The role of judgement in The Outsider :: English Literature

The role of judgement in The OutsiderThe actions of Meursault, the protagonist in The Outsider by AlbertCamus, are characterized by ir judiciousity. For example, t present is noclear logical reason for his decision to marry Marie or to kill theArab. That evening, Marie came round for me and asked me if I wantedto marry her. I said I didnt mind and we could do if she wanted to(Camus 44).However, the idea that things sometimes happen for no reason isdisturbing and threatening to society, because, as a logicalconclusion from that, idiosyncratic existence could have happened for noreason and would therefore be purposeless. Hence, society alwaysattempts to find logical reasons for everything. In this novel,society superimposes its rational nature uponMeursaults irrational character, which has the consequence of societymaking judgements upon Meursault that are false, because thejudgements do not agree with his irrational personality. Theprosecutors speech and the meetings between the magi strate andMeursault will be used as examples to show this. Before getting intothem, it must be explained that the prosecutor and the magistrate bothsymbolize society, since they are part of the court, which stands forsociety as a whole. The idea of a court already represents very muchsociety, since the law functions as the will of the people, and thejury sits in judgement on behalf of the entire community. scarce Camusclearly emphasizes upon this image of court-as-society in this novelby making almost all of the characters from the first half reappear towitness in the trial The warden and the caretaker from the home,doubting Thomas Prez, Raymond, Masson, Salamano, Marie and Cleste. First of all, the fact that the prosecutor interprets Meursaultsirrational action of killing the Arab in a rational way shows thatsociety imposes its rational character upon Meursaults irrationalpersonality. Meursault retelling the prosecutors argument Idasked him for his gun. Id gone back with the inten tion of using it. Idshot the Arab as Id planned. Id waited. And to make sure Id donethe job properly, Id fired four more shots, deliberately and atpoint-blank range and with some kind of forethought (96). Theprosecutor provides here a rational description for Meursaults murderof the Arab, that is, he explains how every step that lead to themurder was planned by Meursault. However, nothing in Meursaultsnarrative explains why he shot the Arab (let alone that there would beevidence in his narrative that he planned the murder), which suggeststhat there is no rational explanation for his action. Thus, the factthat the prosecutor, who represents society, interprets here Meursaults