20th Century Novel

We had a discussion recently in class about Antoinette ending up just like her mother and going mad. However, I would argue that her madness is not a result of any genetic or biological factors, but rather a product of the similar experiences that both she and her mother go through. Like Antoinette, Annette is essentially rejected by everyone from society and constantly ridiculed everywhere she goes. She eventually marries Mason, and everyone around her says that she seems to be happier and more like herself after marrying him. However, their relationship does not stay like that forever, and the fire at Coulibri, which arguably was the fault of Mason due to his overconfidence and dismissive attitude towards his servants, puts an unfixable divide in Annette and Mason's relationship. Especially considering that Pierre, Annette's beloved child, ends up dying due to the fire, I cannot blame her for being devastated and furious with Mason. This is the point where Annette is formal...

At the end of The Stranger, we see Meursault explode at the chaplain in his cell. I was somewhat relieved to see this type of behavior from him; it was reassuring to see proof that he does have emotion. Through all the events that we see Meursault go through, he remains indifferent and unemotional through it all. Even the jury at his own trial is bothered by this. Arguably, the reason he is being executed by guillotine is not because of his crime, but because of his character. So then, why does this moment with the chaplain cause Meursault to have such a sudden uncharacteristic outburst? Meursault knows that he is about to die, and feels that suddenly believing in God will not change that fact and would be a waste of his last moments. He has gone his entire life not believing in God, so why would he start now? Throughout The Stranger, we see many examples of Meursault's "go with the flow" personality, where he normally takes the path of least resistance, and lives by si...