Thursday, February 7, 2008
A Strange Question
During the second half of the book, Meursalt and the judge have many disputes on the belief in God and his refusal to believe. Through the trial precedings his refusal gets him in more and more trouble. Near the end he even states, "He wanted to talk to me about God again, but I went up to him and made one last attempt to explain to him that I had only a little time left and I didn't want to it on God" (114). Do you think Meursalt is doing this based on his beliefs or is he just having one last laugh on the judge?
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I believe Meursault was answering the judge based on his beliefs, not to just get a laugh. Meursault, from the beginning of the book, did not believe in God; he was never a religious person. He refused to let other people force their ideas upon him. He lived his life the way he wanted to. One tenet of existentialism is not to live by the values of others. Since Meursault did not believe in God during his life, he was not willing to turn to God right before he was going to die.
I think that Mersault was not answering the judge soley for the fact of ridiculing him. In actuality, I dont think Mersault was trying to ridicule him at all. His answers were all based upon his beliefs. Being the existentialist he is, Mersault doesn't believe in God and in effect, didn't want to waste his time talking about something he didn't believe in and that the judge was repetatively forcing upon him.
Part two of the book, Meursault and the judge were disputing about Meursault's belief in God. I believe that he is saying this based on his beliefs and not just having one last laugh on the judge. The reson why I believe that is because Meursault never believed in God in the first place. By the judge bringing up this topic is not going to change his views on it because he is an existentialist. Along with this, as states above "Being the existentialist he is," shows how no one can change the views of someone. I also think that Meursault knew by talking about God was not going to help his case.
When Meursalt tries to hurry the priest out of his cell, I beleive that this was done out of his own beliefes and not for the purpose of playing a joke on the priest. When we look at all of Meursalts actions throughout the book, we see nothing that would lead us to the conclusion that he beleives in God. We never hear him pray, nor do we see him talk to any religious figures before he is sent to prison. It would appear that Meursalt has put no stock into the Lord.
So, going back to the question, Meursalt was dismissing the priest based on his own beliefes. To play a joke on the priest would be an illogical action for Meursalt to take and, based on his personality, he couldn't do it. While reading the book, I saw Meursalt as nothing more than a simple beast/animal and no animal would pointlessly play a joke on another. Honestly, he'd have nothing to gain from such actions and the only other reasonable explination is that he simpley didn't want to talk to the priest.
I think that Meursault was really doing this based on his beliefs. Throughout the story he shows that he does not believe in God and doesn't have the time for him. So, when he knows that he is nearing his death, why now start concentrating on God if he never wanted to before. Because we know that he was an existentialis and how he felt throughout the novel, I don't think he was just trying to have "one last laugh on the judge".
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