major development?
- Is the author being racist when he only refers to the Arabs by their ethnicity and not by their names? Why?
- What is the reason why Camus describes the old women as grotesque, ugly creatures?
- Why does Camus' character of Meursault continuously talk about is happiness/enjoyment?
- 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."
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ReplyDeleteCamus expresses a racist tendency when refering to the Arabs as a group, rather than as individuals.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Question 4:
ReplyDeleteCamus creates a character who constantly focuses on happiness and enjoyment in order to parallel the human tendency to seek one's own pleasure.
It is possible that Camus has Meursault only refer to the Arabs by their ethnicity to help highlight the character's racist views and develop a theme regarding the irrationality that surrounds the actions of people that possess such views.
ReplyDelete2. Camus' use of the word "Arab", while having racial implications, is primarily to develop Meresault as an outsider in society by drawing attention to the setting. Not only is he an individual with a thought process different than most people, he also is from an entirely different background than the majority of the people that inhabit the setting in which he lives. (Meresault is white and of french descent while most are arabs)
ReplyDelete