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Throughout history people have been judged on their color of skin, gender,
social status and physical characteristics. What makes people judge others?
Could it the way they were raised, or maybe their culture that they have lived
in had an influence on how they judge people. I think that those might have an
influence, but I think the human race is inherently judgmental. Communication
theorist have say that the way we perceive someone is part of our everyday
communication and are adopted the usually the first time we meet someone or if
we have had a bad experience in the past associated with a particular group. In
the book The Stranger by Albert Camus , the main character Meursault will
eventually have his life sentenced to death based on the way people perceived
him towards his Maman instead of being charged with murder.
The title of the book confused me at first after I had finished reading the
book. I couldn't see why it was called The Stranger. After discussions in our
class and pondering this question ,I came up with my answer. The reason the book
is titled the way it is, is the way that everyone in the society and those who
interacted with Meursault perceived him as a stranger because he hardly showed
any emotion in his life. At least that is what I have perceived and it is my
only logical answer that I could get to that question.
Communication theorist define perception as the way we view "X".
Meursault through out the book is concerned with how others perceive him. On
page one in the middle of the page Meursault is telling about his boss and says
this, "I asked my boss for two days off and there was no way he was going
to refuse me with an excuse like that. But he wasn't to happy about it. I even
said, ""It's not my fault.""." This indicates that
Meursault is concerned with how his boss would not perceive him as a responsible
employee. And afraid that some sort ramification would come about for having to
take off work. Later in the paragraph Meursault says, "After the funeral,
though, the case will be closed, and everything will have a more official feel
to it." This shows that he does care about how he is perceived.
Later in the book on page 27 Meursault starts to talk about Salamano and his
dog. He goes about telling about how Salamano would go on a walk with his dog
and how he would always beat his dog if it got in front of him. He later goes
outside and says hello to Salamano. At the Time Salamano was yelling at his dog
calling him a "Filthy, stinking bastard!" Meursault asked him what the
dog did wrong and Salamano responded with "He's always there." This is
a repensentation of when Meursault is telling why he put his mother in care
home. He talks about how her, refering to his mother, "Eyes were always on
him" and how it annoyed him. Camus, as I have seen reading the books, has
puts in a sort of irony into this book. The "He's always there!"
stated by Salamano repersents how Meursault felt about his Maman when she lived
with him.
Later in the book on page 45 is the conversation that Meursault has with
Salamano after he losses his dog. During this conversation Salamano says "that
some people in the neighborhood thought badly of me for having sent Maman to the
home" This is a very important foreshadow in the book of upcoming events
and will eventually tell us that perception equals reality. From here the plot
thickens. Meursault and Raymond his friend get into a fight with some arabs.
Later he is walking on the beach and come across the arabs that he got into a
fight with earlier and ends up shooting and killing one of the arabs. Meursault
is arrested and put on trial for the death of the arab. This is where reality
sets in for Meursault. The prosecutor decided that he would argue the case in a
way to show that Meursault has no remorse for anything. The Prosecutor argues
that when Maman died Meursault showed no emotions for his mothers death and then
perceive that because he didn't show any emotions at the funeral that Meursault
was a human with no soul, not caring for anything that he does. During the trial
witness were brought to the stand to testify that he showed no remorse for
Maman's death, smoked and drank coffee while at the morgue, and that he left
early after the burial. What happened is the judge percived that he was a
heartless individual incapable of caring, all based off his Maman's death and
sentences Meursault to be beheaded.
Camus does a great job in the book The Stranger on how perception equals reality.
I think it give the reader something to think about after they are done with the
book. Do they want to be percived as something they aren't or as something they
are? I chose to have myself to be percived as I am. Sometimes it is hard but I
think if the true you comes out, you don't have to have the trouble of trying to
hide what you are. I thought this book was very good and would recommend it to
others to read.