My thoughts on Meursault
...tline that they will prove premeditation with "the blinding evidence of the facts to begin with and then by exposing the dark workings of this criminal soul." The former establishes the crime, but the latter condemns the man. Later, the prosecution demands the death penalty based not on the severity of the crime, but rather on the repulsion they feel towards his character. The prosecutor remarks, "[ .. ] though in the course of my long career I have often had occassion to demand capital punishment, never before have I felt this onerous task so fully compensated and counterbalanced, not to say enlightened by a sense of urgent and sacred duty as well as by the horror which I feel at the sight of a man in whom I see nothing but a monster." Before the sentence is carried out, Meursault has a conversation with a priest: "He was expressing his certainty that my appeal would be allowed, but I was burdened with a sin from which I must free myself. According to him human justice was nothing and divine justice was everything. I pointed out that it was the former which had condemned me." Regardless of the circumstances in which the crime occurred, Meursault is happy to take responsibility for his actions, and sees no reason to appeal to higher authorities to relief himself of that responsibility. He tells the priest: "I told him I didn't know what sin was. I'd simply been told that I was guilty. I was guilty and I was paying for it and there was nothing more that could be asked of me." It is only on the second last page of the novel that Meursault expresses his true, absurdist nature. The priest tells him, "I'm on your side, but you can't see that because your heart is blind. I will pray for you." But Meursault does not need or want the priest's prayers. He explodes in a rage: "[The priest] seemed so certain of everything, didn't he? And yet none of his certainties was worth one hair of a wom...