Critique: Passage from the Stranger by Albert Camus:
Critique: Passage from The Stranger by Albert Camus:
At the same instant the sweat in my eyebrows dripped down over my eyelids all at once and covered them with a warm, thick film. My eyes were blinded behind the curtain of tears and salt. All I could feel were the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead and, indistinctly, the dazzling spear flying up from the knife in front of me. The scorching blade slashed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes. That's when everything began to reel. The sea carried up a thick, fiery breath. It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire. My whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver. The trigger gave; I felt the smooth underside of the butt; and there, in that noise, sharp and deafening at the same time, is where it all started. I shook off the sweat and sun. I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I'd been happy. Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace. And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness.
Critique :
This passage has been selected for the commentary, because it exemplifies Albert Camus' writing style and use of literary devices to convey his ideas. The brilliant descriptive writing also allows for extensive thought from the reader into the novel.
In this passage from the novel The Stranger, the writer Albert Camus vividly describes the main character Meursault as his fate takes him toward killing another man. The passage takes place while Meursault, his friend Raymond, and his mistress Marie are at the beach for the day. Meursault's friend Raymond had previously started a fight with an Arabic man who had issues with Raymond's treatment of his sister. Seemingly with no explanation, Meursault leaves the beach house and wanders upon the Arabic man once again and this time shoots him. At this point, Part One is
At the same instant the sweat in my eyebrows dripped down over my eyelids all at once and covered them with a warm, thick film. My eyes were blinded behind the curtain of tears and salt. All I could feel were the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead and, indistinctly, the dazzling spear flying up from the knife in front of me. The scorching blade slashed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes. That's when everything began to reel. The sea carried up a thick, fiery breath. It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire. My whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver. The trigger gave; I felt the smooth underside of the butt; and there, in that noise, sharp and deafening at the same time, is where it all started. I shook off the sweat and sun. I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I'd been happy. Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace. And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness.
Critique :
This passage has been selected for the commentary, because it exemplifies Albert Camus' writing style and use of literary devices to convey his ideas. The brilliant descriptive writing also allows for extensive thought from the reader into the novel.
In this passage from the novel The Stranger, the writer Albert Camus vividly describes the main character Meursault as his fate takes him toward killing another man. The passage takes place while Meursault, his friend Raymond, and his mistress Marie are at the beach for the day. Meursault's friend Raymond had previously started a fight with an Arabic man who had issues with Raymond's treatment of his sister. Seemingly with no explanation, Meursault leaves the beach house and wanders upon the Arabic man once again and this time shoots him. At this point, Part One is