My thesis statement:
In The Stranger, Albert Camus creates a parallel between Mersault's emotions and his environment in order to show that one's world view is formed by inner thoughts and beliefs, that reality is created within one's self. This is done through the personification of natural elements and the diction used to describe his surroundings in a way that matches his emotions of tranquility, happiness, and anxiety.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Stranger Journal #8
After reading The Stranger for the first time last summer, I did not enjoy it at all. I felt that there was only one simple message of indifference. But after re-reading the book and taking the time to analyze it, I actually really like some of the messages in it and I like Albert Camus' writing style.
This is one of the qualities in a novel like this that I think is important. The necessity to look deeper and take time to analyze a book before the messages become clear. This only makes the themes even more powerful for the reader because it feels as though he or she has thought of it themselves. The struggle to understand a book makes it worth reading. With that said, understanding a book should not be a painful struggle, but enough of one to stretch one's mind and force it to think in a new way; this is how authors change their readers. Not by telling them what life is or isn't, but making them figure it out on their own.
This is one of the qualities in a novel like this that I think is important. The necessity to look deeper and take time to analyze a book before the messages become clear. This only makes the themes even more powerful for the reader because it feels as though he or she has thought of it themselves. The struggle to understand a book makes it worth reading. With that said, understanding a book should not be a painful struggle, but enough of one to stretch one's mind and force it to think in a new way; this is how authors change their readers. Not by telling them what life is or isn't, but making them figure it out on their own.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Stranger Journal #7
Camus mirrors Mersault's emotions with a matching positive or negative environment to show that views of the world are formed by inner feelings, that reality exists within one's self.
"I went in. It was a very bright, whitewashed room with a skylight for a roof." (Camus 6) The brightness shows how overwhelmed with emotions he is. shows his confusion.
"The room was filled with beautiful late-afternoon sunlight. Two hornets were buzzing against the glass roof. I could feel myself getting sleepy." (Camus 7) As he is feeling sleepy and calm, the light is beautiful.
"It was pleasant; the coffee had warmed me up, and the smell of flowers on the night air was coming through the open door. I think I dozed off for a while." (Camus 9)
"She said, 'If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and catch a chill inside the church.' She was right. There was no way out." (Camus 17) Shows the feeling of helplessness.
(first talking about how he doesn't like Sundays, relevant?) "It was a beautiful afternoon. Yet the pavement was wet and slippery, and what few people there were were in a hurry." (Camus 21) Shows his negative outlook on life. Even though its a nice day, he brings up the negative parts.
"The sky changed again. Above the rooftops the sky had taken on a reddish glow, and with evening coming on the streets came to life." (Camus 23)
"The house was quiet, and a breath of dark, dank air wafted up from deep in the stairwell. All I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears. I stood there. motionless. And in old Salamano's room, the dog whimpered softly." (Camus 33)
"The four o'clock sun wasn't too hot, but the water was warm, with slow, gently lapping waves." (Camus 34) The waves are gentle because he is happy when he is with Marie, but later, the waves are violent because he is so anxious.
"There was the same dazzling red glare. The sea gasped for air with each shallow, stifled little wave that broke on the sand." (Camus 57)
"The blazing sand looked red to me now. We moved steadily toward the Arabs." (Camus 53) As the situation becomes more intense, the sand gets even hotter. Shows his anxiety.
"But most of the time, he was just a form shimmering before my eyes in the fiery air. The sound of the waves was even lazier, more drawn out than at noon. It was the same sun, the same light still shining on the same sand as before." (Camus 58)
"He was looking all over the place, turning around, peering into the darkness of the entryway, muttering incoherently, and then he started searching the street again with his little red eyes." (Camus 38) The entryway is so dark to represent Salamano's loneliness without his dog after he loses him.
"Referring to Marie, he said, 'She's stunning, and I'd even say charming.' After that I didn't pay any more attention to this mannerism of his, because I was absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me a lot of good." (Camus 50) Because he is happy because of Marie, the sun is a positive thing.
"The whole time there was nothing but the sun and the silence, with the low gurgling from the spring and the three notes." (Camus 55)
"The sun was the same as it had been the day I'd buried Maman, and like then, my forehead especially 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 59) Matches the emotional strain of that day, explains why he does this violent act.
"And yet something had changed, since it was back to my cell that I went to wait for the next day... as if familiar paths traced in summer skies could lead as easily to prison as to the sleep of the innocent." (Camus 97)
"I went in. It was a very bright, whitewashed room with a skylight for a roof." (Camus 6) The brightness shows how overwhelmed with emotions he is. shows his confusion.
"The room was filled with beautiful late-afternoon sunlight. Two hornets were buzzing against the glass roof. I could feel myself getting sleepy." (Camus 7) As he is feeling sleepy and calm, the light is beautiful.
"It was pleasant; the coffee had warmed me up, and the smell of flowers on the night air was coming through the open door. I think I dozed off for a while." (Camus 9)
"She said, 'If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and catch a chill inside the church.' She was right. There was no way out." (Camus 17) Shows the feeling of helplessness.
(first talking about how he doesn't like Sundays, relevant?) "It was a beautiful afternoon. Yet the pavement was wet and slippery, and what few people there were were in a hurry." (Camus 21) Shows his negative outlook on life. Even though its a nice day, he brings up the negative parts.
"The sky changed again. Above the rooftops the sky had taken on a reddish glow, and with evening coming on the streets came to life." (Camus 23)
"The house was quiet, and a breath of dark, dank air wafted up from deep in the stairwell. All I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears. I stood there. motionless. And in old Salamano's room, the dog whimpered softly." (Camus 33)
"The four o'clock sun wasn't too hot, but the water was warm, with slow, gently lapping waves." (Camus 34) The waves are gentle because he is happy when he is with Marie, but later, the waves are violent because he is so anxious.
"There was the same dazzling red glare. The sea gasped for air with each shallow, stifled little wave that broke on the sand." (Camus 57)
"The blazing sand looked red to me now. We moved steadily toward the Arabs." (Camus 53) As the situation becomes more intense, the sand gets even hotter. Shows his anxiety.
"But most of the time, he was just a form shimmering before my eyes in the fiery air. The sound of the waves was even lazier, more drawn out than at noon. It was the same sun, the same light still shining on the same sand as before." (Camus 58)
"He was looking all over the place, turning around, peering into the darkness of the entryway, muttering incoherently, and then he started searching the street again with his little red eyes." (Camus 38) The entryway is so dark to represent Salamano's loneliness without his dog after he loses him.
"Referring to Marie, he said, 'She's stunning, and I'd even say charming.' After that I didn't pay any more attention to this mannerism of his, because I was absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me a lot of good." (Camus 50) Because he is happy because of Marie, the sun is a positive thing.
"The whole time there was nothing but the sun and the silence, with the low gurgling from the spring and the three notes." (Camus 55)
"The sun was the same as it had been the day I'd buried Maman, and like then, my forehead especially 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 59) Matches the emotional strain of that day, explains why he does this violent act.
"And yet something had changed, since it was back to my cell that I went to wait for the next day... as if familiar paths traced in summer skies could lead as easily to prison as to the sleep of the innocent." (Camus 97)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Stranger Journal #6
1. How is the sun related to Mersault's mood or state of mind?
2. Why does Albert Camus use such short and choppy sentences? What effect does this have on the story?
3. In what ways does Albert Camus relate the life of Mersault to that of Sisyphus in his essay? Does this have significance for a theme?
4. Why does Albert Camus use words that suggest a routine when describing the events in the book?
5. Why does Albert Camus keep Mersault from showing emotion? Is it because he doesn't care, or can he not deal with the stress of emotional situations?
2. Why does Albert Camus use such short and choppy sentences? What effect does this have on the story?
3. In what ways does Albert Camus relate the life of Mersault to that of Sisyphus in his essay? Does this have significance for a theme?
4. Why does Albert Camus use words that suggest a routine when describing the events in the book?
5. Why does Albert Camus keep Mersault from showing emotion? Is it because he doesn't care, or can he not deal with the stress of emotional situations?
Tanner B.
4. Camus creates a character that does not react to changes in life in order to reflect his world view of absurdism, specifically that looking for answers to life will leave one unhappy.
Megan D.
2. Camus creates a character that is irritated when others show emotion in order to show his own inability to show emotion himself
Isabel H.
5. Camus makes Mersault accept the legal system because it reflects his own belief about life; the idea that searching for answers in a complex world will leave one unhappy, rather than just accepting life for what it is and not stress about understanding it, which will provide happiness.
Tate B.
1. Camus only describes weekends because he believes that during the week, everything is the same, the routine of one weekday is identical to another, while during weekends, one is not bound to a strict routine.
Shannon G.
2. Camus uses the strong relationship between Salamano and his dog to show Mersault's inability to have a relationship that requires him to show emotion.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Stranger Journal #5
Camus made his book into two parts in order to show the change in Mersault's difference in perspective on life. In the beginning of the first part of the book, when he was not interested in something, or felt that anything he was doing was unnecessary, he would satisfy his immediate wants by ending whatever he was not interested in. When the funeral director was speaking to him, Mersault decided to tune him out because he no longer wished to listen, whether this be because he didn't care or he could not handle the emotional stress of the situation. "The director spoke to me again. But I wasn't really listening anymore." (Camus, 5) In the second part of the book, it is clear that Mersault has matured in the sense that even if he wants to end something that wasn't pleasant for him, instead of ignoring it and forgetting about it, he sticks with and completes his task or even his thoughts. During Mersault's visit with Marie, he was eager to leave, but makes a mature decision to stay. "I was feeling a little sick and I'd have like to leave. The noise was getting painful. But on the other hand, I wanted to make the most of Marie's being there." (Camus, 75) This also shows how Mersault starts to use emotion when making decisions, as opposed to only logic. The reason that the book is split into two parts is to highlight the difference in Mersault's personality and view of life.
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Stranger Journal #4
When Camus refers to Mersault's facial expression as a "funeral face", is this foreshadowing for the upcoming event?
Is the sun a representation of Mersault's mood? When he is with Marie and his friends and he is happy and says that the sun is a positive thing: "I was absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me a lot of good" (Camus 50)
Why are the men always referred to as "the arabs"? Is there a reason why they are never "the men" or anything else like that?
Why did Mersault take the responsibility of holding the gun? Maybe he was trying to protect Raymond from making a bad decision with it?
I understand that the sun is a parallel of some sort for Mersault, but why is it in almost every sentence in the climatic portion of this chapter?
Is the sea metaphor another symbol that represents the anxiety of Mersault? "The sea gasped for air with each shallow, stifled little wave that broke on the sand." (Camus 57)
Is the sun a representation of Mersault's mood? When he is with Marie and his friends and he is happy and says that the sun is a positive thing: "I was absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me a lot of good" (Camus 50)
Why are the men always referred to as "the arabs"? Is there a reason why they are never "the men" or anything else like that?
Why did Mersault take the responsibility of holding the gun? Maybe he was trying to protect Raymond from making a bad decision with it?
I understand that the sun is a parallel of some sort for Mersault, but why is it in almost every sentence in the climatic portion of this chapter?
Is the sea metaphor another symbol that represents the anxiety of Mersault? "The sea gasped for air with each shallow, stifled little wave that broke on the sand." (Camus 57)
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Stranger Journal #3
Responsibilism
1. Finding happiness is the responsibility of the individual
2. God exists, but He will not solve your problems, but will point you in the right direction so you can solve them yourself
3. Destiny is created by the individual, the only fate is what we decide for ourselves
4. One must do everything in his or her power to find happiness, but not at the expense of others
5. Immediate satisfaction is not as important as long-term satisfaction; live hard now so you can live good later
6. In addition of reaping the benefits of the task, hard work can bring happiness just from the satisfaction of working hard and taking pride in your work and accomplishments
7. No matter what situation you are in, you have the ability to advance yourself in life
8. You are accountable for what happens in life; bad things will happen to you whether it is fair or unfair, but it is up to you to deal with it and move past it.
I thought of this philosophy because my parents have always stressed the lesson that you must do things for yourself in life, because nobody else will do anything for you. I didn't just write this up randomly for an English assignment, I believe in this philosophy.
1. Finding happiness is the responsibility of the individual
2. God exists, but He will not solve your problems, but will point you in the right direction so you can solve them yourself
3. Destiny is created by the individual, the only fate is what we decide for ourselves
4. One must do everything in his or her power to find happiness, but not at the expense of others
5. Immediate satisfaction is not as important as long-term satisfaction; live hard now so you can live good later
6. In addition of reaping the benefits of the task, hard work can bring happiness just from the satisfaction of working hard and taking pride in your work and accomplishments
7. No matter what situation you are in, you have the ability to advance yourself in life
8. You are accountable for what happens in life; bad things will happen to you whether it is fair or unfair, but it is up to you to deal with it and move past it.
I thought of this philosophy because my parents have always stressed the lesson that you must do things for yourself in life, because nobody else will do anything for you. I didn't just write this up randomly for an English assignment, I believe in this philosophy.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
The Stranger Journal #2
I think that Matthew Ward's translation of the book has the most literary value because I feel that it mirrors the story closer to Camus' original story. In the other book, the author clearly adapted the book to have more of an American feel to it, doing things like changing the metric system to the standard system. While this may help American readers connect to the story, I think that changing the story to fit a group of readers (no matter how small the changes are) defeats the purpose of writing a book like this. The readers should change their own views in order to connect to the story. Having originated in another place and language, I think that this book is a particularly good challenge for readers.
A good translation for the title is "unconnected". This is because throughout the book, Mersault keeps himself distanced from anything emotional (maybe he does this because he cannot handle the emotional strain of being involved in significant events). He does this in many ways, one of which is word choice towards emotional events. When he is talking about his late mother being taken out of the home, he talks about "the casket coming through the gate" (Camus 14) as opposed to using words that suggests a strong connection with his mother; he makes her a material object.
A good translation for the title is "unconnected". This is because throughout the book, Mersault keeps himself distanced from anything emotional (maybe he does this because he cannot handle the emotional strain of being involved in significant events). He does this in many ways, one of which is word choice towards emotional events. When he is talking about his late mother being taken out of the home, he talks about "the casket coming through the gate" (Camus 14) as opposed to using words that suggests a strong connection with his mother; he makes her a material object.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Stranger Journal #1
My plan for tabbing The Stranger is focusing more on the techniques that the author uses. While reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, I focused only on tabbing the themes and motifs of the book. This was helpful, but it was hard to go back and look for specific examples of the techniques that Hurston uses. Although I will still tab the motifs and themes in The Stranger, I will also tab the techniques used. Knowing where specific examples of writing techniques will help for the writing of the analysis of the book. I will keep track of the time motif, and really pay attention to setting and dialogue.
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