The need to hide behind barriers...

The Stranger

Ch 3-4 (pgs. 25 through 39)

Well, I just finished reading Chapter 3 and 4 from The Stranger. In this section, it is pretty obvious that Camus is trying to distract the reader. He's always describing every single person around Monsieur Meursault, as if trying to avoid having to describe anything about a character that possible represents him. Camus constantly recurs to show Meursault's indifference to emotions and people as well as the emptyness that surrounds his life.

It's very similar to a movie I watched this weekend, No Reservations (with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart). The main character, Kate Armstrong, is a renowned chef at a famous New York restaurant, however, she submerges herself in her food and in her work to avoid her loneliness and having to deal with her past (her mother died when she was little, and her father was never home). She shuts people out from her life, and doesn't let anyone in. Just like Meursault did with Marie when she asked him if he would marry her and if he loved her. He said he agreed to marry, but that he probably didn't love her. That "probably" completely hides his true emotions, and he sinks into silly excuses so he can avoid opening up. In the movie, Kate did the same thing with Nick Palmer, however she finally let him come in and opened herself up to him completely. I wonder if Meursault will ever do that with anyone?

I thought I'd compare Kate and Meursault because they have very similar character traits and personalities. They both seem to be emotionless and cold, yet underneath there's some sort of humbleness to them. At the same time, that indifference and strong barrier they build just represent all the insecurities and traumas that burden their day to day lives. I dare to predict that eventually all that indifference will come back to haunt Monsieur Meursault, and something drastic or a new character will come and change completely his outlook on life, or will he?