Lizzy Smith
Mrs. Howell
Honors English II
12 January 2018
Killed for Being Odd In Albert Camus’s novella, The Stranger, the main character Meursault demonstrates many psychopathic tendencies for which he is ridiculed during his trial for killing an Arab Man. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a psychopath as “a mentally ill or unstable person; especially : a person affected with antisocial personality disorder” and this definition perfectly aligns with the personality of Meursault (Merriam-Webster). While Meursault’s personality has both sociopathic and psychopathic traits, he is more aligned with the traits of a psychopath because he has no remorse for his actions, demonstrates antisocial behavior, expresses a lack of restraint, …show more content…
One example of antisocial behavior Meursault demonstrates is “an inability to engage in close relationships” (Flaherty). Meursault does not have the capability to engage in relationships with people. One example of this is Meursault’s relationship with Marie, who is in love with Meursault. Their relationship is considered unorthodox because Marie loves Meursault, but Meursault is indifferent about their relationship. Another example of antisocial behavior Meursault exhibits is “little concern for the rights of others such as indifference to the moral or legal standards of the region or community” (WebMD). Consequently, Meursault lacks the ability to know that certain things are morally wrong, and he does many things simply because he does not have a reason not to do them. For example, he is willing to help his neighbor, Raymond, write a letter to put his former mistress in distress (Camus 32). Meursault lacks the social skills to know that helping Raymond distress his former mistress is considered incorrect. Furthermore, Meursault has “a great difficulty conforming to social norms and rules” which is an additional source of conflict between Meursault and his surroundings (Flaherty). Another example of his lack of social skills, his difficulty following societal rules is seen in how Meursault handled the passing of his mother. How he dealt with her passing is considered inappropriate, and it is one of the focuses of his trial. As a direct result of this, Meursault’s attorney exclaims during the trial, “Come now, is my client on trial for burying his mother or for killing a man?” (Camus 58). Because Meursault handled the death of his mother incorrectly by societal standards, during his trial the prosecution focuses on how he handled his mother’s passing and uses it to explain the events that followed. Instead of covering the facts of
Mrs. Howell
Honors English II
12 January 2018
Killed for Being Odd In Albert Camus’s novella, The Stranger, the main character Meursault demonstrates many psychopathic tendencies for which he is ridiculed during his trial for killing an Arab Man. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a psychopath as “a mentally ill or unstable person; especially : a person affected with antisocial personality disorder” and this definition perfectly aligns with the personality of Meursault (Merriam-Webster). While Meursault’s personality has both sociopathic and psychopathic traits, he is more aligned with the traits of a psychopath because he has no remorse for his actions, demonstrates antisocial behavior, expresses a lack of restraint, …show more content…
One example of antisocial behavior Meursault demonstrates is “an inability to engage in close relationships” (Flaherty). Meursault does not have the capability to engage in relationships with people. One example of this is Meursault’s relationship with Marie, who is in love with Meursault. Their relationship is considered unorthodox because Marie loves Meursault, but Meursault is indifferent about their relationship. Another example of antisocial behavior Meursault exhibits is “little concern for the rights of others such as indifference to the moral or legal standards of the region or community” (WebMD). Consequently, Meursault lacks the ability to know that certain things are morally wrong, and he does many things simply because he does not have a reason not to do them. For example, he is willing to help his neighbor, Raymond, write a letter to put his former mistress in distress (Camus 32). Meursault lacks the social skills to know that helping Raymond distress his former mistress is considered incorrect. Furthermore, Meursault has “a great difficulty conforming to social norms and rules” which is an additional source of conflict between Meursault and his surroundings (Flaherty). Another example of his lack of social skills, his difficulty following societal rules is seen in how Meursault handled the passing of his mother. How he dealt with her passing is considered inappropriate, and it is one of the focuses of his trial. As a direct result of this, Meursault’s attorney exclaims during the trial, “Come now, is my client on trial for burying his mother or for killing a man?” (Camus 58). Because Meursault handled the death of his mother incorrectly by societal standards, during his trial the prosecution focuses on how he handled his mother’s passing and uses it to explain the events that followed. Instead of covering the facts of