A.P. Students,
Here is your first go at responding to a prompt online, as well as responding to your peers (similar to a classroom discussion). Read the prompt below, write a 2+ paragraph response. Then, read two of your classmates' responses, and write a 1-2 paragraph reflection/response do your classmate's response.
You have until Sunday, September 13th, at 12:00AM (midnight) to complete this assignment. Feel free to email me with questions this weekend. This assignment is worth 30 points. Have fun with this.
Respond to this prompt below:
"Did you anticipate the situation in which Meursault murdered the Arab man? Why or why not? What was absurd/strange/irrational about his decision? Was it confusing? Discuss his decision as a whole, and make predictions about what might happen next.
I have posted a comment to model how this should work. I can't wait to read your responses!
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Hey all, it works. Have fun with this. I am looking forward to reading some good discussion!
ReplyDeleteWhen it asked to select a profile, click name, and type in your name.
Mersault's decision to murder the Arab, and the circumstances under which it happend, was shocking. There is no justification for Mersault's action. Earlier in the chapter, when Masson and Raymond fought with the Arab and his companion, Mersault's involvement was miminal; he merely shouted a warning at Raymond. The situation was unexpected.
ReplyDeleteDuring the initial encounter with the Arabs, Mersault urges Raymond not to utilize the weapon, saying, "He hasn't said anything yet. It'd be pretty lousy to shoot him like that" (56). Later, when he enounters the Arab alone, his senses are dulled by alcohol and sun; he may not have made a concious decision the first time he shoots. However, the fact that he fires four unnecessary shots into the man makes the incident absurd.
Perhaps, when Mersault must deal with the consequences of his choice, he will begin to express emotion. At first, he may seem indifferent because he knows its coming anyways. Surely Marie's reaction will change that.
-Liz Fred
The fact that Meursault murdered the Arab was very schocking. It was not expected or predicted by any means. The whole situation was strange, and Meursault acted on an impulse and shot the man for no apparent reason.
ReplyDelete"It occured to me that all I had to do was turn around and that would be the end of it. But the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, was pressing on my back. I took a few steps toward the spring. The Arab didn't move" (58). Meursault knew that all he had to do was walk away from the situatin, but instead he sticks around. It's as if he justifies what he is about to do just because it was hot outside. He knows he had a gun in his pocket and he was going to take advantage of that.
This occurance is extremely confusing. There seems to be no reason for shooting the Arab man, and Meursault's actions and attitude toward his uncomfortable feeling and being hot on the beach were ridiculous. The whole thing was quite unnecessary.
Obviously there will be consequences for Meursault's actions. Everyone will find out what happened, and might look down on him for waht he did. It will definitely affect his relationship with Marie.
Reading that Mersault had shot the Arab was exeedingly unexpected, especially because the situation he was in showed no provoking from the Arab at all. Mersault never got involved in the first place, when Raymond was fighting with the Arab, and so it came unpredicted when he shot the man.
ReplyDeleteMersault reacted very oddly to the sun and the alcohol, and it greatly affected him and his ability to reason. Mersault seems very confused and out of place, and so the reader is confused and makes it hard to understand why it happens how it did. As the reader, we are pulled in by his description of the sun and how hot it is.
"All I could feel were the cymbals of the sunlight crashing on my forehead and, indistinctly, the dazzling spear flying from the knife in front of me. The scorching blade slashed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes." (59)
The sun, combined with the alcohol he had been drinking changed his mood, and he reacted on a whim not thinking of what he was doing. " My whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver. The trigger gave; I felt the smooth underside of the butt; and there, in the noise, sharp and deafening at the same time, is where it all started." (59)
Mersault originally shot the Arab on an impulse, but when he shoots him another four times, it is no longer an "accident", and now it was a consious decision of his.
This decision will come with many consequences, and it is going to follow him throughout the story. What he did will probably affect his reationships with his friends, and with Marie, and will probably change how the people around him view him. Maybe this may also change his view of life, and his feelings toward everything else, and possible change his feelings toward the death of his mother.
Response to Liz Fred:
ReplyDeleteI thought she had a very good insight, I liked how she focused on the fact that he had no involvement with the fight earlier, and he had no good reason to shoot. It was also interesting how she said it was absurd that he made that concious decison to shoot him. I also liked that she said that his emotions might change.
Response to Audrey Biesk: I thought that she also had good thoughts about how he was talking about the sun, and him being uncomfortable. I thought it was interesting how she said it was ridiculous that he used the sun and heat as an exuse for his actions.
She just needs to revise before she turns it in, there are a lot of spelling mistakes.
I could kind of see Meursault killing the Arab coming. Instead of going back to the house, he went back to the spring; Meursault still had the gun. However, I don't understand how he did not remember that the Arab was there.
ReplyDeleteIt was not his war with the Arabs, it was Raymond's; he just said he would help Raymond out, not that he would kill him. The Arab did not cut up his face, he was not following him, and the Arab didn't even approach Meursault at the spring, he just sat there and showed him his knife because Meursault took a step closer to him. When Meursault shot him, I think it was because he wasn't really thinking because he was in the sun, but after he shot him the first time, I do not think he needed to shoot him four more times. I think he just got caught up in his own emotions.
Meursault was not thinking about the circumstances when he had shot the Arab. However, I think that this will all catch up to him soon and he will become remorseful and sorry.
When Meursault murdered the Arab, it was surprising and absurd. He didn’t have anything to do with the coral before that. I wasn’t expecting that to happen at all because he was just standing off on the sidelines when the fight actually began and didn’t jump in at all. I wasn’t sure how he came across the Arab again and why he just shot him because it talks about him only going out for a walk again because he didn’t want to hear the women crying again. It was brutal and confounded to know that he would actually do such a thing to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI think that when Meursault goes back to the house he’s going to tell Raymond and Manson about what just happened and the women are going to find out and start crying again, only aggravating the men. I assume that someone will find the body or one of the girls might snitch on him because they cant stand the consequence if caught and they were involved. They might try to move the body and someone might see them, or the other Arab might have seen what happened and told. Meursault is going to end up in a lot of trouble and probably loose the only thing he has now, Marie.
Destiny Forrester
in response to Liz Rodriquez :
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment. I didn't even think about the affect the alcohol could have taken on Meursault to kill the Arab. I also agree that his emotions might finally pore out and everything might hit him at once, causing a break down in his life.
In response to Joel's comment:
ReplyDeleteMeursault didn't know the Arab was there to began with because it just said the the Arabs were scared so they ran away. Also, Raymond didn't want to kill the Arab he just wanted to make the point that they need to stop messing with him because he can protect himself and fight them with no problem. I agree with your reasoning about shooting him after the first shot and that his past will soon catch up with him.
Response to Destiny's comment on Joel's:
ReplyDeleteYes, Raymond did want to kill the Arab. On page 56 Raymond asks Meursault, "Should I let him have it?" Meursault answers that it would be "lousy to shoot him like that" (56). Raymond's solution is "So I'll call him something and when he answers back, I'll let him have it" (56). The fact that Raymond wants to "let him have it" idicates shooting and/or killing him.
Response to Audrey:
ReplyDeleteThe last sentence in your second paragraph implies that you believe Meursault's action was premeditated. I disagree. There is no evidence that he considers killing the Arab. On page 58 it says that he gripped the gun in his pocket but it doesn't ever say that he made the choice consiously; his "whole being tensed" (59).
Response to Liz R's comment on mine:
ReplyDeleteI said that the decision was unconcious, not concious. With his senses dulled by the alcohol and the sun, along with memories of the day his mother was buried, I'm sure that he didn't decide to kill the man for no reason. His shots afterward, were probably a result of the anger and fear he could have been feeling.
Mersault’s decision to murder the Arab was a complete shock to the turnout of the book. By no means did Camus ever hint at possibility of Mersault killing anyone. In fact, the morning before the occurrence happened, they had all joined for a day at the beach with no worries of being followed or fears of getting into a tussle.
ReplyDeleteThe confusing part of the whole situation was that Mersault wasn’t even supposed to fight. Raymond gave his other friend, Masson one of the Arabs why Raymond took the other. “If there’s any trouble, Masson, you take the other one. I’ll take care of my man. Mersault, if another shows up, he’s yours” (53). Mersault didn’t seem to want to get involved in the situation, but it was clear that he would help Raymond out if he needed him. The only rational thing of his decision was that he would protect Raymond. “No, take him on man to man and give me your gun. If the other one moves in, or if he draws his knife, I’ll let him have it” (56).
When Mersault came upon the Arab, he was completely shocked and thought in his mind why he was there again, but his senses were most likely slightly affected by alcohol. “As far as I was concerned, the whole thing was over, and I’d gone there without even thinking about it” (58). Mersault had no intention to kill the man but got scared because he knew the man had a knife. He though that of it only as a self defense method, but it was completely unnecessary to shoot the man or shoot an extra four shots. The strange thing about the situation is that Mersault knew what he had done and didn’t even necessarily want to do it. He knew that if he just walked away the whole situation would have never happened.
Part Two will show how Mersault starts to value life and feel remorseful for what he has done. For the first time in his life, he will be unhappy with it, and that he now feels like he should have valued life a little bit more while not in this situation. He will have to endure the consequences of his actions.
-Heather Maheu
In response to Joel Duensing...
ReplyDeleteI can see where you could kind of see the situation coming about, but there was no hint prior to the couple pages in the chapter that Mersault would end up shooting a man. He could have been doing anything on his walk, like getting rid of the gun possibly or thinking of a way to better the situation. It was especially strange because he even said that to him, the whole thing was over with (58). There was no need to shoot the man multiple times like you said, and I think that he was caught up in the emotions of him being impaired by the alcohol prior to the situation.
-Heather Maheu
I agree with Liz Fred's comment on Audrey Biesk's. There was no evidence that Mersault's decisioin to murder the Arab was premeditated. In his mind, that was affected by alcohol, his actions were of self defense and he never just went up to the man to shoot him. He thought the situation was over, but was just being safe in case the Arab pulled his knife on him.
ReplyDelete-Heather Maheu
I did not anticipate the situation with the Arab man. The back says he was drawn into a senseless murder unwittingly. I thought that meant that he would have either witnessed it or had to cover the person that killed the Arab man, not killed the man himself.
ReplyDeleteMeursault really didn’t have emotions attached to anything and usually people kill others out of anger. Meursault killed him because the sun was hot and sweat and the shine of the knife was in his eyes. People kill because they don’t want that person to live usually because of what they have done. He had no reason to kill the man. He wasn’t involved in the conflict except writing the letter. He wasn’t in the fight earlier that day. The Arab had been stalking Raymond for a while and then cut him, but that is not morally a right to kill the Arab. Killing the Arab will only create more conflict not just with Raymond but also now with Meursault. The Arabs might not just stalk Raymond but Meursault as well. It might also lead to more violence.
-Tina Gallmeyer-
From Parker:
ReplyDeleteI did not anticipate Meursault, shooting the Arab man, because he did not have any reason to do it. He knew about the whole situation with Raymond, and the Arabs, but was not ever really directly involved with it. He mainly just observed it happening, especially when Raymond and Masson were fighting the other men. When he killed the man, it seemed random, because the man had never done anything to him directly. His whole decision was pretty irrational and unanticipated.
His decision was also confusing, because he didn’t have any real motive, besides the man hurting his friend, in which case it wasn’t his problem to deal with. Overall the whole situation is strange, because the whole time Meursault never really showed any real emotion, and just randomly killed a man that he was hardly involved with. Because of this he will now have a lot of problems in his life, and most likely a lot of jail time or worse.
in responce to Audrey Biesk
ReplyDeleteAudrey said that he could have left but decided to stick around. It was weird that he stayed, when in other situations he didn't give much thought or didn't act unless necessary or told so. Maybe in the back of his mind, unconsciously, he decided that the Arab needed to die. He took it upon himself to justify the situation or to revenge Raymond’s injuries.
-Tina Gallmeyer-
in responce to Parker...
ReplyDeleteMaybe his unconscious reasoning or motive for killing the Arab was to take care of the situation for Raymond. The Arab was stalking Raymond, without much reason but the mistress, which wasn’t a good reason, so Meursault took care of it and showed them a lesson not to meddle in the situation anymore. It was random and he was impaired by alcohol. Maybe the extra rounds were also a message not to mess with them anymore. Meursault just never consciously thought it.
I don't see any reason that Meursalt had to kill the Arab. If he would have just kept walking, there wouldn't have been any trouble, and this shows that he wasn't in any danger. It seems like a really stupid decision on Meursalt's part because earlier, when they had gotten into a fight, Meursalt didn't even participate. It seemed like he was just pacifying Raymond when he said that he would fight the other guy if another Arab showed up, and then all of a sudden he goes back and kills the guy. It was an unexpected turn, because it seemed like it had more to do with Raymond not Meursalt. It was a very strange and irrational decision on Meursalt's part. He always seems so emotionally detached, and this sudden outburst is very surprising.
ReplyDeleteI think that later in the book Meursalt will have to face the consequences of his actions. Being that he is so emotionally detached i think that rough times will make him reveal his true feelings and emotions.
Meursault’s murder of the Arab was completely and universally unexpected. His simple but abrupt motor response to being momentarily blinded by the sun off the dagger’s blade seems to stem from no conscious mental decision, or at least none that the reader is made aware of beforehand. If this is the case, have the Arab dead at his hand seems to be simple reflex. However the consecutive four shots fired are, indeed, no reflex. This violent and sudden impulse must come from something deeper at the core of Meursault’s character, or at least the circumstances he has found himself in since the beginning of the novel.
ReplyDeletePerhaps these four bullets represent the erratic but totally anticipated display of emotions that Meursault has been so long denying himself. Even if the novel was meant to show that life is absurd and unexpected to a degree, there must be, if small, a rational facet to his decision. The fact that Meursault has been stifling his emotions, emotions that every single human feels at some point, immediately comes to mind. However, the fact remains that while Meursault killed the man in a desperate state of mind (due, in part, to the blistering heat), he was totally unprovoked. It seems the Arab had just raised his dagger in warning, and not as an attempt to blind Meursault on purpose. This is what is so absurd about Meursault’s snap decision. This is obviously a major junction in Meursault’s life, and obviously he will either have to face a court of law for his actions or go on the run.
In response to Liz. R.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about when he shoots the man another four times, no longer making it an "accident", and how it is now a consious decision of his. It really wasnt necessary to shoot him four times (or at all even). I also agree with you, how this event will change the whole story and maybe even bring out some emotions from Meursault.
In response to Liz R. and Liz F.:
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Meursault stood by while Raymond and Masson were fighting the first time is a good indicator that the decision to shoot te Arab (the first time) was subconscious. He didn't even want to get involved the first time, let alone kill the man himself. Those last four bullets are really what is strange. The Arab's blood is on Meursault's hands, which is something Meursault is not likely to forget anytime soon, if at all. Part II is probably going to focus solely on his life after this murder and Meursault owning up to his own actions and emotions, and hopefully the motive behind shooting the Arab.
In response to Audrey:
ReplyDeleteI agree that the fact that Meursault killed the Arab simply because the Arab was in the wrong place at the wrong time is quite ridiculous. Also, Meursault’s excuse for returning to the scene of the fight was weak at best, (though this doesn’t necessarily diminish its legitimacy). There was obviously an ulterior motive or something else to drive him back there. This is what is what is so suspicious about the abrupt change of events. Meursault’s blurred and stifled emotions might be the cause, but then again, since the author is Camus, there might be no cause at all other than to prove there is no cause.
I thought the killing of the Arab was eminent. The only thing that confused me was why did Meursault kill him and not Raymond? It just didnt make sence to me that Meursault would stand by and watch the first fight and not help at all even when his friend was being cut up.
ReplyDeleteThis all seemed very strange to me because the way it is said in the book it sounds like it was not Meursaults intent to go and kill the Arab. In fact the whole set up to the murder didnt make sense to me. Meursault was to tired to walk up the stairs and go inside, where he could have laid down and rested, instead he decides to go walk more in the hot sun. To me that doesnt make sense. Another part that didnt make sense is when he is walking he keeps getting sweat in his eyes and when he actually murders the Arab it is as though he cannot really see what he is doing and maybe he doesnt even know what the Arab is doing. Maybe the reason he shot the Arab was because he couldnt make out what he was doing and all he saw was the reflection of something and therefore, out of instinct, he shot the Arab. Maybe he thought he was just defending himself and the bast defence he had was a gun.
What happens afterward is hard to depict. One of two things that could happen. He could be arrested and the novel would be over. and since we know the novel is not that short i am assuming that he ends up getting found out by the police and spends the rest of the novel trying to hid and avoid being caught and arrested by the police. There are pry a few other ways the novel vould go, but that is my best assumtion.
in response to Liz R:
ReplyDeleteI didn't even think about the alcohol and how that might have affected his state of mind. That is a really good point and it helps explain why he was so out of it and confused. I also didn't think about how this might affect his relationships with his friends, especially Marie. I also agree that this decision will haunt him throughout the rest of the novel. I am just wondering what will come in the second part of the novel.
In response to Parker:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that his decision was very irrational. I want to point out that fact that you said that ¨the whole time Meursault never really showed any real emotion¨ and this is true. i just wonder if his decision to kill the Arab, how ever random it was, will stir up some emotion that we have not seen from Meursault yet. I think it may, but we will just have to wait and find out.
if the system is slow, it may be that everyone is trying to post now. If typing your name into the profile isn't working, just do it anonymously and sign your name.
ReplyDeleteKeep going at it. Looks good!
Does anyone think that the four extra shots were a result of anger? He could've been angry or irritated about the sun and the sweat and sun in his eyes. He also could have been upset that the atmosphere reminded him of his mother. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Tyler R.:
ReplyDeleteI thought your points were very valid. You explained why so many things didn't make sense to you and it made me think about them myself. The fact that Meursault could have went inside the house with everyone else and laid down to get out of the heat, but doesn't, is very interesting. Why exactly did he go back down to the beach to visit the Arab? We don't know. Also, when you said he doesn't know what he is doing and maybe can't even see what is going on, puts a twist on things as well. Meursault killing someone with sweat in his eyes, being uncomfortable and hot, and not exactly knowing what he is doing makes the whole situation very strange and unpredicted. I agree with you Tyler I'm just as confused as you are.
In response to Liz Fred:
ReplyDeleteFirst off, when i said that Meursault was going to take advantage of having the gun in his pocket was not because he "premeditated" on the situation beforehand. I was just explaining that with all his mixed feelings and discomfort, he felt the gun, knew he had it, thought on instinct, and then shot the Arab. Do you know what I mean? I understand that Meursault did not dream and wonder about killing the Arab, I was just thinking that the fact that he acually had a gun was going to make him want to use it and maybe stand up for Raymond, and get the situation over with.
In response to your last comment: I totally agree with you that the last four shots were a result of anger. I'm sure he has a lot of emotion and feeling bottled up inside that he never lets go. But what exactly do you mean when you say the atmosphere could have reminded him of his mother?...
In response to Audrey:
ReplyDeleteThat's true, with the gun being there we might've been able to foreshadow the fact that Meursault was going to use it. Also, some people, instead of being sad about something (like Meursault's mother's death) are angry about it, especially if they don't understand it.
In response to Liz:
I could potentially see the anger finally coming to a boiling point. As soon as that second bullet hit, he might not see a reason to stop (yet, before he got his emotions reined in). If he already pulled the trigger once, why not a couple more times? What's five when there's already four?
Response to Audrey:
ReplyDeleteOk, I understand your first response now. Thanks for explaining.
On page 58 Meursault says that "the sun was the same as it had been the day I'd buried Maman, and like then, my forehead was especially hurting me, all the veins in it throbbing under the skin." I wonder if maybe his headache could be a physical result of grief, similar to upset stomach or increased appetite.
Also, in response to your comment on Tyler's:
you asked why Meursault had gone back to visit the Arab. He went back because he wanted "to hear the murmer of its water [the spring] again, escape the sun and the women's tears, and to find shade and rest" (57). When he gets there he sees that "Raymond's man" had reclaimed the spot.
In response to Liz Fred
ReplyDeleteI think that the four extra bullets were a result of anger because of the whole situation, and even though he is viewed as an emotionless character i think that his emotions were being bottled up and when he shot the Arab it was all of the emotions finally bubbling over.
I did not anticipate the situation of Meursault killing the Arab man at all. I knew Meursault was going to kill somebody probably the arab from reading the back of the book, but the way it played out was extremely weird and I don't understand Meursault very much at all. Obviously this isn't his mess and for him to kill the arab like that was obsurd.
ReplyDeleteI really had a hard time understanding Meursault's urge to go back to the springs. "I was thinking of the cool spring behind the rock. I wanted to hear the murmur of its water again, to escape the sun and the strain and the women's tears, and to find shade and rest again at last. But as I got closer, I saw the Raymond's man had come back" (pg 57). I really don't understand why Meursault had such a strong urge to go back to this place, and when he noticed the arab, why he didn't leave and go back to the bungalow. Then, I don't see why he shot the arab at all. I think some of it had to do with the heat and how much he had to drink ,yet Camus does not go into detail regarding Meursault being drunk. The way this situation ended was confusing to me and I don't completly comprehend how Meursault acted the way he did. I think Meursault has to face consequences for the remainder of the novel. I don't know exactly what will happen, but i believe he will face the law for the crimes he has commited and will look back on his murder and wonder why he acted that way.
-David Beach
To Audrey
ReplyDeleteI like Audrey's imput, and agree with the fact that he could have turned around and left and should have but he didn't. I also agree with how unecessary the actions of Meursault during this situation were, although I wouldn't say that Meursault had no reason at all to shoot, since the arab did have a weapon out, and was a threat. Audrey did a good job as a whole in her response and I liked that she used a quote from the book.
To Alie
ReplyDeleteI think Alie's response was one of if not the best response, not only because of all the crazy smart words she used, but I liked how she went into a possible reason as to why Meursault shot the arab so many times. I agree with the asumption that Meursault could have been letting emotion out with the extra shots, but I also think the way Meursault holds his emotions in all the time could have been a reason for the opening shot.
Abi Newell said...
ReplyDeleteI had not the slightest idea in my mind that Meursault was going to shoot the Arab. As Raymond and Meursault exchanged words in their conversation on page 56 of the novel, it seemed like Meursault wanted to stop the conflict all together, but not by killing him. He acted like he didn't want there to be fighting and he wanted to stay out of it, so it was completely random that he killed this guy. I mean, he did take the gun from Raymond, so Raymond wouldn't shoot the Arab, but it's still weird that Meursault took it upon himself to do the terrible deed.
I believe Albert Camus intended for this specific part of the book to be absurd. We read learned in our notes that Camus had that absurdity in his writing on purpose, so maybe it was supposed to be a crazy twist to the story. This twist confused me as a reader and I wonder what he will face as we continue to read.
Meursault may have a pretty rude awakening in Part 2, not only for the way he treats people, but also for killing the Arab. He will suffer consequences; possibly even the consequences of his emotions coming out completely, which can be considered a weakness especially for a guy like him.
Wow..that whole profile thing made me wonder a bit...hmmm...
ReplyDeleteIn response to Heather...
I agree with you for the most part, but reading through your response made me think of something completely different. What if Meursault felt like he needed to do something, since Raymond originally told him that he wasn't going to do anything unless something happened where he was needed. Meursault could have felt that Raymond did not think he was strong enough to fight, so he told him not to. Maybe from the point where Meursault told Raymond to give him his guna, he had a plan to kill the Arab.
I think that Meursault was not only sweating because the heat, when he was sitting there observing the Arab with the knife, but he was sweating because he was nervous about what he planned to do.
In response to Alie...
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that the bullets Meursault shot were from a built up of emotions that he has had throught Part 1. There were the feelings for his mother and about his mother's death, the feelings for Marie, etc. He hadn't showed much emotion thus far, but as I stated, I think Part 2 will have his emotions pouring out. He's seemed selfish and to himself throughout Part 1, and I am somewhat excited to see if he remains that way in the rest of the book.
I honestly cannot say that I anticipated the circumstance that led to Meursault killing the Arab. Nor could I have imagined that he would have murdered him the way he did. The whole event was both irrational and surprising. From what we know of Meursault so far, he shows a great display of emotional indifference to the world and events around him. He bases all his decisions on logic instead of emotion (unlike most people). The last chapter really provided me with a new look into his character. For the first time in this book, Meursault may have accessed his emotional side and acted out on it. The only logical reason why he would have murdered the Arab was that he threatened him with the knife. However, this is not the case. The Arab merely drew his knife out and it flashed in the sun. That is all that happened.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Meursault is prejudiced and does not like Arabs, or perhaps he killed the Arab because as a favor for Raymond. However, that does not make sense either. As far as we, as the readers, can infer, Raymond and Meursault are not very close friends. Rather, their friendship is very casual. For this reason, I do not believe that he killed the Arab either. I think that Meursault killed the Arab because he was annoyed by the sun's reflection on the knife, he wanted to shoot the gun eventually, and because he is perhaps finally stricken with grief regarding his mother's death.
I think that Meursault is going to go back to the house and tell them all what happened and Marie is going to panic. Obviously the police will get involved fairly soon in the book also. I think he will probably be arrested and will go to court. I also think the woman who sat at Meursault's lunch table earlier on in the novel will play a large role.
In response to Matt Saenz
ReplyDeleteMatt I definitely agree with you about Meursault's emotional side being displayed when he fires the four bullets. I forgot to mention that in my first response. It is very apparent that something is different when Meursault fires the extra bullets. Based on his decisions earlier in the book, I expected that he would only fire the gun once, maybe twice to make sure he actually killed the Arab. It seems like many people who have shot someone for the first time panic about what they have done and they work themselves into frenzy and fired the gun until it runs out of bullets. It seems this was Meursault's case as well.
The circumstances in which Meursault murdered the Arab were extremely strange and irrational. Usually murders are done in an erie setting, however in response to The Stranger,readers want to know how, why, and when that Meursault takes the life of the Arab on the beach. However, knowing that Albert Camus wirtes simply, but has a complex meaning might give more understanding concerning Meursaults feelings at the time of the murder.
ReplyDelete"The sun was the same as it had been the day I buried Maman, and like then my forehead especailly was hurting me, all the veins in it throbbing under the skin. It was this burning, which I couldn't stand anymore, that made me move forward (Camus 58)." Meursault expresses a memory from his mothers funeral to his readers, for one of the first times throughout the whole novel so far. The sun may symoblically mean the pain and the confusion that he feels. Because of the lack of clear thinking, Meursault never grieves the death of his mother, and in turn kills the Arab without ecxactly being aware of his consequences. He then goes on to discuess the pain that he feels in his forhead, it is here that the reader is shown that Meursault does have emotions, and in this case painful ones. In the last part of the quote he tries to supress his emotions, as usual, and states "he must move forward."
Although Meursaults desision to head back down the beach, and to ultimately murder the Arab seems to be irrational and confusing, it is important to know what message Camus wanted his readers to take away from his writting. Should readers focus on the murder on the Arab? Or rather, have a deeper understanding of why Meursault acted the in this way?
In response to Parker,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about Meursault having no motive to kill the Arab. He had no good reason to do it. The Arab had not threatened him and did not even approach him; he approached the Arab. Why? Perhaps he was delusional from the heat and somehow connected the Arab to his mother's death. Maybe he approached and shot the Arab to prove that he was a man and could win a fight, seeing as how he didn't participate in the earlier fight except he was there as a backup. Whatever the case, I hope we find out later on in the novel.
In Response to Tyler Roberts:
ReplyDeleteAlthough I was aware of the fact that Meursault was a witness of the first fight that occured on the beach, the initial beat down on Raymond. I did not think to comment on how I was confused also that Meursault didn't take any action then either. It seems strange, that Meursault pretty much stood there as a spectator and simply watched his friend get beaten so incredibly harshly and do absolutly nothing about it. Then, when Meursault returns to the beach for the second time, he murders the Arab! Not only does he shot him once, but several times. I believe that Tyler presents a good point, in pondering this fact and in asking why was the second time so violent and not the first?
In Response to Audrey:
I liked when Audrey brought up the point of the murder affecting the realionship between Meursault and Marie. Marie seems to love him and it is obivious that she wishes to get married, however what woman will still want to marry a man who is a murderer? Also, Meursaults character tends to supress his real emotions, instead he focuses on little insignificant details. When he shot the Arab, many believe that his emotions were finally coming to a surface, and it was at that point that he reffered back to the death of his mother. Maybe Meursault didn't realized how much he actually did miss his mother, but it was too late he didn't know what he had till it was gone. I predict that the same thing will happen with Marie. He doesn't think he loves her, he admitts to that. Once Marie leaves, Meursault just might grieve over her also.
Meursault's decision to shoot the Arab man was super shoking. It came as a great surprise to me that he would even consider doing something like that let alone actually doing it. He has never shown much emotion to anything and thus has never shown much care about the things that happen around him either. This is why it came as such a scok that he would take such rash actins and commit such an irrational act. The Arab man never gave him any real threats and did not deseve to die. I am confused as to why Meursault would just kill him with no justification to his actions at all. He is simply waling on the beach and sees the man who shows him his knife as more of a warning than a threat and Meursault just shoots him right there for no reason.
ReplyDeleteI'm not quite sure what will happen at this point in the novel. We are left off with Meursault standing on the beach by himself. It was stated that the gin fire shattered the silence of a peaceful day on the beach, so I'm sure that someone had to have heard the shots given off but who really knows? I think that Meursault is in danger from the Arabs discovering his actions more so than he is from the police finding out. I believe there is much more violence to come becuase of this and that when the Arabs find out about it they will know the death of their friend was caused by either Raymond or Meursault and when they find out they will go after one or the other (or both). There is going to be alot of trouble for Meursault and Raymond.
- Jill Kneppe
In response to Nathan Von:
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about how he is now showing emotion for the first time by shooting the Arab man. I've always just considered his indifference to everything and that is why I find the situation so confusing. I think you are absolutely right in that Meursault had no reason to fire upon the Arab merely because he drew his knife. I see this action as a warning and not just to flash it in the sun but none the less, his action was not a threat towards Meursault.
In response to Alie Reetz:
I appreciate the Alie went into such depth as to why Meursault fired the bullets. She, like Nathan touches on the idea that it is his way of letting out all the pent up emotion he has never before shown in his life. I like that she thought through the situation logically and explains it as partly due to the hot sun and partly due to Meursault's "desperate state of mind." The Arab did not purposefully blind Meursault yet, he snapped and shot the man anyway.
Meursault was fully conscious and aware of his actions while he murdered the Arab, but what were his motives? Meursault displays shocking actions in killing the Arab that are hardly justified. Meursault gives no explanation of his reasoning behind his deeds. Raymond’s conflict with the Arab had ended shortly after the fight, so why did Meursault have the need to kill the Arab? It was a completely unexpected turn of events that were shocking and unanticipated.
ReplyDeleteI did not expect Meursault to kill the Arab because other than the brawl there was no need to take action against the Arabs. Meursault never gave a reason for it, so it seems as if he had shot the gun out of impulse. I was shocked and didn’t understand what caused him to pull the trigger. The most confusing part however, was when Meursault continued to fire four more shots into the already motionless body. It seems as if Meursault has repressed thoughts or anger that caused him to so compulsively shoot an already dead man.
I believe that Meursault will eventually be caught and tried for this murder. It would seem strange if his life were to just go on without any problems. I also believe we will find out what Meursault’s motives were for killing the Arab. No matter what happens Meursault will surely find that this murder won’t go without consequence.
Response to Liz Fred:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your insight on Meursault demonstrating emotion after he bears the consequences to his actions. Meursault seems to hide alot, especially about Maman. it wouln't suprise me at all if he were to show his more humane side, and finally demonstrate what kind of person he really is.
Response to Jill's response to Nathan:
ReplyDeleteI agree about Meursault always showing indifference, it always seemed as if Meursault never cared about anything. Even around Marie he never expresses emotions other than lust. I think Meursault will slowly start becoming more aware of how much his life means to him, and eventually become over-run by emotion.
Because Meursault has been more or less without emotion since the beginning of the book, I didn't take him as the type of person to want to get involved in the business of other people. He's been the person that his beighbors have gone to with their problems. He sits and listens to them talk about what's going on, and uses their words to basically tell them what they want to hear, conveying it in such a way that they think he's giving them advice on what to do.
ReplyDeleteI didn't expect Meursault to be involved in the murder of the Arab at all. To be totally honest, I wasn't expecting the Arab to even be murdered in the first place. I mean, that could be because I didn't read the back of the book, so I didn't even know there was going to be a murder to begin with. But anyway, if anything, I was expecting Raymond to be killed before anyone else just due to the fact that lately, he's been having so many problems with his mistress cheating on him and everything. This may sound kind of weird, but based on the way that I understood the last chapter, it kind of seemed like Meursault didn't even mean to fire the gun. The image in my head was that the gun was in his pocket, and he had his finger on the trigger just so that he was ready in case something happened. I pictured the first bullet to be fired towards the ground because he accidentally squeezed the gun to hard when the light from the knife hit his eyes. But later on when it said that he put four more bullets into the man, making it a total of five, I looked at what I was thinking again, and figured he must've been pointing the gun in the Arab's direction.
I'm also a little confused as to why Meursault just so happened to be in the right place at the right time to have shot the Arab. I don't quite understand his reason behind wanting to go back outside to take another walk, when he had just been outside with Masson and Raymond. It's a mystery to me as far as what's going to happen now. From what I understand, Meursault's standing on the beach alongside a dead man. I want to know if anyone heard the gun being fired, and if so, who it was that heard it.
In response to Nathan
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nathan that it gave us a different view on Meursault. Earlier he doesn't show his emotions. I also agree when he says, maybe Meursault's emotions are finally catching up to him from his mother's passing. This happens often in our own lives, we get upset about something but we won't show it or talk it through, and eventually we might explode on someone or something that does not exactly deserve it.
In response to Erin
I agree that usually murders are done in an erie setting, and not the beach, during the middle of the afternoon. It's a good point bringing up the fact that Camus usually has an underlying meaning of what he's actually writing. I also think that people should focus more on Meursault expressing emotions for the first time when he brings up his maman's death.
-Joel Duensing
To David.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same way when I read that Meursault had killed the Arab. The fact that he had left in the first place to go back to the beach was really strange to me, and I'm curious to know why he had the urgency to go back there like that. Mainly due to the fact that he had just been down there, and was witness to a fight that broke out between the Arabs and Raymond and Masson. I didn't really take into consideration how much he had to drink, though, which I thought was a good point on your part. It still does confuse me as to why he shot the Arab considering the fact that he had previously stated that he didn't want to get involved in anyone's personal mess. Good job on this. I didn't think of the point you made about the alcohol.
To Allie.
You make me sound like a fourth grader. I'd have to say that your response is probaly the best one that I've read so far. I really liked the fact that attention was paid to the detail involving the four consecutive shots into the Arab. At first, with my response, I thought that the first shot was fired as a reflex because of the light reflected off the blade into Meursault's eyes. I didn't think about the four shots afterward as much as you did. I didn't go beyond thinking that the four shots fired after were made only because the first one was fired, and Meursault didn't want to make the decision of just running off and turning his back on the Arab. If that makes sense.
It was pretty easy to anticipate the actions of chapter 6. Minus the fact we all read it on the back of the book, when we read the chapter in class a lot of things started to click for me. It was like oh arabs are following our characters, oh Meursault is drunk and has a gun, oh we are four pages from the end of section 1, something dramatic might happen like a climax or something, and not one coming from marie unbelievebly,then, it did happen like we all assumed.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really think the decision was very absurd but rather realistic due to the fact that women are very annoying at times especially when a person is hot and bothered by everything else in their little world. In this case Meursault is very hot, and I imagine that he is very dehydrated and his lips taste salty from swimming again. He has been drinking and the thought of being with the same woman for the rest of his life is on his mind as well. Along with all of this some jerk is shining a light in his eyes that are already sweaty and aggravated.Its like that one thing that just pushes you over the edge into a fitting rage that you cannot even control. You wanna shine a light in my eyes when you have already made me mad twice today? Go ahead make my day it is a good enough excuse for me. I have a gun and I'm in 1946 Algeria. Problem solved. My eyes already feel better and now I can cool myself from this refreshing spring. How awesome.
I predict that part two will open with Meursault telling the group of his Indiana Jones type gunfight with the arab and then them all plotting about what they think will happen next. The couples split up except Raymond sticks with Meursault and Marie and they all head back to the city. Meursault takes the job in Paris to escape the rest of the Arab mafia where he delays marrying Marie. He learns later from a letter from Salamano that Raymond has suddenly died from an unknown reason. The remaining chapters are filled with Meursaults nerve-wrecking flight from the Arabs who have tracked him down to pay atonement. The tension is great and we are on the edge of our seats in the last chapter as we read a progression through a vivid gunbattle in which the arabs are killed and Marie is mortally wounded and closes with Meusault holding her as she fades to black while he finally emits his many emotions and feelings on his entire life and for her, wishing he would have married her. Meursault lives out the rest of his short life alone and with TB. No happy ending because there is no point to there being one and like life the book is supposed to leave you disappointed and wanting more yet never to recieve it.
I went way overboard on this response, I appologize but it was a long weekend forgive me.
To Erin,
ReplyDeleteErin you stated that M killing the Arab was strange and irrational and that usually murder takes place in a creepy place. It is for this reason that I think Camus does exactly opposite of what is the normality to make the reader think from a different perspective - an absurd perspective. "Like why did he just kill that guy for no reason? Thats the point, there is no reason. These are the murders cops don't solve because there is no motive. I appreciate your realization of Camus' complex motives for writing simply in this section.
To Everyone,
ReplyDeletePretty much everyone's comments that I have read go something like this..."Wow I never expected Meursault to kill that guy I was so shocked it was so suprising..." I think everyone is looking at the story from the wrong perspective. The perspective of the modern american christian. Step into the shoes of Camus and realize what his background is that makes him write the way he does. He thinks of things from the perspective of a broken person. There is no point to what I do so therefore I can do whatever I want. To the Chrisitian this seems crazy just like a Christian would never not cry at their mother's funeral or pass up an opportunity to live in Paris or murder a stranger. Existentialism is all aobut the physical being and how that is the extent of our existance. So if this dude murdered this other guy well so what thats fine. In the world of the existentialist there is no rhyme or reason, responsibility or accountability for anything so if something bad happens to me then so what because I shouldn't be here in the first place. I might as well feel good while im in this miserable existance so pour me a glass of wine, light up a cigarrette and Marie, I'll hang out with you later. ... Get my point?