The sun and also the temperature/weather itself have been a constant yet underlying issue that seems to really affect Meursault. Immediately at the beginning of the novel, Meursault complains about the heat and the sun during Maman's funeral. "The glare from the sun was unbearable" (16). While I was first reading the novel, I didn't think too much about this. Yeah ok, he's bothered by the sun. But while continuing to read, I noticed this theme coming up multiple times. And most importantly the reason he shot the Arab on the beach was because the sun was in his eyes.
I think the sun and the weather's impact on Meursault is a big example of how he really uses impulses to determine what he will do. Both during and after the funeral for Maman, Meursault really wants to go to bed, and thats really the only thing on his mind. This seems to be a result of the burning sun. "The room was filled with beautiful late-afternoon sunlight. Two hornets were buzzing against the glass roof. I could feel myself getting sleepy" (7). To some extent getting tired in a warm room is understandable, but knowing that Meursault is probably the least emotional character we've encountered, the affect the sun has on him is pretty huge.
Looking to the passage where Meursault kills the Arab, we can see once again where the sun plays a role in Meursault's actions, however now there are much bigger consequences. "It was this burning, which I couldn't stand anymore, that made me move forward. I knew that it was stupid, that I wouldn't be able to get the sun off of me by stepping forward" (59). That's when the Arab draws the knife. "The light shot off the steel and it was like a long flashing blade cutting at my forehead" (59). To Meursault, the sun basically caused the murder, which he also states during his trial. This is what makes figuring out Meursault's actions and reasons so confusing, because even though I knew that he was extremely passive and basically did what he felt like doing, I didn't expect something as natural as the sun in his eyes to cause him to pull the trigger. However, this just further enforces Meursault's impulsive actions that he basically bases on his unrestrained passions. While there might be another underlying reason that Meursault kills the Arab, to him it was only "because of the sun" (103).
*Today during the panel presentation in class, we touched on whether or not the sun was some higher authority that made Meursault do all these things. While I don't think the sun had any intent at all, I do think it exemplified Meursault's behavior to act in the present.
I think the sun and the weather's impact on Meursault is a big example of how he really uses impulses to determine what he will do. Both during and after the funeral for Maman, Meursault really wants to go to bed, and thats really the only thing on his mind. This seems to be a result of the burning sun. "The room was filled with beautiful late-afternoon sunlight. Two hornets were buzzing against the glass roof. I could feel myself getting sleepy" (7). To some extent getting tired in a warm room is understandable, but knowing that Meursault is probably the least emotional character we've encountered, the affect the sun has on him is pretty huge.
Looking to the passage where Meursault kills the Arab, we can see once again where the sun plays a role in Meursault's actions, however now there are much bigger consequences. "It was this burning, which I couldn't stand anymore, that made me move forward. I knew that it was stupid, that I wouldn't be able to get the sun off of me by stepping forward" (59). That's when the Arab draws the knife. "The light shot off the steel and it was like a long flashing blade cutting at my forehead" (59). To Meursault, the sun basically caused the murder, which he also states during his trial. This is what makes figuring out Meursault's actions and reasons so confusing, because even though I knew that he was extremely passive and basically did what he felt like doing, I didn't expect something as natural as the sun in his eyes to cause him to pull the trigger. However, this just further enforces Meursault's impulsive actions that he basically bases on his unrestrained passions. While there might be another underlying reason that Meursault kills the Arab, to him it was only "because of the sun" (103).
*Today during the panel presentation in class, we touched on whether or not the sun was some higher authority that made Meursault do all these things. While I don't think the sun had any intent at all, I do think it exemplified Meursault's behavior to act in the present.
I agree with your statement that Meursault relies on impulse to determine what he will do. Like you said, the novel really emphasizes Meursault's inability to plan for the future and as a result, lives in the present. Combined with his lack of emotions, a lot of the things he does relies on outside forces to make decisions. His reliance on outside forces is especially disturbing because it doesn't say anything about how Meursault thinks/feels. Does he really want to do this or is he only doing it because other factors have pushed him in that direction? Like you said, the sun's role in this novel could certainly symbolize several things but it''s important to remember that it's Meursault that uses the sun as determinant for his actions.
ReplyDeleteI think Meursault is so bothered by the sun, not only because of its heat, but because he feels like the sun is oppressive and he can't get away from it. He can't fight back at the sun so he takes his anger out on other people instead. I agree with you that the sun isn't a higher power that purposely makes Meursault do anything, but I think it approaches that status in his mind.
ReplyDeleteI balk at the idea of the sun as a symbolic representation of higher authority here: if anything, it seems like the perfect symbol of the indifferent universe, shining strong here in Algiers, hidden by clouds elsewhere, moving its way across the sky with no care for human life playing out below. Meursault *experiences* it as a kind of personal assault--which maybe reflects our tendency to invest great meaning in our little local dramas--but it's clear that this is his subjective projection, not anything the sun "intends" (even writing that feels funny!). And yet it *does* seem to shape his behavior, regardless of its indifference.
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