Chronicle Of A Death Foretold Analysis
"[D]ealing with a monster, a man without morals," An analysis of morality in The Stranger, and Chronicle of a Death Foretold
In The Stranger and Chronicle of a Death Foretold, emphasis on the symbolic nature of the protagonists serves to accentuate the fundamental theme of morality as both Camus, and Garcia Marquez explore "[M]an's precarious place in a mass society whose workings he does not control nor even understand " (Feuerlicht 2).
The court in which the trial takes place functions as a social institution's tool to impose rational order on an otherwise irrational world. It is clear throughout the course of the proceedings, that Meursault is no longer tried for his real crime of killing another man, but rather for his moral character regarding subjective matters. As the trial progresses, the prosecutor exploits "Maman's" death to condemn Meursault. The insensitivity portrayed to the jury concerning his actions during the day of and following the burial of "Maman", while true; are unrelated to the crime, however, it is these actions that eventually condemn him: "Gentlemen of the jury, the day after his mother's death [he] was out swimming, starting up a dubious liaison, and going to the movies I have nothing further to say" (Camus 94). During the trial, all of the witnesses called forth by the prosecutor are from Maman's …show more content…
Fixated on the prosecutor's allegation that Meursault is on trial for his emotional inaptness, they forget the crime of the murder of an Arab of which he was initially put on trial. "Normally, this would be far from viable in a court of law, but here it makes sense to the crowd" (Feuerlicht 5). Meursault, depicted as "[a] monster, a man without morals" (Camus 96), is condemned as disruptive and threatening to the social order due to his peculiar and seemingly emotionless psychology, that he must therefore be eradicated for his lack of
In The Stranger and Chronicle of a Death Foretold, emphasis on the symbolic nature of the protagonists serves to accentuate the fundamental theme of morality as both Camus, and Garcia Marquez explore "[M]an's precarious place in a mass society whose workings he does not control nor even understand " (Feuerlicht 2).
The court in which the trial takes place functions as a social institution's tool to impose rational order on an otherwise irrational world. It is clear throughout the course of the proceedings, that Meursault is no longer tried for his real crime of killing another man, but rather for his moral character regarding subjective matters. As the trial progresses, the prosecutor exploits "Maman's" death to condemn Meursault. The insensitivity portrayed to the jury concerning his actions during the day of and following the burial of "Maman", while true; are unrelated to the crime, however, it is these actions that eventually condemn him: "Gentlemen of the jury, the day after his mother's death [he] was out swimming, starting up a dubious liaison, and going to the movies I have nothing further to say" (Camus 94). During the trial, all of the witnesses called forth by the prosecutor are from Maman's …show more content…
Fixated on the prosecutor's allegation that Meursault is on trial for his emotional inaptness, they forget the crime of the murder of an Arab of which he was initially put on trial. "Normally, this would be far from viable in a court of law, but here it makes sense to the crowd" (Feuerlicht 5). Meursault, depicted as "[a] monster, a man without morals" (Camus 96), is condemned as disruptive and threatening to the social order due to his peculiar and seemingly emotionless psychology, that he must therefore be eradicated for his lack of