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I'm quite happy to see the results of the poll, as well as the posts. I voted for: '**** Don't forget to unplug the phone for this one!'
I want to start picking up French one of these days, so I can read the French philosophical literature exactly as it was intended to be read. I already know German (Marx, Nietzsche, etc.)
But with that said, I might as well pick up Russian too... yikes, the alphabet.
Camus' prose is very simple and direct so he translates well, The Stranger is read in grade 9 French classes here. It's actually a great medium difficulty text for learners of French.
That's the problem with human nature. In the book, it says he killed the Arab because of the sun. In this case, the sun is societal pressure. During the trial, people are acting like everyone on this forum because it's human nature; everyone wants to know why. This doesn't just happen in the book, this happens no matter what the case is. Humans need to know why someone did something. Maybe he just did it because he could or wanted to- maybe he was thinking why not? He disregards the laws (social norms) and does it anyway.
Why not accept Meursault's explanation at face value? The unshielded, hot sun bothered him at that moment, so he lashed out in irritation. If all is vanity, isn't this reason sufficient?Quote:
Originally Posted by hopesl