Meursualt: a Christ of Society?

Mersault: A Christ of Society?

Albert Camus, in the novel The Stranger, presents his protagonist Mersault with lack of structure; for instance, Mersault does not adhere to social convention, rejects religion and is a staunch supporter of honesty, also structureless as it lays no concrete foundation of action. In the The Stranger, Camus highlights Mersault's values, in regard to his lack of structure, and epitomizes him to a "Christ" through ironical realization.

Ironically, Mersault is presented to reject religious structure from his life to embody a "Christ" figure. In regard to Camus' philosophy, religion is constructed by man as an attempt to find structure and meaning to an otherwise senseless existence. Thus, by society's standards, following religious structure is rational; therefore, as Mersualt rejects such religious structure, he lives irrationally, living by, like the structure of the non-causal passé composé: in the ephemerality of thought. When he awaits his execution, he subjects himself to "open to the benign indifference of the universe" (122). When faced with death Mersault realizes the universe is indifferent to his fate as he is to the complexity of the universe, and therefore calls it his "brother," (122) finding companionship in death. This also emphasized death is inevitable, as the universe's "indifference" will not be his savior. Death becomes Mersault's structure in life, basing reason as to what his existence means to die. As he does so, he asks why not face death now then later? His realization of the inevitability of death is marked by more complex sentences, subject to emotion, breaking the passé composé structure, signifying discovery of a universal outcome. Therefore Camus' literal break in prose highlights the metaphorical realization of the meaning of life when faced with death: death. It was this prescribed ending to all life forms that gave him cosmic solace. Mersault's realization to face death as the "consummation" (122) of...