Fate is a concept only applicable when you think your future has a purpose, and controlling your destiny is just a way for one to ensure their future has the right purpose. The main character, Meursault, in the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus challenges much more than the concept of fate. It delves deeper, into the very concept of the purpose of our being.
Our culture breeds for us to have aspirations, dreams, and ambitions Its natural logic for we all want to "achieve." However Meursault denies this by his every action in the book or better yet every inaction. This inaction is easily spied throughout the novel. This is once displayed by Meursault twice within a matter of hours. His boss asked if he would like to move to Paris to work at another office. Meursault simply states his indifference because "lives never really change" which causes irritation for his boss. The boss proceeds to state that Meursault has no ambition. Another Instance is when Marie, a love interest, asks him to marry her and he simply states he does not see why not, it really wouldn't make a difference. This lack of ambition and overall indifference is an outlet for Camus to illustrate an unusual attitude of life. One that is simply not caring, completely oblivious to the concept that life has no purpose and therefore ignoring the concepts of fate or future. This is further supported when Mursault is preparing oto be executed and concludes it does not matter if he dies tomorrow or in twenty years thus insinuating those twenty years would have no purpose and life would be meaningless.
This is a stark contrast to the society I ahve grow up in where it has been bred to seek social approval. I mean we all want to be liked don't we? However it does not bother Meursault even after killing a man he shows no remorse, at his trial He cares not what the jury thinks of him, because of this he is free of the burdens society bears on so many of us. Now this is an extreme but I think we could all use a little more Meursault.
An interesting angle on M--that the future is not as important as the present.
ReplyDeleteI would beg to differ that M is uncaring of how others think of him--it is at the court when he first realizes how hated he is and thus, he cries.