In The Stranger by Albert Camus, several passages reflect a racist
attitude toward the native Algerians by the French colonialists. This first appears
early in the novel, when Raymond beats his “Moorish” girlfriend with impunity,
knowing that if someone will testify that she cheated on him he will face no
charges (p.35-37). Not only does the law disregard his crime, but the white
people living around him also display a similar lack of concern about the
savage beating. Meursalt’s girlfriend Marie, who may even be Arab herself, is
initially disturbed, but she quickly forgets about the incident.
The
most important Arab character of the novel is the victim of Meursalt’s
senseless murder on the beach. Despite his extreme importance to the story, he
is never even named. Similarly, Raymond’s girlfriend is not named. Their
identity is solely defined by their race. This shows Meursalt’s racism, because
he clearly knows the names of both characters but chooses not to use them.
While
Meursalt is arrested and convicted for the murder of an Arab man, the bulk of
his trial is spent not discussing the murder itself, but Meursalt’s character. It
quickly becomes clear that Meursalt had no real motive for the murder. At this
point, Meursalt is no longer actually on trial for killing an Arab man, but
instead for being a morally reprehensible individual whose unfeeling nature
(particularly evident at his mother’s funeral) deeply offends the established
French culture. The actual crime—the loss of an Arab life—quickly becomes
insignificant. I sure this would not be the case had Meursalt killed a white
Frenchman.
Mr.
Mitchell mentioned a recent book by Kamel Daoud, an Algerian writer, who
retells The Stranger from the
perspective of the brother of the murdered Arab. Go here for a great interview
with the author:
http://www.npr.org/2015/06/23/416828000/algerian-writer-kamel-daoud-stands-camus-the-stranger-on-its-head
This new novel seems to be the
perfect antidote to the dehumanization of the Arab in The Stranger.
I also found it somewhat odd that the murder, which drives the plot of the entire second half of the book, is glossed over so quickly. The way it is described, as a very impromptu decision with an anonymous victim, makes it seem like it will just be part of a small subplot. Even in the trial scene, the jury, and by extension, Camus, seemed much more concerned with examining Meursault's character, and the murder felt to me like it was almost an excuse for Camus to write the scene.
ReplyDeleteIt really bothered me that Meursault referred to the man he killed as "the Arab," because it further alienated this murder, and made it a even worse crime. I'm actually surprised by Meursault's racism, because when we first met him, we all noticed how he didn't judge people, but obviously he is judging the Arabs and he is being greatly influenced by the rest of French society.
ReplyDeleteIt is very clear in The Stranger that the murder of the unnamed Arab was not anywhere near as important as Mersault's character. I don't think that Marie is an Arab because she is named and treated with no hostility throughout the book. If she was an Arab I feel like some hostility would have manifested itself towards her, either with Raymond and Salamano or while visiting him in the jail. Going of Hailan's comment I think its interesting how Mersault can be identified with French culture when he judges Arabs yet when he is about to die he alientates/removes himself from the French people saying his head was to be taken off "in the name of the French people."
ReplyDeleteWhat in the text leads you to posit that Marie might be Arab? Her name sounds more Francophone than Arab-Algerian (not that we get any Arab names even mentioned in the book), but more pointedly, Meursault *doesn't* mention her ethnicity, the way he does when he observes that Raymond's "mistress" is "Moorish." The Arab characters are racialized because Camus/Meursault has to point out their race, often as the *only* salient feature of their characterization. When he doesn't mention it either way--as with Celeste, Raymond, Salamano (who is presumably of Italian extraction?)--it probably means they're white/French colonial. (The same is true in American literature--white characters are rarely identified as such. Their whiteness is presumed.)
ReplyDeleteI think that the complete alienation and lack of attention given to the Arab throughout the book parallels how the court doesn't really pay attention to the murder during the trial. People in class have said that Meursault could have easily lied about the events that led to the murder and would be able to get away freely, but I actually have some doubts over whether or not he would have been sentenced to death for murdering the Arab at all if it was a hate crime or something similar. It's more the fact that he has absolutely no reason for the crime that frightens them and that's why he's executed. Meursault wasn't really thinking about the Arab when he killed him, and this is reflected in the court's attitude towards the victim.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think Marie is Arab? If anything, she seems repulsed to me, by the arab population, when she's in the prison visit Meursault. I really want to read book based in the Arab perspective, it sounds super interesting. Also, I'm wondering if Camus purposefully decided to make Meursault "less human" than the Arab as a way to combat racism, or if he didn't mean to make that commentary.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Arabs are dehumanized, but I think it was intentional. In the end, Meursault is executed because of his "unfeeling nature," and not because he committed murder. The court systems are extremely racist, and Meursault could have been let off fairly easily had he chosen too. This makes the ending much more strong. And with the Arab characters, true, Meursault does not mention their names, but we also do not know his name, or his mother's. The only people's names we know are those with whom he reacts quite a bit. I don't think it is a reasonable assumption to say that Camus was racist, especially since he was strongly against colonialism. I guess I agree that the characters are dehumanized, but that is not the point of the book.
ReplyDelete