Second Paragraph

Meurault’s lack of emotion over the death of his mother and, eventually, his own death, may seem unimaginable; however, the reader can also perceive his actions as noble- as he does not act in a certain way solely dependent on how others might perceive him. “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday.” (1) A seemingly trivial detail, the date that Maman died is Meursault’s chief concern. The indifferent way in which Meursault describes his mother’s death proves not only a disconnect to his family, but also to the outside world. Ultimately this peculiarity leads to his demise in court. “As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” Meursault describes the world as being indifferent and then compares it to himself: which makes Meursault unemotional to life and death as well. The reader sees this when Meursault wishes for there to be more hateful words at his execution, a very different perspective than the scared and somber feelings one would most likely feel. Meursault’s indifference towards death may seem inconsistent with a more “normal” point of view; however, he simply does not feel remorseful and instead of putting on a façade, he speaks of his true feelings- or lack thereof.