Journal #5

Camus creates two parts to The Stranger to showcase two distinctly different sides of Meursault. Part 1 portrays him a man lacking emotion (or the ability to express it) who wastes his life watching, not doing. Meursault's apathetic nature is seen, for example, when Marie asks him if he wants to get married and he replies that it makes no difference to him, but they could if she wanted to. In Part 1, Meursault is also not aware of (or just does not care about) the emotions of others. When describing people, he sticks to the facts of what they are wearing, doing, and saying, but rarely describes how they are feeling. Since part 1 ends before Meursault goes to jail, his traits in part 1 are all those of a free man. Part 2 opens with Meursault in jail and we can begin to see the changes in his character as a prisoner. Meursault starts to express small amounts of emotion, which is a definite change from his previous lack of feelings. In addition, now that he is imprisoned, Meursault shows signs of wanting to come out of his trial innocent, longing to be out of his cell to experience the summer nights he used to love - replacing Meursault's apathetic nature from part 1 with one that shows he wants to live. Once in jail, he also becomes more aware of the feelings of others. For example, he recognizes his lawyer is upset with him: "He left, looking angry" (Camus 65). I think by giving Meursault such contrasting character traits in the two parts of the book, Camus wants the reader to examine the effects of freedom and lack of freedom on a person, and to realize how being locked up in prison can cause a person's traits and views on life to change.