Meusault and Compliance

            The Stranger is a very strange book because it forces us to confront situations that are unfamiliar and strange. Meursault is a character that shatters all possible expectations, he seems like he lives a relatively normal life on the surface yet he is completely devoid of any emotion and is brutally honest about everything and everyone. He truly doesn’t seem to care what other people think of him, even when he feels self-conscious during the funeral for not looking at his mother’s body, that doesn’t stop him from sticking with his decision. Despite him seeing that Marie is visibly upset by him not claiming to love her. he doesn’t choose to change his answer when she asks again later on. In particular, he doesn’t seem to be governed by any morals or even governmental laws since he doesn’t fear the consequences.. It is really interesting to look at this in the context of the situation. As we have talked about a little bit, Camus novel was written in the context of a Vichy government installed by the Germans to run France. In this context, it seems like Camus might be trying to criticize people who complied with the Germans after they took over, whether explicitly or implicitly.

             Meursault complies with Raymond’s clearly immoral deeds, but he never seems to be truly a part of the situation, at least until he kills the man. Throughout the first part of the book, he is slowly drawn deeper into Raymond’s scheme, eventually turning from an innocent bystander into a murderer. However, despite everything that makes it seem as such, by the narration in the book we can tell that Meursault did not commit premeditated murder, and that instead, the murder just happened. Meursault takes full responsibility for his actions and yet infuriatingly refuses to acknowledge his reasons. What makes the situation even more striking is that Meursault is the only witness and in a racist court system, a simple lie about the man rushing at him with a knife would’ve have sufficed to ensure his freedom. Meursault’s complete disregard for his, and others’ existence until the end when he is faced with death is striking as Camus is asking some real questions about the meaning of life.

            Meursault’s compliance with Raymond can be compared in some ways to French citizens who complied with the Nazis during World War II. There are undertones of fear in Meursault’s relationship with Raymond, as there does seem to be a sense that Meursault would find it difficult to say no to Raymond. The French citizens during WWII were faced with the same dilemma, since speaking out and fighting the Nazis could very easily result in death but complying with them seems immoral in that you are complying with a force of evil. War impacted Camus from early in life, as his father died in World War I, and Camus himself was deemed physically unfit to serve in the army. However, Camus was deeply involved in the French Resistance and throughout the Stranger, there is a feeling that Camus is warning against going with the crowd, whether it is how the court treats Meursault or how Meursault acts in relation to Raymond. Camus questions the meaning of life throughout the book and it seems like one thing that he found meaning in is to do what’s right, because if you go with the crowd, your life is insignificant, whereas if you resist, at least you have given yourself meaning in some small way.