Meursault doesn’t play the game

Question: In what way is Meursault the outsider?

Hi :)

Today I’ll be analysing the characterisation of Meursault as an outsider, and the implications it has, where society ostracises and condemns him for being different. (There are a lot of points on how Meursault is different, so I’ll just state the main points and 1 quote + explanation)

Meursault is an outcast in his society, an outsider, which was what this novel was named after. In Camus’s famous Afterword:

“to get a more accurate picture of his character, or rather one which conforms more closely to this author’s intentions, you must ask yourself in what way Meursault doesn’t play the game.”

How Meursault is different

• Religion
  • Meursault rejects religious and secular efforts to find meaning: The judge “waved a silver crucifix” “like a madman” but Meursault did not “weep at this symbol of suffering” even though “all men believed in God”. Due to his outright rejection of the Catholic faith, he was called “Mr AntiChrist”.
  • The crucifix is a symbol of the Catholic faith which was prevalent in French Algeria in the 1940s. Since religion is the core facet of society, Meursault’s outright rejection of religion embodies everything that society opposed to. Hence, he is ostracised.
• Emotionally indifferent
  • His emotional indifference is shown in his passive reaction to Mama’s death, as “nothing had really changed” after her funeral. To society, this seems to show how Mama’s death was just a passing matter to him.
  • Meursault does not hide his lack of feeling at his mother’s death. His lack of outward grief challenges society’s accepted moral standards, which dictates that emotion displays are necessary and that one should grief over death. Meursault’s sign of honesty was interpreted as a lack of his humanity, hence society regards him as an “immoral monster”.

Here are other evidences of Meursault being different:

• Views on love
  • “she asked me if I loved her… I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t”
  • Meursault does not take the institution of marriage seriously and doesn’t cultivate any attachment to Marie more meaningful than physical attraction. This is irrational and absurd as marriage in itself is a big commitment and thus, this is a violation of social norms.
• Habits of observation
  • Meursault spends his Sundays “outside at the Balcony” simply observing people “going to the cinemas”, or “[coming] from the local football ground”.
  • These monotonous routines are established norms undertaken by members of society. However, Meursault does not join in with activities that are considered to be normal, emphasising his place outside of society. This reiterates his stance of an observer in society instead of a participant.
• Amorality
  • Raymond told Meursault that he was “happy…he managed to punish his mistress” and Meursault’s thoughts were “[Raymond] was being very kind to me and I thought it was a nice moment”.
  • This is comically ironic because when Meursault is presented with a conventionally morally unacceptable opinion, he has no reaction. Meursault does not feel strongly against Raymond’s abuse of his mistress, showing how Meursault does not have a clear distinction between between what is morally right and wrong. This is because he views morality as arbitrary and meaningless.

It is important to note that majority of these stated above is a result of Meursault’s Absurdism. Absurdism is one of the philosophical ideas that is explored in the novel, and it characterises the world as absurd and that looking for order or meaning of any kind is a futile endeavor. Meursault’s indifferent personality thus embodies this philosophy.

Society’s rejection of the outsider

Yet, Meursault was aware of the ‘game’ and the rules that society subscribes to. When he rejected the offer to see his mother’s coffin, he “was uncomfortable because I felt I shouldn’t have said that”, showing how he was aware of society’s expectations of a grieving son.

Meursault is then judged to be an inferior human being because he refuses to go along with the game. When his lawyer asked if he had kept his emotions under control that day, Meursault replied that “No, because it isn’t true”. His lawyer reacted as if Meursault “disgusted him slightly” and looked at him “rather maliciously”. Meursault plays by his own rules, and when directly challenged to express emotion which he does not feel, he refuses to do so and fails to hide it. The lack of emotion will be interpreted as a lack of humanity and will place him on trial for being an outsider.

Link to reference