Don’t be like Meursault. Meursault was a heartless person. He didn’t care about his family, friends, nor himself. His attitude was hurtful to the people around him. He didn’t truly care about anyone. It didn’t matter if he only knew them for a minute or for his whole life. Even though he doesn’t care about his own life, he is selfish. Under any circumstances, he will not do anything he doesn't want to do. Meursault is a Machiavellian prince because he is so dysfunctional. The Machiavellian maxims, politics has no relation to morals and preserving the status quo is not essential, correspond well to Meursault’s personality. Meursault, the dispassionate character in The Stranger by Albert Camus, can be considered a Machiavellian prince because
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The director thought Meursault was a monster because he couldn't understand how someone could act that way at their mother’s funeral. Meursault also “offered the caretaker a cigarette” at his mother’s funeral (8). Meursault did not care about his behavior at her funeral; it was just a normal day for him. The director knew that Meursault was not like everyone else because of his lack of emotion. Meursault was a heartless human-being in some people’s eyes. It was somewhat easy for the court to give him the death penalty. They knew if he didn’t even care about his mother’s life, he wouldn’t care about anyone else’s. He wouldn’t even care about his own. When he had his first meeting with the magistrate he almost “[shook] his hand, but just in time, [he] remembered that [he] had killed a man” (64). He did not care about the life that he just took. He had no remorse for the Arab man. He was so uncaring that he even forgot that he killed someone. Even Meursault’s lawyer thought that “[Meursault] had no place in a society whose fundamental rules [he] ignored” (102). The person that was supposed to …show more content…
Meursault thought that one of his neighbors and their dog “look like they belong to the same species” (27) Meursault was a witness to their fighting almost every day. He thought that his neighbor was worth as much as his dog. Which means that he didn’t think very highly of others. People were not worth a lot to him. Therefore, when he killed the Arab man, he described it as “knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness” (59). He had no remorse and didn’t think much of the man he killed. To him, it was just another worthless life. He hadn’t even blamed himself for the death. Before he shot the Arab man, “the sun glinted off Raymond’s gun when he handed it to [him]” (56). Meursault had told the jury in court that it was the sun and the gun’s fault. He didn’t even feel guilty enough to admit that he was the one who shot him. He never took responsibility for his own actions because he simply did not care. He even showed his uncaring attitude at his mother’s funeral. When his mother’s good friend was crying “[he] wished he didn’t have to listen to her anymore” (10). Not only did he not mourn for his mother, but he was annoyed that anyone else was. Usually people are not bothered by others mourning for the people they were close to, but he was. Meursault was convicted of murder not because of his crime, but because of the way he reacted to his mother’s death and his uncaring attitude.
The director thought Meursault was a monster because he couldn't understand how someone could act that way at their mother’s funeral. Meursault also “offered the caretaker a cigarette” at his mother’s funeral (8). Meursault did not care about his behavior at her funeral; it was just a normal day for him. The director knew that Meursault was not like everyone else because of his lack of emotion. Meursault was a heartless human-being in some people’s eyes. It was somewhat easy for the court to give him the death penalty. They knew if he didn’t even care about his mother’s life, he wouldn’t care about anyone else’s. He wouldn’t even care about his own. When he had his first meeting with the magistrate he almost “[shook] his hand, but just in time, [he] remembered that [he] had killed a man” (64). He did not care about the life that he just took. He had no remorse for the Arab man. He was so uncaring that he even forgot that he killed someone. Even Meursault’s lawyer thought that “[Meursault] had no place in a society whose fundamental rules [he] ignored” (102). The person that was supposed to …show more content…
Meursault thought that one of his neighbors and their dog “look like they belong to the same species” (27) Meursault was a witness to their fighting almost every day. He thought that his neighbor was worth as much as his dog. Which means that he didn’t think very highly of others. People were not worth a lot to him. Therefore, when he killed the Arab man, he described it as “knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness” (59). He had no remorse and didn’t think much of the man he killed. To him, it was just another worthless life. He hadn’t even blamed himself for the death. Before he shot the Arab man, “the sun glinted off Raymond’s gun when he handed it to [him]” (56). Meursault had told the jury in court that it was the sun and the gun’s fault. He didn’t even feel guilty enough to admit that he was the one who shot him. He never took responsibility for his own actions because he simply did not care. He even showed his uncaring attitude at his mother’s funeral. When his mother’s good friend was crying “[he] wished he didn’t have to listen to her anymore” (10). Not only did he not mourn for his mother, but he was annoyed that anyone else was. Usually people are not bothered by others mourning for the people they were close to, but he was. Meursault was convicted of murder not because of his crime, but because of the way he reacted to his mother’s death and his uncaring attitude.