"For the first time in a long time I thought about Maman. I felt as if I understood why at the end of her life she had taken a 'fiancé,' why she had played at beginning again. Even there, in that home where lives were fading out, evening was a kind of wistful respite. So close to death, Maman must have felt free then and ready to live it all again. Nobody, nobody had the right to cry over her. And I felt ready to live it all again too" (116).
This quote is an excellent example of Meursault's existentialist views on life. When one is no longer concerned about death or the minor details of life, one has a chance to truly live and a chance at "beginning again" (116). Meursalt's mother had a chance to truly live in the time nearing her death, and she took that chance. She entered an engagement, lived as she wished to live, and took the chance to be entirely free.
Meursalt feels that worrying about death is a sort of death in itself. For how can one go about living when they are constantly preoccupied with dying?
Thus, Meursalt does not mourn death like others do. For him, death seems to be another sort of life- one with complete freedom. This quote ends with Meursalt stating that he is ready to live "...it all again too" (116). At this point in the novel, he, like his Maman, is "close to death" (116). He is not afraid of dying; or rather, he is not afraid of living.
The above image is of a piece of art created by James O. Clark and inspired by The Stranger. It is entitled "Muersalt". The white and black is meant to represent the twisted confusion and chaos of worrying about death and life, while the electric blue is meant to represent the freedom of true life that outshines all.
~Diana Heriford of Camus' The Stranger
1 comment:
How interesting that you found a piece of art entitled Mersault that portrays the essence of his character. I love the comment citing worrying about death being as bad as death.
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