1.
Are there any other “crimes” with which
Meursault is charged, besides murder? If so, what are they?
2.
Is he mentally insane? Does/should he qualify
for an insanity plea?
3.
On the surface he seems very different from “normal”
society; is that difference authentic? Does he seem to be more of an “outsider”
than he really is or does his atypical nature run even deeper than it appears
to on the surface?
4.
What is the significance of the magistrate’s question
about Meursault’s pausing between gunshots, and the significance of Meursault’s
refusal to answer?
5.
Why does the magistrate become so upset about
Meursault’s atheism?
1. The unexpected optimism Meursault manifested in jail, in terms of his attempts to be friendly and natural with the lawyer and the magistrate as anyone else, so overwhelmed himself that he did not even aware of him being a criminal, suggests his abnormality and a strong symptom of trauma, which could be interpreted as another "crime" from the lawyer's perspective. However, I do not think it as much serious a case to be named a "crime", but a sole judgement from others standing in the context of a social norm created by other humans. And for its own sake, the lawyer's subsequent approach to "help" Meursault arose from his own assumption of Meursault's insanity and insensitivity was not right. Even Meursault shocked him by saying "at one time or another all normal people have wished their loved ones were dead", a confession seemed specious and arguable, the lawyer should not confirm his doubts simply by the statement and disregarded Meursault's firm belief in "wishing his maman had not died".
ReplyDelete2. Partially maybe. Because the response he rendered to the lawyer regarding his feelings towards his maman's death was true and honest. That a random person may also give such a cold answer if he ever experienced something depressing, which in this case, we the readers do not know what might have happened between Meursault and his maman that attributed to the distanced relation. On the other hand, a insane person tend to appear to say things out of logic while answering questions. However Meursault clearly knew what he was talking about and insisted on his honest testimony, objecting the lawyer's suggestions that maman's death had a great negative impact on him. And Meursault was pretty candid in his confession, despite not like other criminals who may show great repentance, that at least he behaved as impassively as usual. Other than that, Meursault's unawareness of his charged as a killer was rather weird, that he did treat himself as a criminal at the point and thus talking to the lawyer and the magistrate in a hope to making a normal acquaintance. Therefore he chose to argue against what was not true and defended himself against people who were willing to help him, in contrast with most other criminals who usually demonstrate great cooperation to lessen their punishment. In addition to that, Meursault's increasingly relaxing state showed evidence of his insanity.
3. To be honest from my stance, now as a reader our time, do not think atheist cause Meursault an intolerable trouble. And despite his answer did distinct himself from his contemporaries, even "made the magistrate's life meaningless", but in fact Meursault's answer made quite a lot sense to me. And he was being honest, like he felt hot and was bothered by the filies, therefore he felt annoyed more than sorry, and he insisted say no that he did not believe in God. Everyone has such moments in life, but people thought Meursault demented just because he was not supposed to act like that as a criminal? If judge him in the norm created in the normal, he is indeed an "outsider", but if put aside the condition of being a killer in jail, I would say he is much better in social interacting with others.
(I suspect myself being used to the character and put much too myself in the shoes, thus intending to defend Meursault?)
Is his lack of awareness a crime or an excuse for his crime?
Delete4. The magistrate was expecting a great and sincere confession from Meursault and therefore he would forgive him in the power of God. Meursault's refusal to answer maybe a really easy question that he simply did not know how to say, as we're already know from previous chapters, he was a quite reserved and indifferent person and often he would stop saying anything during a conversation. This time facing the magistrate, I think Meursault was being consistent. Even a normal person, who would like to share his experience of seeing blood and the red sand spreading on the beach? Thinking for Meursault, perhaps the magistrate was the one who needed to break down such a big question and asked something more in detail to draw Meursault's answer.
ReplyDelete5. Couldn't quite understand religion and its power upon a pious follower....
My questions:
1. What made Meursault so interesting to the magistrate that he intended to help Meursault?
2. Does Meursault has a free will ?
(I think he does, shown in Part 2 Ch1, because he insisted in his answer and appeared no pretense. And he was enacting his rights to be himself such as not lying for a lessened sentence, or not believing in God. Such ideas were never wavering in Meursault's mind.)
3. What's the significance of the name "Meursault Antichrist"? Irony?
4. How to justify that Meursault felt himself become "one of them" as the interrogation went on?
#3
DeleteI think that his name makes him more strange because Christianity is the one of popular religions in the world.
2. I am not totally convinced that Meursault is in fact insane but I do believe he would be qualified for admittance to a mental asylum and could win a plea argument based on insanity. However, I am confident he will NOT do a plea argument especially not one that says he is insane. Meursault knows what he did is wrong and that it is not acceptable to kill people. I feel he could win an insanity plea because of his unique thinking process that Patrick mentioned in class on Friday and because the way he views the world differs so vastly from a lot of other humans.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Meursault knows that what he did was wrong. He didn't mention that anywhere in the chapter. What he said was (p.70) : "He simply asked me [...] if I was sorry for what I had done. I thought about it for a minute and said that more than sorry I felt kind of annoyed". I don't even think he felt guilty.
Delete4. I think the significance of the pause between gun shots is similar to many murder cases today. The first gun shot could be viewed as in the moment and just pure instinct such as in a self defense case. But the pause followed by four additional shots makes it appear that the person thought about what they were doing and proceeded with almost premeditated shots that are view much more harshly that the first reactionary shot. I think this is what the magistrate is trying to discover in Meursault's case. I think he wants to know whether the "extra" shots occured after Meursault knew what he was doing. The magistrate most likely assumes the first shot was in the moment and could be much easier to defend in court but the extra shots are much more suspicious and incriminating, thus his inquiry into the situation of what was going on in Meursault's head at the time of the shots.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeff that the first gun shot happened incidentally, and the "extra" shots were made deliberately, since he knew he killed a person at the first shot. The "extra" shots is revealing his true nature when he came upon to kill a person.
Deleteyes there is a significant meaning between the first shot and the other four. While I agree that the first shot may come out from a intrinsic self-defense, the rest four shots are not done by will. Under the extremely fierce heat when Meursault sweltered, he didn't know what he was doing as he always behaves. I'd rather believe his other four shots are out of control, which is still similar to many of the murder cases nowadays, in particular if the killer is young. If it's the first time to conduct murder, the killer tends to be panic by himself, then leading to the following crazy shots.
DeleteIs he just coming upon his "true nature" when he fires the extra shots? Does he, or do we, discover something new in these extra shots?
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Doesn't the pause between the shots suggest that he had more time to think and more time gain control?
2. I do not think Meursault is insane at all. He is fully aware of his actions and he knows that they were wrong. His thought process and social interactions could be considered questionable for a sane person, so I understand how some view him as insane. Meursault's personality and mind state are so different from what is considered "normal", that one could only think something is wrong with him. I agree that something is wrong with him or he has faced some sort of traumatic experience, which has caused him to behave the way he does.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he might have faced some sort of traumatic experience because he says that he LOST the habit of analyzing himself, but I didn't find quotations that he knows his actions were wrong. (?)
Delete4. The pause between gunshots is very significant. If he had shot all of the bullets at once, it would seem like a self-defense case. He had no time to react, and was protecting himself. However, he had enough time to pause. This means he was no longer in danger, had enough time to think about what to do, and still shot him again. This makes the case seem like murder instead of just protecting himself. For the sheriff, Meursault refusing to answer is a sign of his guilt. He does not have a good answer for why he stopped. In the sheriff's mind, he is guilty.
ReplyDeleteWhat if a shot is not enough to do a self-defense? At that time, Meursault couldn’t see anything. He was not professional shooter. The first shot could be missed and even though it wasn’t missed, the shot could do nothing or make the guy angry so that Meursault can be endangered. I think Meursault’s refusal is reasonable because the answer is needless to say and can be lead to him badly. Furthermore, the answer is what the other side want to hear to make him as a killer and feel guilty.
DeleteI agree with Evan, there was no reason for Meursault to shoot the man again after he is on the ground. At that point he is defenseless. He is suffering from the first shot. Meursault was no longer in danger because the man was no longer attacking him. I think that the fact that Meursault shot the man a second time after a pause means he's guilty. If there was no pause it would have been reactionary, but he had time to think about it and decided to shoot him. This makes him a murderer.
Delete1. While murdering was the only legal crime he committed, lawyer assumed his indifference as one of the serious “crime” he committed. When Meursault was asked whether he felt anything to the mom’s death, or he was insensitive to his mom’s death. He answered by saying that, “I had pretty much lost the habit of analyzing myself and that it was hard for me to tell him what he wanted to know.” Feel any emotions from mother’s death do not need any process of analyzing. It is a common sense that people feel sad when one of their family members faced death. For lawyer, Meursault was the exception of the human nature, therefore the lawyer treated him as if he was not alive: “He was disgusted by him.”
ReplyDelete2. He is definitely qualified for an insanity plea, rather it is even logical not to treat him as a human nature. He is consistently showing his indifference even though he is not in a pleasant situation. In situation like this, criminals would rather listen to lawyer and give as much as information is needed. He does not aware the seriousness of the situation, instead I feel like he is enjoying the situation itself that he was imprisoned. He does not follow the logics, and that’s why not only lawyer but also other people is disgusted by Meursault.
4. The reason magistrate asked the question about the gun shot was to see his earnestness and his true characteristic as a human. Since sweat went into his eyes, and the sun was shining too brightly, he could have shot accidently; however, after the pause he was already aware of the situation, that he killed a person. His refusing to answer this question proves that he did really kill the person deliberately. While he was honest, he never denied the gunshots after the pause.
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Delete#1: This is a really interesting idea; of course, we do not consider "indifference" a legal crime, but do we consider it a moral crime when it is in response to the death of his mother, or marriage to Marie, or killing a man? Will his jury or judge likely consider this a legal and/or moral crime? Are we fair to judge him harshly for this? Is he very different from us?
Delete1. If Mersault actually has emotions somewhere deep down inside him then yes I think he has committed a crime, a crime against himself. It is very unhealthy to keep emotions, especially such extreme ones that could be a product of the recent events that have happened in his life, bottled up. It is a crime to mentally and emotionally harm yourself that way because if I were in Mersault's position I could not act in the same way as he does. But maybe Mersault does not have those emotions or has never learned and developed an idea of what they are so when he his mood is getting worse maybe that is when he says it is getting hot but when he is fine the weather is fine to him. I dont know..
ReplyDelete2. I personally don't think that Mersault is insane. I agree with Jeff when he says he could be plea insane but he is fully aware of his actions and he knows that what he did was wrong. He also knows that he does not act as most people in society does. I dont want to say he isn't normal because maybe in his eyes he is somewhat normal and everyone else around him is crazy. He knows that he is different but I dont think he believes that it is wrong how he is.
2)
DeleteDoes Mersault really know that what he did was wrong? If he does't, is he not crazy for thinking murder is okay?
2. I personally think that Meursault is not insane, but something about his personality leads me to believe that there might be something wrong with him. He admitted that at one point doesnt everyone want their loved ones dead, which isnt something normal thinking person would say, especially after commiting a murder. I think that if the magistrate did an investigation on whether he was insane they would deem him insane, because of his personality and his way of thinking
ReplyDelete4. I agree with Evan that the pause between gushots is very significant, because if he shot them all at once then he could plea self defense. I thiknk that the reason he shot one first and then paused is, because he was delirious when he shot the first one and paused to come back from the state and realize what he had done. Then he shot four more trying to make it look like it was self defense. When he is being asked question by his lawyer it confuses me why he cant answer the question of why he paused. By not answering the question it makes him look more guilty and makes it harder for him to have a case that is in his favor.
Is Meursault unable to answer the question, or does he not want to?
Delete2. I agree with Patrick in that Meursault is not insane. As he stated, Meursault is aware of his actions. While at the time of the shooting, he may have been overcome with fear and drenched in heat and confusion, he still understands and accepts what he's done. I think part of the reason he gives such short, unapologetic and honest answers to everyone is because he did not kill a man. While he knows what he's done, he is still coming to terms with the fact that he actually murdered a man and may still be somewhat surprised with himself.
ReplyDelete4. I completely agree with Evan. Meursault can not plea insanity or self-defense because he knowingly and voluntarily killed a man. While I'm still unsure of why Meursault paused and shot 4 more bullets, I know that he was not in any grave danger just before doing so. I do feel as though he could have ran after the first bullet was shot, but I think that might exhibit a feeling of fear, one that I'm not sure Meursault knows how to convey.
5. I think the magistrate is so appalled at Meursault's atheism because he is used to being surrounded by people like himself, and Meursault is clearly different. I think he's also shocked that even soon after the death of his mother, Meursault has not taken up any faith in god. Especially after he murdered a man without having any prior plan to do so, he is amazed that Meursault is not repenting.
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ReplyDelete#2
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that Meursault is not insane. It is true that he can be seen as insane person because he seems to have no ability to understand other’s emotion and Meursault’s background is uncertainty. However, it is hard to say that he is insane. The reason is that he can control his behavior as well as emotion. For example, at his mother’s funeral, Meursault just thought that woman who cried want to be quiet. He never does act that makes woman be quiet. He seems to have different kind of emotion. Like what I said in the class before, I think Meursault has his own type of expressing emotion or recognizing emotion. The reason is that one of his frequent answer, “I didn’t say anything”, tells that Meursault doesn’t know how to express his idea or emotion sometimes because he knows what emotion should tell but he can’t feel like what others feel.
Moreover, Meursault can’t be qualified for an insanity plea. Insane means Someone who is insane has a mind that does not work in a normal way, with the result that their behaviour is very strange. Meursault was not abnormal. He could do anything like other’s do. Only difference between him and others is that way to express the emotion and to bring the emotion ou
2. I agree with Patrick and Bronte that Meursault is not insane. He's aware that killing people is wrong, and that he deserves to be punished for what he did. However, the way he reacts to situations is not consistent with the way normal people behave. For example, he tells the lawyer that "at one time or another all normal people have wished their loved ones were dead," which upsets the lawyer (Camus, 65). I think Meursault tries to convince himself he's normal and sometimes tries to be normal, but he cannot. People are taken back by Meursault's behavior. For instance, when he says that he lovee Maman "the same as anyone," the person who was steadily typing stops and loses his place (Camus, 67). People might view Meursault as insane, but I think he's more strange than crazy. He might qualify for an insanity plea because of his bizarre behavior, but he probably will not accept the plea because he knows he should be in jail for murder.
ReplyDeleteTo answer Nianci's question about whether or not Meursault has free will, I would say yes and no. He seems to be really affected by the heat, and loses control as a result, but I'm not sure if he is being an honest narrator. He might be using that as an excuse for his actions. This ties into question 4. I think he fired the first shot because he felt pressure from the heat and was scared the man on the beach would come after him. The last 4 shots were more conscious, though. Meursault had time to think about what he'd done, and the man was clearly on the ground, unable to attack him. I think this is why Meursault does not answer the magistrate who asks him why he paused between the first and second shot.
5. The magistrate becomes so upset because Meursualt does not appear to care about religion. The magistrate probably gets a great reaction when he tries to convert criminals to Christianity, because they believe they'll be forgiven and get a lesser sentence if god is on their side. Meursault, however, does not seem to want to be forgiven. He also does not buy the magistrate's story about Jesus's suffering. The magistrate tells Meursault he has "never seen a soul as hardened as [his]" (Camus, 69). Meursault doesn't look like he has any remorse for his actions, which troubles the magistrate.
ReplyDeleteI've been questioning about the magistrates lecture about religion. I don't know if it was his strategy used all the time on criminals or he was overly religious?
DeleteSo at that time, if a criminal is a Christian, no more what crime he or she committed, he would be forgiven? Is religion still a serious issue in today's world when came upon to judge one's sin?
DeleteMini question: Meursault is what kind of person? Why author put him in the story instead of the guy who absolutely insane?
ReplyDeleteMeursault is anything but insane. He is normal, just like both of us, except he is dealing with numerous problems all at one time. He isn’t facing his mother’s death, which is haunting him to believe, think and act in an inhuman way. His mother plays a big role in Meursault’s character, for her leaving his life shapes and shifts his mentality and personality; but that does not make him insane. He is different; he sees life in a different manner, but it is only a matter of time. He will eventually find his peace of mind, and find a way to express his hidden emotions.
DeleteIs he mentally insane? Does/should he qualify for an insanity plea?
ReplyDeleteI think that Mersault is mentally insane because on p. 65 he says: “Nevertheless I answered that I had pretty much lost the habit of analyzing myself and that it was hard for me to tell him what he wanted to know”
I do not think a person, who does not have an ability to understand or at least feel sorry for such a murder is mentally stable. Court should decide that Meursault is irresponsible and send him to a mental institution. Other points from the story that makes me question if he is mentally ill are when he agrees to write a letter for Raymond and then goes to the police as a witness that Raymond’s girl cheated on him – he does not think twice about these situations that do not require much of an analytic thinking. For a mentally healthy person the “what if” question would ascend in the mind right away, but for Mersault it does not.
5. Why does the magistrate become so upset about Meursault’s atheism?
Probably magistrate wanted to see if Meursault is even a little bit humane because if so – the charges would be lessened. For ex. If Meursault gave some reason for a murder: that he was sorry and that the murder was not intended – that his mother had just passed away, so he was unsure of what he was doing. But when the magistrate saw that Meursault is not reacting to his speech about God – he became upset because it was clear for him that Meursault is going to get full charges. Therefore, on p. 70 Meursault says: “ The magistrate seemed to have lost interest in me and to have to come to some sort of decision about my case.”
"I do not think a person, who does not have an ability to understand or at least feel sorry for such a murder is mentally stable."
Delete->
I think that Mersault has different mental not a mental illness. Mersault has an ability to understand because on p.39 it is said that "I realized he was crying. For some reason I thought of Maman."
I've been questioning the magistrate's lecture about religion. I don't know if it was his strategy used all the time on criminals or he was overly religious?
ReplyDeleteMeursault is charged for being different or "abnormal" because his indifference and lack of emotion make it harder for others to relate to him. Eventually when Meursault stands trial it will probably be easier to condemn him for what he has done against the law becauseeven though the jury is not supposed to be biased they are still human beings and when they look at Meursault who's personality goes against human nature they it will be easier to deal out a harsher sentence to Meursault.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. I think the jury is going to convict him of something completely different then what they should be. They're going to be convicting him of being strange rather then for the death of the arab.
Delete2) I believe that Meursault is mentally insane because he is not affected by the realization that he has killed another person. Even if it is in self defense, I think most people would be strongly affected by what they were able to do. But Merusault shows no remorse. I think this make him crazy.
ReplyDelete2.) I think this is a really tough question. For me, I'm thinking along the fact that does he deserve that plea? Should he really have to prove that? There is a possibility that he is normal but that there is something else going on. He could be "normal" or "ok" by our standards but from what I can tell, meursault has an uphill battle to climb. The magistrate is going to want to convict him because he is so emotionless and seems so strange and confusing to him. I would imagine that the magistrate is already biased. But if Meursault pleads insanity,he will be locked up forever and on medication or worse. If he doesn't, he has a chance to get back to his life, and knowing Meursault, I think we would rather be able to live out in the world he is happy with then live in a jail sell or a padded room.
ReplyDelete