An Absurd Court for an Absurd Crime
In The Stranger, the court in which Meursault is tried is as absurd as Meursault's crime. Even before Meursault enters the courtroom, we see the absurdity of the machinery of justice. From the very first moment, "Nobody seemed very interested in [Meursault's] crime" -- the magistrate who examines Meursault only does so because he is "curious" a week later.
The judiciary system pays absolutely no attention to the dead Arab, or his family. Even before the court meets, "there had been some investigations into [Meursault's] private life," asking about Maman's funeral. When Meursault tells his lawyer that he will not say things that are not true, his own lawyer becomes almost disgusted with him, insinuating that things "could get pretty nasty for [Meursault]." However the most condemning thing about this court is shown when Meursault, like many of us, points out "none of this had anything to do with [Meursault's] case." The lawyer responds, "it was obvious [you/Meursault] had never had any dealings with the law."
Another part of the absurdity is how disconnected Meursault feels from his own case. After Meursault's first tumultuous meeting with the magistrate, he has more mentioned in passing, also with his lawyer. Meursault describes the meetings as, "on those occasions, the never really paid much attention to me." In the court room as well, Meursault feels like "breaking in on all of them and saying, 'Wait a minute! Who's the accused here? Being the accused counts for something. And I have something to say!'" (Notice how the ever-stoic Meursault actually uses exclamation points here.)
In the end, Camus' courtroom is entirely absurd. The victim is non-existent, the killer is ignored. He is accused of a murder and convicted for not crying at a funeral and for another man's crime. This is almost fitting -- an absurd court for a murder done deliberately, but without malicious intent, where "it was the sun" is *almost* a sensible defense.
I think the court serves to help Meursault come to terms with the absurdity of his life as much as that concept threatens and terrifies the court's members. In the end, it is Meursault's conviction, sentence, and impending execution that finally push him to his outburst and epiphany.
The judiciary system pays absolutely no attention to the dead Arab, or his family. Even before the court meets, "there had been some investigations into [Meursault's] private life," asking about Maman's funeral. When Meursault tells his lawyer that he will not say things that are not true, his own lawyer becomes almost disgusted with him, insinuating that things "could get pretty nasty for [Meursault]." However the most condemning thing about this court is shown when Meursault, like many of us, points out "none of this had anything to do with [Meursault's] case." The lawyer responds, "it was obvious [you/Meursault] had never had any dealings with the law."
Another part of the absurdity is how disconnected Meursault feels from his own case. After Meursault's first tumultuous meeting with the magistrate, he has more mentioned in passing, also with his lawyer. Meursault describes the meetings as, "on those occasions, the never really paid much attention to me." In the court room as well, Meursault feels like "breaking in on all of them and saying, 'Wait a minute! Who's the accused here? Being the accused counts for something. And I have something to say!'" (Notice how the ever-stoic Meursault actually uses exclamation points here.)
In the end, Camus' courtroom is entirely absurd. The victim is non-existent, the killer is ignored. He is accused of a murder and convicted for not crying at a funeral and for another man's crime. This is almost fitting -- an absurd court for a murder done deliberately, but without malicious intent, where "it was the sun" is *almost* a sensible defense.
I think the court serves to help Meursault come to terms with the absurdity of his life as much as that concept threatens and terrifies the court's members. In the end, it is Meursault's conviction, sentence, and impending execution that finally push him to his outburst and epiphany.
I feel like the court room in this book is similar to court room we see in movies. Each side is striving to win rather than to find out the truth or justice. This book gives us a sense that the court room in France during this time is quite ridiculous and doesn't serve any justice whatsoever. They just want their money, put someone in jail and get it over with,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that the court is absurd. I think that the court serves more as a critique of the colonial system putting very low value on the Arab's life. the fact that he is never named and never mentioned in the court could symbolize how little the colonizers care about the colonized
ReplyDeleteIt seems oddly fitting that in one of the rare instances when Meursault deploys exclamation points, it's in an *imagined* statement, not something he actually says aloud--he can only contemplate himself actually exclaiming, and when he is given the chance to speak in the courtroom, he mumbles and demurs.
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