Camus’ The Stranger is set in colonial Algeria in the 1940’s. At the time Algeria is under French rule. The country’s inhabitants are French Indigenous Algerians, Arabs, and the Pieds-Noirs. The Pied-Noir like the protagonist, Meursault, is a Frenchman born and raised in Algeria.
Daoud’s The Meursault Investigation is set in post colonial Algeria. The setting of the two books is pivotal in understanding the underlying theme of racism and sexism towards the Arabs. During colonial Algeria the French people are in power and their attitudes towards the Arab’s reveals the reality of Algeria. The Arab characters in The Stranger are purposely portrayed by Camus to seem insignificant. However, this clever technique used by Camus reveals the racism …show more content…
If an Arab’s life was considered of little importance, then the life of a female Arab was not even worthy of considering. The Arab females were discriminated and marginalized based on their race and their gender during colonial Algeria. A prime example of this is the beating of Raymond’s mistress, who is an Arab. Raymond lures her to his place so that he can take revenge upon her because he suspects her of cheating on him. Once he uses her for sex he spits in her face and beats her savagely. The cries of the women prompt the neighbors to come out and watch. Sexism and racism are especially salient in this scene. First there is Raymond who beats his mistress because she is a woman, and an Arab woman at that. Raymond states it is because she cheated on him but the racial background and gender of the mistress cannot be ignored. The French have oppressed and marginalized Arab women and Raymond does not see the mistress as a human but rather property. Next, not one of the onlookers tries to intervene or help the women that is being beat mercilessly. When a French police officer arrives, his concern is not with the women who was beaten but rather with Raymond and the disrespect he is displaying by smoking in front of the officer. The concerns and priorities of all the people in this scene are misplaced. No one …show more content…
He describes her as, “Her type of women has disappeared in this country today: free, brash, disobedient, aware of their body as a gift, not as a sin or a shame.” (p. 135). Meriem embodies all that Harun had hoped for, a better life for Arab Algerians, the women, and a sense of post colonial hope. She is the epitome of a free women; she is in a country roaming as she pleases and on her own accord. This is everything that Algeria is intolerant of their women doing. In the end Meriem does not reciprocate Harun’s love for her and she leaves. This is symbolic as it tells the reader any hope one may have of breaking free of the sexism and oppression of women in Algeria during the war for independence slipped away just as quickly as Meriem left
Daoud’s The Meursault Investigation is set in post colonial Algeria. The setting of the two books is pivotal in understanding the underlying theme of racism and sexism towards the Arabs. During colonial Algeria the French people are in power and their attitudes towards the Arab’s reveals the reality of Algeria. The Arab characters in The Stranger are purposely portrayed by Camus to seem insignificant. However, this clever technique used by Camus reveals the racism …show more content…
If an Arab’s life was considered of little importance, then the life of a female Arab was not even worthy of considering. The Arab females were discriminated and marginalized based on their race and their gender during colonial Algeria. A prime example of this is the beating of Raymond’s mistress, who is an Arab. Raymond lures her to his place so that he can take revenge upon her because he suspects her of cheating on him. Once he uses her for sex he spits in her face and beats her savagely. The cries of the women prompt the neighbors to come out and watch. Sexism and racism are especially salient in this scene. First there is Raymond who beats his mistress because she is a woman, and an Arab woman at that. Raymond states it is because she cheated on him but the racial background and gender of the mistress cannot be ignored. The French have oppressed and marginalized Arab women and Raymond does not see the mistress as a human but rather property. Next, not one of the onlookers tries to intervene or help the women that is being beat mercilessly. When a French police officer arrives, his concern is not with the women who was beaten but rather with Raymond and the disrespect he is displaying by smoking in front of the officer. The concerns and priorities of all the people in this scene are misplaced. No one …show more content…
He describes her as, “Her type of women has disappeared in this country today: free, brash, disobedient, aware of their body as a gift, not as a sin or a shame.” (p. 135). Meriem embodies all that Harun had hoped for, a better life for Arab Algerians, the women, and a sense of post colonial hope. She is the epitome of a free women; she is in a country roaming as she pleases and on her own accord. This is everything that Algeria is intolerant of their women doing. In the end Meriem does not reciprocate Harun’s love for her and she leaves. This is symbolic as it tells the reader any hope one may have of breaking free of the sexism and oppression of women in Algeria during the war for independence slipped away just as quickly as Meriem left