Outsider: Society Is A Game
In every game, there are rules and standards that regulate how a game is conducted. Whether it is as small as a board game or as big as a national hockey game, rules must exist in order to sustain order and fairness. Likewise, in every society, the concept of rules must also exist, which is displayed through a set of universally accepted morals that determine the consequences of everyone's actions. In the novel, The Outsider by Albert Camus, Meursault, the protagonist, finds himself condemned, not for committing a crime, but for being the honest man that he is. He was just like everyone else in society until he provoked its order by murdering a perfect stranger. That is when Meursault's absurd behavior became noticed. Throughout Meursault's limited depiction, he is described as one whose actions portrayed his true emotions and thoughts. This, however, is what he is condemned for. During his trial for murder, the persecutor briefly covered the situational evidence, and quickly moved on to question both Meursault and the witnesses about Meursault not crying at his mother's funeral. Every little effort was spent on uncovering every little detail on the weeks preceding the murder, rather than evidence that might justify
It can be seen through Marie's slightly surprised reaction that she felt a bit awkward. Like "everyone" else in society, she felt that it was strange for a person to not grieve over his mother's death; and more surprising, it was one day after the funeral that he went swimming. Although Meursault's response was truthful, it was the opposite of everyone's expectations, which are the standards that he gets persecuted with. When Marie became more acquainted with Meursault, she felt that he was the one she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Naturally, one would either answer with a 'yes' or a 'no' in response to such a proposal, but Meursault says that it was up to her. It is when she asks "if [he would] accept the same proposal if it had come from another woman, with whom [he] had a similar relationship"(45) that he surprises her. He responds with a "yes". Like anybody else, this causes her to feel insignificant, as if he could just love anyone else the way he loved her. But this response from Meursault was truthful, since it did not benefit him in anyway. Why did Meursault respond so harshly? Meursault had the same perseverance in him to express complete truths to any matter till the very end, which startles many expectations. Meursault's actions displayed after his mother's funeral reflect what he truly feels inside. Even though he is suppose to feel grief, he gets back to his normal life, not because he stopped mourning, but because he never felt
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Approximate Word count = 999
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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