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  • Essay / The role of the mother in “The Stranger” by Albert Camus

    The mother or maternal figure has always played an important place in society and is always placed in a position close to gods and important people, this can be seen in religion like Christianity where female figures such as Mary are depicted as perfect and worshiped due to their lives of kindness and motherhood. We also see in history that queens and regents have always been mothers to whom their subjects submitted. In short, mother has had a primordial place in the hearts of many because she is the first thing for many people and has held all the main functions in life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIn Albert Camus' Stranger, we discover the mind of a man who thinks differently from others because he sees his mother – Mom – like an ordinary person who has come and gone and has no special importance to her or any place in her life. For him, she is just a passerby like any other person who comes and goes. In this essay, we will explore the importance of the mother in the novel by analyzing what surrounds her and the importance of her existence and mention in the novel. First, we look at the symbolism surrounding Madame Meursault. In the first paragraphs of the first chapter, we are told of the death of Madame Meursault. From there we were taken to the nursing home where she had lived the rest of her days after being taken in by her son. The rest house here represents the land where all are condemned to death after working under the sun and fall into the absurdity of building a relationship like Perez and Madame Meursault which will eventually end with the death of one of them. them and whose goal ends up falling flat compared to expectations. . Another symbolic moment is that of Madame's wake, where we are gathered in the room and confronted with an obvious existential paradox. From the stark whiteness of the room that hints at the emptiness of life to the coffin in the middle of the room, it brings the reader back to the fact that all life will eventually end and that in itself is true nihilism. This unconscious realization causes Meursault to flee the room with the intention of leaving the premises but he cannot due to social obligations; he is forced to stay and face it all. The bright light signifying the irresistible sensation of death that Meursault refuses to acknowledge, this time by falling asleep and it is – at this very moment – ​​that decides his fate. Madame Meursault shows us the extent of Meursault's nihilism. In the novel we see that the protagonist refuses to respect the rules set by society, but the true and most striking measure of this is his refusal to become attached to any person or thing or to show emotion in the face. to the events of the novel which is favorable or disadvantageous to it. This is seen in his living conditions with his mother; for others (“normal” people), living with an elderly or sick loved one means taking care of them and adapting to their lifestyle; But for Mr. Meursault, this means barely recognizing the person's existence and not hesitating to dismiss them without remorse or emotion and not monitoring them regularly. All of this shows Meursault's detachment from the world and almost all material things and emotional connections – which with others are necessary for both physical and mental well-being – by giving no importance to a figure raised by society has such a high status. shows that from the opening of the novel until the end, we see that Meursault has always been a nihilist and an outsider. Aswe see in the first paragraph, we see that the mother means the beginning of the end for the protagonist. From the moment Meursault enters the house, he is surrounded by symbolic images of his fall and disappearance: the 12 people watching him at the vigil symbolizing the jury that will ultimately convict him, the bright light and the whole of the piece which double the intensity of the light which suggests the involuntary assassination of the Arab on his beach caused by Meursault's reaction to the reflection of the light against the sword of the The Arab and white sand of the beach Algerian helps to increase the intensity of light; all of this set the stage for the chain reaction that would happen to Meursault. These events could have easily happened if the protagonist had played the game and been more attentive to the deeper meaning of things happening during the wake and mourned his mother properly. Based on the butterfly effect, if he hadn't gone to the beach immediately after the funeral, he might have had a different fate. We see that Madame's burial plays a central role in this part of Meursault's life because it marks the beginning of his own downfall since without her death, she would have been a shadow in Meursault's apartment, a name on his birth certificate and another elderly person in the retirement home in Algiers. We then see the mother used in the novel as a reconnection factor between the narrator and the reader. During his trial, we see him face constant evaluation of his treatment of his mother. We see the narrator go through waves of varying emotions ranging from remorse to grief; first towards his mother, which prompts him to do the same to the rest of his friends in the audience, but it's only moments before he returns to his clear, simplistic views. Another example of this is when he hears his neighbor Salamano crying over the potential loss of his dog, which makes Meursault sad too, his thoughts drifting to his mother and wondering if he treated her well. This subconscious awareness of Meursault tugs at the readers' heartstrings as we realize that while he may seem incredibly intelligent and honest, he too is prone to emotions and has the ability to use them. This shows that even though he seems devoid of attachment, he still subconsciously plays the game, but only on the sly, but this fact makes him more relatable to the audience. Finally, we see that the mother is used by the author to show the child. the general hypocrisy of the world and of society in particular. We see this especially during the trial when Meursault is condemned and called a monster for the crime of not loving his mother and not for killing the Arab. This shows society's general bias towards people who refuse to follow already established rules – usually religiously established and prescribed rules – treating them like an antichrist because they don't love someone dearly enough. The total disregard for the circumstances in which the incident occurred which proved the true innocence of Mr. Meursault and the fact that the events that occurred were not intentional; However, society, particularly that of the French settlers of the time, did not consider the Arab or the circumstances important to the trial; so we are subjected to endless arguments over a dead woman whose mention was unnecessary. This is done because they want to judge by appealing to emotion towards the rest of the jury to convict an otherwise innocent man who refused to follow society to his death. The Arab for whom the trial was taking place never received the justice due to him, because the perpetrator of the crime never really existed and an innocent man was found..