In this titanic struggles between man and, err, car wheel. Who will be victorious...
The story is broken up into two halves, in the first Meursault (the lead character) is attending his mothers funeral, yet displaying none of the emotions expected of a mourning son. He merely comments about other's attending the funeral directly to the audience. He then meets a former employee (Marie), and enters a sexual relationship with her despite the death of his mother still very fresh. In the next few days Meursault helps his neighbour, Raymond Sintes take revenge on a girlfriend suspected of infidelity. Meursault agree's to write a letter to Raymond's girlfriend with the intention of Raymond meeting, having sex with and beating up one last time. Meursault expressed no concern of the fact that Raymond intended to seriously hurt his girlfriend because he believes Raymond's story and believes the solution to be correct.
The letter works. The girlfriend arrives, and Raymond beat's her. Raymond is taken to court over this and Meursault testifies that she had been unfaithful, and thus Raymond is let off with a warning. However, the girlfriend's brother and an Arab friend begin tailing Raymond, and when he invites Meursault and Marie to a friend's beach house for a weekend away, they are encountered by the girlfriend's brother and his Arab friends. A fight occurs, and Raymond get's badly wounded with a knife. Later, Meursault meets the Arab man who stabbed Raymond, and due to his largely disorientated state due to heatstroke, Meursault shoot's and kills the Arab with a pistol given to him by Raymond. Despite killing the man with the first shoot, Meursault continues to shoot the dead man a further 4 times. Meursault does not divulge any reasoning or thoughts about the killing, other than the fact that the heat and sunlight had been bothering him.
The second half of the story begins with Meursault explaining his arrest, time in prison, and upcoming trial. Meursault's quietness and passivity is seen as displaying a lack of guilt or remorse by the prosecuting attorney at the trial. Meursault explains to the reader that he was simply detached from ever feeling any sorrow or remorse for his own actions at this time. The prosecutor labels Meursault a 'souless monster', who is incapable of remorse so he should face death for his crime. Although Meursault's attorney defends him and privatley tell's Meurault that he believe's his sentence will be light. None the less, Meursault's punishment is death, and he will be decapitated publicly.
Whilst in prison awaiting death by Guillotine, he meet's with a chaplain yet refuses to turn to God, as he believe's the idea of God to be a waste of time. Meursault ultimately manages to come to term's with his pending execution, and states "as if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope, for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the benign indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself-so like a Brother really-I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, i had only wish that there be a large crowd of spectators on the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate."
Thoughts:
Meaursault changes dramatically as a man from the first half of the story to the second. In the first he is a blank canvas, emotionless and acts only upon instinct and urges rather than rational or emotional thoughts. He was a man lacking remorse and retribution for his wrongdoings. In the 2nd half however, he is completely different. He comes to terms with his wrongs and the implications of them. The fact he refused to take in religion suggests that he is a strong will made, and won't do something to make himself appear nicer.
