I can't really compare myself to Mr. Meursalt literally, because he lives a very boring life. It seems like he's a depressed man all the time. One of the things that most impacted me was that he did not care for his mother's death. I can say this, he has one characteristic which I myself have. If you read carefully you notice that he has this ability of observing people and what is happening with them. I've always enjoyed looking at people (without being rude and invading there personal space). You can learn a lot just by paying attention to the small details. So, I believe that would be my only similarity with the character.
There was this one part during these first twenty pages which really left me thinking. When Mr. Meursalt is telling the reader what is happening during his mother's procession to her burial ground, he mentions an old man named Mr. Pérez who was always with his mother. He talks about how they leave him behind and he always tries to catch up by taking shortcuts, but that he really never seems to stay at their pace because of his limp. Afterwards Meursalt says, "Big tears of frustration and exhaustion were streaming down his cheeks. But because of all the wrinkles, they weren't dripping off (The Stranger, Part I, Chapter I, pg.18)." A long time ago I felt this way. I had to face a problem head on, and every time I looked for a short cut, but such a thing never existed. My face has no wrinkles, but as the tears of Monsieur Pérez hid on his, I used a smile to hide what was really going on in my life.
Meursalt reminds me of a character from a movie I recently watched. I relate him to that of Leonardo Di Caprio's character in Blood Diamond, Danny Archer. They are both empty men which are waiting for something interesting in their lives to occur. Mr. Meursalt has not show me yet what is it that he is waiting for, but in Blood Diamond Danny Archer is looking for this judge diamond that will get him out of Africa and when he finds it, after all he and his companion have gone through he is shot and basically sees the error of his ways.
- Why didn't Meursalt care for his mother's death and why does he feel so guilty about it?
- What ever happened to the girl who he went out with and is she ever going to reappear in the story?
- Will he ever see Monsieur Pérez again?
- What happened between Mr. Pérez and Maman?
-What is Mr. Meursalt waiting to occur in his life that will take him out of this depression?
1 comment:
My first impression of Meursalt was also that he was a depressed and boring person. But as I read i convince myself more and more that he is an extencialist, and not a depressed man.
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