Who is right and who is wrong? Thoughts after reading "The Stranger"

"The Stranger" is a French literary classic of the 20th century and won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Its author is the famous French literary master Camus, a literary master who looked at the world with a smile and had insight into human nature. This book does not use literary masterpieces as its selling point, but its new positioning is to cater to modern people's spiritual loneliness in the material world. The cover was taken by the master of photography Cartier-Bresson. Camus's eyes and form in the photo directly touched the unruly hearts of young people and aroused readers' screams. This book tells the story of how the protagonist Meursault shot and killed an Arab five times because the sun was too bright, and was later tried and sentenced. The literary master Camus has attracted countless fans with his unique writing style. Teacher Zhao Xiaoli of Tsinghua University recommended it for reading.

Meursault in my eyes

The protagonist Meursault in this book is a man with his own independent thoughts, maverick, lonely, indifferent, and incompatible with the established social pattern. . Just from the indifference he showed when he learned that his mother passed away in a nursing home, the impatience he showed when he kept a wake for his mother, and the relief he felt after his mother was buried, he even thought that "every sane person has more or less hoped for what he wants." "The one you love dies", you can see that Meursault is a person who is outside the traditional understanding. Meursault has his own work, life and friends, as well as a female friend Mary. In his relationship with Mary, Meursault still maintains his unique character. He even admits that he cannot explain himself. How much affection does he have for Mary? Maybe she is just a female friend who appears when he needs him. The two of them get along well and maintain such a relationship. I think he never thought about marrying Mary. He didn't even think about being a husband one day. It was not until the court not long after that, when Mary tried her best to defend him, but became more and more confused, and felt that her words not only did not help him but hurt him, and she felt sorry and cried bitterly, Meursault probably really I felt the love from Mary, but it was too late.

How Meursault became the murderer

The stalemate on the beach, the heat wave in the air, the dazzling sunlight, the other party's sword drawn at each other, "the shining sword can be vaguely seen in the haze" The blade dangled in front of my eyes, gnawing at my eyelashes, and penetrated into my painful eyes. From this moment on, the world completely changed." In this way, Meursault fired at the other party, realizing that he had destroyed this place. When a perfect day destroyed the peace and tranquility on the beach and the happiness he once had here, he fired four more shots at the motionless body lying on the ground. How to explain the last four shots? The examining judge and the prosecutor have always wanted to know the answer from Meursault. However, after many unsuccessful interrogations, the examining judge who seemed a little angry lost his patience with Meursault, and the prosecutor directly Meursault's usual maverick behavior can be used to deduce the reason why he fired four shots in a row. Although the author did not give an answer until the end, I think the reason behind this is Meursault's anger and indifference. He has always been self-centered and views the world's attitude towards it in his own way. Therefore, he hated this man for ruining his sunshine and beauty of the day and disrupting his life. "The bullet was deeply embedded in the human body and disappeared." Only then did he calm down the anger in his heart.

Meursault’s Coming of Age Ceremony

At the beginning of his imprisonment, Meursault still had the mentality of a free man. He felt that his case was simple and he would definitely be acquitted. , you don’t even need to hire a lawyer. After the examining magistrate assigned him a lawyer, he initially did not even take his meeting with the lawyer seriously. As soon as he arrived in the cell, Meursault asked the prison guard to return the confiscated cigarettes to him. When he was told that it was forbidden at this time, he couldn't understand "why they wanted to deprive themselves of this right that would not hurt anyone." Later, he just understood that this was also a punishment. He did not feel that he was a criminal suspect. He must abide by the rules of the prison and the laws when he was detained in prison. Later, in court, the prosecutor dug into his past affairs and accused him of indifference based on his attitude towards his mother's funeral, his fraternity with the "pimp" Raymond, and his unclear relationship with Mary. , or the lawyer tried his best to separate his murder from his character. Meursault always felt that he was an outsider and had nothing to say. He felt that "I was right in the past, and I am still right now. I have always been right, this is my way of life, and it can be completely different if I want to.”

In the end, Meursault was sentenced to death. I would like to say that the judges and prosecutors who handled Meursault's murder case did extend the fact of his murder to his indifferent character. Therefore, Meursault said "I know there is no place for me in this world, but, you Why should I judge my soul?” But is this necessarily inappropriate? Under the criminal law system, aren't the social harm and personal danger of a criminal suspect also factors in the judgment? Judges and prosecutors also need to use this to identify whether they are a dangerous person, right?

Before his execution, Meursault, a "foreigner" who had always been outside the rules of society, realized for the first time how similar he was to the indifference of the world, as close as brothers. What I want to say to Meursault is that everything has a law and a degree. Even if you are blind to the rules of this world and have no scruples, and are a "foreigner" in this society, it does not mean that you are a "foreigner" in this world. The rules don't apply to you.

As long as you do not violate the provisions of the law, you can be as indifferent as you want in your own world. You can think that life is completely absurd and all family, friendship and love are worthless. No one can judge your soul, but as long as you violate the law If the law stipulates, the law will definitely give you corresponding sanctions, no matter how ridiculous this sanction seems to you.