A Black and White World
As I thought about Albert Camus’s The Stranger to figure out what this post would be about, I realized that I picture the novel in black and white. Maybe due to a subconscious association with the time period and film in the 1940s, I envisioned a grey world with only the scene with Marie in the water having any color. However, Camus does often introduce color in the novel. He describes girls in brown dresses and pink bows, the blue eyes of his mom’s caretaker, and red ties on the local boys (Camus, 6, 22). Despite Meursault’s objective details of color, the descriptions that stayed with me were the spectrums of “bright” and “dark” in the novel, fitting for an exceptionally grey character. Regardless of the moral questions surrounding his behavior, Meursault’s apathy is what translates to this lack of color. He has grey views and actions - inhuman qualities that inspire little empathy.
These inhuman aspects center on Meursault's lacks. He does not hold any ground or stances and has a lack of judgment. He agrees with all requests regardless of their consequences and stays silent in the wrong times. When Raymond beats a woman upstairs in the apartment, Meursault narrates that “Marie said it was terrible and I didn't say anything.” (Camus, 36). His apathy towards suffering is cruel and he never acknowledge such problems. He has no defining qualities except for his haughty apathy with no self-awareness. I think I'd hate Meursault less if he were strongly for cruelty. In that case, I may understand that he holds misguided and privileged views, as opposed to inhuman ones. Humans have personal thoughts and opinions and his character seems so entirely foreign due to a lack of these behaviors. He will never strongly support one side or effort and stays in a grey space in the middle.
Unlike all other situations in which he dissociates from, when the sun shines down brightly Meursault is forced into an extreme state. He voluntarily seeks out an extreme only once in the novel with his initial fling with Marie, her being his most humanizing attribute, and he sees a golden sky. No other time does he recognize any color in the bright midday sun. When he is unwillingly placed below it, the light is only bright and blinding and “oppressive” (Camus, 15). It provides no escape route or opportunity to step back, and Meursault is forced into a strong action. Within his colorless apathetic world, what becomes his demise is the bright sun, forcing him into an uncomfortable extreme. The brightness is the only visible extreme in a grey-colored life, and causes disruption.
It makes sense why I envisioned The Stranger as a black and white novel. Meursault’s lack of opinions and feelings makes for a grey reading. The colors that show up are always objective observations of other people’s clothing or appearances, never observed with strong feelings. His apathy is inhuman and paints his surroundings in the same light. The only color is in the people around him, since they present the only real human emotions and personalities. Meursault is a grey character, in a moral sense and by his lack of any qualities and rich emotions. It makes sense that the world around him is also perceived in that limited color scheme.
Camus, Albert. The Stranger. Translated by Matthew Ward, Vintage International, 1989.
Although I hadn't considered it while reading, I definitely agree with your characterization of the novel as black and white. I think it's interesting to recognize that black and white movies aren't actually black and white- rather they are various shades of grey. As you pointed out, grey is the perfect color for this novel- Meursault resides in a moral grey area, where it is difficult to judge his actions because of his disconnectedness from societal reality.
ReplyDeleteI like the analogies throughout this post between the implicit "color scheme" of the novel, and the troubling moral vacuity of the protagonist and narrator. There ARE (as you acknowledge) moments where a scene is colorful in various ways, and beyond color I would cite the moments where Meursault seems intensely ALIVE in the moment (he's usually swimming with Marie, but also that scene where he and Emmanuel run and jump on the back of the truck just for fun, and they're both laughing hysterically--which is kind of hard to picture from our "haughty and apathetic" narrator. He has the capacity to be a hyperactive kid running and jumping on a truck during his lunch hour just for the fun of it.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that he is complicit in cruelty is important and complex: most if not all of us want MORE from him when he and Marie hear the sounds of violence from Raymond's room (she is deeply shaken; he is indifferent and simply states that he "doesn't like cops" so he's not interested in doing anything). And he never even acknowledges (to her, or even to us) that he bears some responsibility for what's happening in that room, as the surreptitious author of the letter that lures the woman to Raymond's. But is this active complicity in violence and cruelty, or is it more of an impulse not to pass judgment on others? The analogy to Salamano and his dog is maybe apt: "everyone" judges their relationship harshly, but Meursault withholds judgment, and Salamano for one seems to appreciate that. And it does seem that there is more to the picture, in this sad, codependent dog-owner relationship, as Salamano is heartbroken when his dog "escapes."
I am NOT suggesting that it's okay to be such a literal bystander in the face of injustice and violence, and I don't think Camus (the French resistance agitator) is suggesting that either. Meursault is repugnant in many ways as he enables and abets Raymond's violence, and you're right that this moral emptiness takes the form of indifference and detachment rather than aggression or active cruelty. Is it possible that he's really just a guy who is excessively tolerant of others, who is skeptical about anyone's ability to ever judge anyone else? Is there a kind of "moral" to the story in the way that Meursault's behavior in these moments you cite ultimately lead to his conviction and execution?
(It sure is interesting that, for all their concerns about his moral "abyss," no one in court mentions his complicity in writing the letter for Raymond OR serving as false witness for him--these are, in my view, the most damning pieces of evidence for his moral vacancy, but they're [absurdly] more interested in his behavior at the funeral.)
This is a really interesting topic! It makes sense that you would read The Stranger as colorless compared to other books that typically describe setting in a more emotional way. The greyness of the scene also perfectly correlates to Meursault being a morally grey character, not necessarily being evil, but not trying to be moral either. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your analysis of color for The Stranger. I think the idea of black and white also comes from the cover itself, at least from the edition I had, with black and white triangles radiating outwards. Like you said, I think its also good to put Meursault's grey character in contrast to the other, colorful aspects of the novel. Like with color, these put Meursault and his actions into perspective.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Diza! I am fascinated by colorful pieces of The Stranger. Even through Meursault lives completely in the present with the view that nothing matters, he is still able to experience moments of color and happiness in his life. However, he does not value the good memories, thinking that it does not matter. So, life becomes boring and meaningless for Meursault, dying the story in black and white.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting thing to notice! The concept of color, and Meursault's lack of it, is definitely something that is unnoticed while reading (similar to your perception of the setting itself being black and white), but it is so interesting think about while analyzing the book. Your blog has definitely altered by interpretation of the whole motif of the sun in the book. Light is the reason we even see color, and it brings vibrance and personality to otherwise dull things. Light makes up everything we know in some way, and with Meursault's fittingly monotonous personality, it only makes sense that he is so colorless.
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, it seems that almost all books that you read have some semblance of emotion or color that goes with them, and they're not just black and white. I would agree with your statement about this novel being black and white, because it doesn't have any emotion to go with the story, and Meursault's perspective on life is rather dull. Nice blog post.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting post! I like you description of Meursault's world as black and white due to his apathy, and this definitely made me reconsider the murder scene, now envisioning the bright sun as an almost unnatural, unfamiliar feeling for Meursault, who's world is so black and white.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post! I had never before this given thought to how I saw the color scheme of this novel, but in retrospect, I agree that Meursault's emotions and actions barring his few moments of excitement are decidedly gray. His simplistic, bystander persona for most of the book betrays no color whatsoever, and we see no particularly human emotions drive his actions for a majority of the book. It's so interesting to analogize this to hues of black and white. Great post!
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