So this made me rethink my question a little bit and I came to the conclusion that it might be too optimistic or naive. It would be GREAT if everyone who hit rock bottom and failed completely would get right back up again and find ultimate success. Reality doesn’t work that way.
When life knocks us flat on our backs, we are more likely to lay there for a while, lick our wounds and crawl into a sitting position before finally struggling to our feet. And then, just because it can, life will often sucker-punch us in the gut, leaving us frail, bruised and gasping for breath.
However, like Meursault, we can turn this into a positive. Prior to the final chapter, Meursault’s character is pitied, sympathized with, questioned, and the cause of some outrage, but in the last moments of his life, he allows the us to see his tender, bleeding inside. His passionate break down is shocking and a little disturbing but ultimately it certifies that he is actually a human being and not some robot who has hit rock bottom and yet welcomes the next blow.
He made me realize, like many other characters, that it is human to fail and allow that failure to devastate us. All of the quotes about getting back up after we fall are inspirational and great to follow, but they don’t prepare you for the limbo between whimpering on the ground and marching back into battle. Those are the moments where raw emotion gets the best of us, when you really do find out who will stick by your side and who will run.
Camus helped me to see that showing that kind of emotion is ok, it can be helpful. Sadly for Meursault, it seems that he will never be able to square his shoulders and try again, but will leave his life almost as he entered it, unfiltered emotion and endless passion.
But hey, no one can say he didn’t leave this world with a bang, not a whimper.
1 comment:
I find it interesting that you talk about Meursault's "break-down." This term has a negative connotation which suggests a person is no longer in control of his/her life. Where in the novel does Meursault do this? At the end, when he yells at the priest, isn't he asserting his right to live and die as he pleases? Does he seem to be falling apart?
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