Week 11 Study Questions

Sorry for the delay -- I'm having problems with my web access. Here are the next week's study questions. Since we didn't get to Camus last week, I've carried over the first two questions from last Thursday for this Tuesday.

Tuesday

1. If someone you knew reacted to a loved one's death the way that Meursault reacts to his mother's death, what would you think? Is his reaction inappropriate? Is their anything wrong with him or with his attitude towards others? Based on the reading from Myth of Sisyphus, how do you think Camus would answer these questions? (Keeping in mind that the Camus, as the author, may not always agree with the views or actions of his characters.)

2. Is it wrong for Meursault to write the letter for Raymond to his mistress, even though he knows Raymond wants to harm the girl? Is it wrong for him to act as a witness to the police for Raymond? Based on the reading from Myth of Sisyphus, what would Camus say?

3. Meursault says he got used to prison, and that he imagines he could even get used to anything, even living in the trunk of a dead tree. Once he got used to prison, do you think he was less happy than when he was a free man?

4. At one point in the trial, after the caretaker's turn on the stand, Mersault says "for the first time I realized I was guilty." What does he mean? Does he mean he felt remorseful? Does he think he deserves to be punished or that the murder is his fault? If so, how do we explain his continued desire to be granted an appeal?

Thursday

1. Mersault's friends Celeste and Raymond suggest that the murder was a case of "bad luck" or "just chance." Is this true, in some sense? If so, does it mean Mersault should not be punished? Would his crime be worse if it was premeditated or if it was not?

2. The prosecutor says that Meursault is also, in a sense, guilty of another crime --a parracide (murdering one's father) committed by another person. In what way does he blame Meursault for this completely separate murder? Is he right?

3. In his final conversation with the priest, why does Meursault--after being so indifferent and dispassionate throughout the novel--suddenly become angry and start yelling at the priest? What does he mean when he says "I had been right, I was still right, I was always right"?

4. How has Meursault's character changed by the end of the novel? Does he fit Camus' description of the "absurd man" in The Myth of Sisyphus? Why or why not?