World Lit 2c: Key passage - The Outsider by Albert Camus

[Blueskynin]

Hey everyone, I'm doing my World Lit 2 right now, its a Detailed Study: Key Passage on Albert Camus's The Outsider. My passage is chosen from the final two pages where Meursault gets angry and shouts at the priest until the final line.

So far i've identified three main aspects i was going to deal with.

1) Meursaults development as a character, from detached and passive early in the novel to one that expresses anger, hope etc

-Meursaults role as a metaphorical character (teacher mentioned talking about this, not sure what to say!)

2) Camus's use of Death at pivotal points in the novel, (Mamans death, the Arabs death and Meursaults execution) to express his ideas (Absurdity of life, death is inevitable - cant escape it)

3) Camus's change in writing style e.g. change in symbols (Sky,hot - destructive to Night sky,moon,cool air - calm soothing, he comes to feel it is like a "brother")

I'd really appreciate it if you guys could help me "flesh" it out, what you think is important to mention or good examples of the above (quotes etc)

-I really need to expand on (3), right now i can only think of a change in symbol, what else about Camus's writing style changes (that i haven't noticed)?

Again any help/advice would be really helpful, my teacher's given me some advice but its been kinda... vague. Thanks in advance

[Sandwich]

Heya, no offence intended here, but isn't it the case that the 'fleshing out' type stuff is more or less where you earn all of the marks? Especially in an analysis of a key passage (I did one too, although different novel! ) it's coming up with these ideas which is where the points are, and if we were to do it, we'd more or less be writing very significant chunks of your essay for you (!). I think generally people tend to give only quite generalised advice - to the point of quotes etc. is a little too specific to say that at the end of the day, your essay is still 100% your own work.

What I did with mine, if this helps you at all, is to go through it line by line. If it's only two pages, your extract should be of roughly the right length to translate into a 1500 word essay. Try and find something of significance in every sentence, if you can, and then pool all your ideas at the end and decide which are the best. You should also mention why you chose the extract as, if I am not mistaken, that's one of the criteria (check) - so with reference to the general plot (actually you should refer everything out to the general plot as much as possible to show general understanding of the text), you need to make it clear why you reckon it qualifies as 'key'.

Going through it with a fine toothcomb always yields enough to go on with, and you can't possiby miss anything

As for Mersault as a metaphorical character, I've never read The Outsider, but perhaps Mersault exemplifies what it is that Camus is trying to say? I know that Camus is famous for his Absurdist philosophy, so is it perhaps the case that the life he leads and the experiences he has all demonstrate the Absurd? Roughly speaking, the idea of the Absurd links back to Camus' original idea about the myth of Sisyphus (basically a greek myth with some guy pushing a boulder up a hill over and over again - when he gets to the top, it rolls back down past him and he has to repeat the whole process with no apparent end) and that Sisyphus actually came to find a purpose in what he was doing simply because he fell in love with the boulder. Not love as in romantic love, but as in he grew fond of the task, even though there was plainly no point in it. Philosophically, the whole point of the absurd is that, although life is absurd (there's no apparent point in our own version of 'rolling the boulder', or whatever), it doesn't actually prevent life from being worth living. My guess is that if Mersault goes from being detached and passive (i.e. he's still having a really rubbish time with the boulder and the repetition) and then to a state of strong emotions (anger, hope etc.), it would actually exemplify Camus' notion of the absurd. I hope that explanation makes sense (and is correct!). Obviously you want to talk about English, so it'd be about the development of the character, but you can talk about characters as a tool used by the author to show or reveal something, and in that sense, I expect you could discuss it.

Hope none of that was what you knew already.

[Blueskynin]

Heya, no offence intended here, but isn't it the case that the 'fleshing out' type stuff is more or less where you earn all of the marks? Especially in an analysis of a key passage (I did one too, although different novel! ) it's coming up with these ideas which is where the points are, and if we were to do it, we'd more or less be writing very significant chunks of your essay for you (!).

Not offended at all! It's just that i've gone over the passage again and again looking for stuff, i guess the best way to explain is it that i've seen most of what i can interpret to be important, i was just hoping someone would have a "different take" or notice something i might have missed.

What I did with mine, if this helps you at all, is to go through it line by line. You should also mention why you chose the extract as, if I am not mistaken, that's one of the criteria (check) - so with reference to the general plot (actually you should refer everything out to the general plot as much as possible to show general understanding of the text), you need to make it clear why you reckon it qualifies as 'key'.

Helpful!

I guess I could go into more detail about why my passage is key (brings together all of Camus's ideas etc)

As for Mersault as a metaphorical character, I've never read The Outsider, but perhaps Mersault exemplifies what it is that Camus is trying to say? I know that Camus is famous for his Absurdist philosophy, so is it perhaps the case that the life he leads and the experiences he has all demonstrate the Absurd?

Good "take" on it, i'll look into that.

Hope none of that was what you knew already.

Some new things for me to consider and some stuff i already have i can consolidate with what you've mentioned.

Thanks for taking the time to reply with such detail Sandwich! Very much appreciated

[deissi]

MEURSAULT, NOT MERSAULT. It kills me to see people say that .

[Sandwich]

MEURSAULT, NOT MERSAULT. It kills me to see people say that .

LOL, my apologies!

Quick reading = rubbish reading.

I hope you feel better soon and decide not to take your own life

[zYvy]

I think you should try reading Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus. There he discusses his views on life etc. and I believe it helps you understand The Stranger (or The Outsider). You should probably discuss absurdism.. But don't focus too much on it. Writing style is very important as IB english puts great emphasis on literary features.

Notice that Meursault usually never displays much emotion. When Marie asks him if he loves her, he says it doesn't matter but no, he doesn't think he does.

By the end of the book he is yelling at the top of his lungs. "I was pouring out on him everything that was in my heart, cries of angers and cries of joy."

Hmm.. Also I don't know if you noticed but in the last 3 pages Meursault just keeps on rambling on and on about what's in his head. "I had been right, I was still right, I was always right." He sounds very frantic. Whereas earlier in the book he is always very plain, cold and structured.

Take a close look at these quotes:

"I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the universe"

"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."

Good luck!

EDIT:

If you don't have a lot of time on your hands.. The myth of sisyphus might be too hard a read. Just try to read something about absurdism then.

Also, notice Camus' diction.

Edited May 9, 2009 by zYvy