Journal #18: Final Thoughts

My New And Improved Thesis:
     I decided to change my thesis completely. I hated my previous one as it was far too obvious. I feel that this one is more insightful and can be supported through the text.

     In The Stranger, Albert Camus portrays Meursault as a distant figure who the reader misunderstands until the conclusion of the novel. He does this to demonstrate that in order to be truly happy, one must stop being who society expects them to be, and instead be who one truly is. Camus effectively conveys this theme through the intense imagery with which Meursault describes the physical world, the diction uses when Meursault speaks, and the motif of black, white, and red.

Rereading The Stranger:
     The second time through I noticed so many things I had overlooked in my first reading. I still don't like the book, but reading it again was certainly eye-opening. I like the fact that we got to read background information on Camus and the time period in which the novel was written- I think it greatly enhanced my understanding of the novel. It also helped me to see that Meursault is not as emotionless as I originally thought. This book is a classic because of the insight it provokes in those willing to delve deep enough to derive Camus' meaning. His unconventional approach to thought and existence lend themselves well to motif, diction, simile, parallelism, and so many more literary devices.

Jounal #17: Theme & Quotes

     There are parts of this theme that need reworded, or perhaps completely rephrased, but below is it in its roughest state.

Theme: Through his parallelism between Meursault's life and that of his mother, Camus demonstrates that the way in which one views both life and death only truly changes when survival is threatened.

• "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know." (3) -This mirrors later on the uncertainty of Meursault's own death while he ponders the thought in prison. The almost flippant manner in which he regards the death of his own mother is also reflected when he considers the thought of his own death.
• "While not an atheist, Maman had never in her life given thought to religion." (6) -Meursault too has no religious preference. He almost shuns the idea of believing in a God.
• "The man on my left, a small young man with delicate hands, wasn't saying anything, I noticed that he was across from the little old lady and that they were staring intently at each other." (76)
• "The young man and his mother were still staring at each other." (76)
• "The only oasis of silence was next to me where the small young man and the old woman were gazing at each other." (76-77)
• "The little old woman moved closer to the bars, and at the same moment a guard motioned to her son. He said, "Goodbye, Maman," and she reached between two bars to give him a long, slow little wave." (77)
• "Anyway, it was one of Maman's ideas, and she often repeated it, that after a while you could get used to anything." (77)
• "[...] Maman and I didn't expect anything from each other anymore, or from anyone else either, and that we had gotten used to our new lives." (88)
• "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 'fiance,' why she had played at the beginning again. Even there, in that home where lives were fading out, evening was kind of wistful respite. So close to death, Maman must have felt free then and ready to live it all again. Nobody, nobody had to right to cry over her. And I felt ready to live it again too." (122)

Journal #16: Working on a Thesis

1. Is Camus attempting to say something about the way we live our lives through his characterization of Mersault, and the supposed carelessness he had for his own mother?
2. Does Camus hint at parallelism between Meursault's relationship with his mother and Salamano's relationship with his dog?
3. What is Camus' purpose of mentioning Maman's death frequently throughout the entire novel when Meursault seems to only vaguely care about it?
4. Is Camus' placement of the Arab nurse at the old people's home in Marengo meant to foreshadow something regarding Meursault's later confrontation?
5. What is Camus trying to achieve by mentioning that Maman wanted a religious burial (but in life never really committed to religion) and then depicting Meursault's refusal to accept the existence of God before his execution?
6. Does Camus suggest, through Meursault's reflection on his life, that we can only truly view our choices and our purpose in life when it is too late for it to matter anymore?  

Journal #15: Part Two

Hola.

• The very first thing I noticed about Part One vs Part Two was the abrupt and dramatic change that takes place. The first part of The Stranger is Meursault's life; how he lives his life to its not-fullest (because he's so apathetic it almost disgusts me). The second part is Meursault's life after he, ya know, commits MURDER- but this is all obvious. Is there something more to the drastic change that occurs in the book between the two parts?
• There was also the young man and his mother that Meursault takes note of during one of Marie's visits. It was a little strange, because I couldn't quite grasp what was actually going on during this particular scene; Camus describes so many things all at once. I did, however, manage to pick up on a few nuances that may be of some relevance. The mother was there to visit her son, I believe, and almost the entire time, they simply stare at each other in silence. Meursault describes it curiously;
• "The man on my left, a small young man with delicate hands, wasn't saying anything, I noticed that he was across from the little old lady and that they were staring intently at each other." (76)
• "The young man and his mother were still staring at each other." (76)
• "The only oasis of silence was next to me where the small young man and the old woman were gazing at each other." (76-77)
• "The little old woman moved closer to the bars, and at the same moment a guard motioned to her son. He said, "Goodbye, Maman," and she reached between two bars to give him a long, slow little wave." (77)
• I find Meursault's description peculiar because of the strong parallelism to his relationship with his own mother. It seemed, to me at least, that Meursault didn't have an especially strong connection with his mother. Look at how he acted when she died- but yet again, that may just be Meursault being his apathetic self. The part I find interesting is when the young man's mother leaves him imprisoned. Here's where the whole philosophical thing comes into play. Meursault's mother dies, and is therefore freed of the burdens of life. Meursault is left behind, still trapped in the world he cares nothing about. In a strange way, this connects with the concept of absurdism, and therefore existentialism- both of which Camus was very into. Interesting....

Esto es todo. Buenas noches.

Journal #14: Questions?

     I've got plenty of my own questions about this journal... What is it exactly that we are supposed to do? I'll do my best anyways. I think it had to do something with coming up with in-depth questions for chapter six. Come back Mrs. Wecker!

1. Why does Camus describe Masson's mannerisms so elaborately and then abandon them all together? Is this just because of Meursault's obsession with the physicality of both people and things? Is he incapable of looking any deeper?
2. Why does Camus portray Marie as such an unintelligent woman? She is often depicted as laughing or otherwise not understanding what is going on. We also receive very little dialogue from her. Coincidence?
3. Why does Meursault criticize others for drinking an smoking when he himself is guilty of doing the same? He seems very judgemental/ critical of others' actions, and yet fails to see faults in himself.
4. Why are there Arabs in France? It's a valid question. And why were Arabs selected to be the race that Raymond had a quarrel with? Why not another Parisian, or someone of another ethnicity? Is there a reason at all?
5. Why did Meursault return to the place where the Arabs were resting after Raymond had gone back to the house? What made him so inclined to keep walking "away from the sun" when the only way to escape the heat and light is to obtain some sort of shelter?
6. What is Camus' intent when referring to the "blades of light" prior to Meursault's confrontation with the remaining Arab? And does the Arab actually harm Meursault, or is it the light that is doing this to him? What is Meursault's reasoning when he chooses to pull the trigger?

Journal #13: Personal Philosophy

Suck it Up-ism

     We all deal with problems in different ways. Every time we finally overcome an issue, without exception another one comes along and makes us miserable again. The simple fact is, we live and we learn. Our problems and how we handle them make us who we are, be it for better or for worse.

1. Everybody has issues; nobody wants to hear about yours.
2. Things can get pretty suckish at times, but always remember what Katy Perry says: "After a hurricane comes a rainbow." (Ignore her whole "I kissed a girl" spiel.)
3. Contrary to popular belief, therapists can help occasionally. They serve as great punching bags.*
4. Being OCD has its benefits.
5. Sometimes, violence is the answer.
6. Just keep swimming.
7. Siblings are practice for when you get married. You end up fighting over who gets the last slice of cake, one wins, the other pouts, and you're best friends again two minutes later. Unless it's a custody issue. Then, you'll probably hate each other's guts.
8. Mr. Caro knows all.
9. Always look before you cross the street. It's important. Oregonians tend to forget that pedestrians have the right of way.
10. When in doubt, ask yourself, "What would Mr. Teschner do?" 

     I can speak from experience when I say that humans are far from perfect. I commit dozens of misdecisions on a daily basis, and have an ongoing personal dispute with impulse control. We inherently learn from our mistakes. It is one of the most important human qualities: the ablity to comprehend what is right and what is wrong. Sometimes, it isn't the easiest decision to make depending on the circumstances, but the choice that is selected is what defines us. Freaky, isn't it?

Journal #12: Translation

1. I personally prefer Ward's translation, which may only be because I read his version first. The translation done by Gilbert, though tremendously more eloquent than Ward's, is too heavy for me. The narration and dialogue seem to be bogged down by too many commas, colons, and semicolons. It gets very obnoxious to read after a while. There is also the fact that Gildbert's translation is a lot more formal than Ward's, which ages Meursault quite a bit in my eyes. Ward's edition of Camus' novel is very bland with a more removed main character that is extremely difficult to relate to, which I think is appropriate. Meursault is not a character that the reader necessarily needs to identify with. I actually think the book has more impact with fewer adjectives and metaphors because of  how focus Meursault seems to be on the physical world. His obsessions are harder to keep track of in Gilbert's translation because of the more complex wording used. The characterization of Mersault suffers when interpreted by Gilbert.
2. The Stranger fits best, in my opinion. The sharpness of the title is what draws your eyes to the book. It is mysterious and somewhat misleading, much like Meursault. When you take the literal definition of the word 'stranger', it means, "a person with whom one has no personal acquaintance." This is appropriate given Ward's translation. Meursault remains unknown to the reader, even until the conclusion of the novel. Camus as interpreted through Ward leaves a lot of room for guesswork in his literature, and I believe that this is what was intended. I enjoy when authors leave some things to the imagination. Gilbert's version was just too structured.