The Passionless Man

Rhein, Phillip H. Albert Camus. Revised Edition. New York, NY: Twayne Publishers, 1989. 19-26. Print.

Rhein argues that the popularity of L’Etranger comes from the fact that most young people in a predominately bourgeois, moralistic society experience essentially the same problems as Meursault. Because Meursault’s story is related in 1st person, it reaches out to the youth, because it is usually only young people who openly defy the rules of life dictated by society. Rhein states that as we get to know Meursault’s character, we are “tempted to see him as irresponsible and antisocial”, which leads us to believe that he is completely indifferent to everything except physical sensations. In the novel, Meursault comes off as an impassionate human being, but Rhein argues that he is far from being totally deprived of passion, “for it is his passion that leads him to his decision to be honest to himself and to base his life on the truth of being and feeling” (Rhein 20). Rhein’s analysis of the book’s purpose is that is it a novel of development in which Meursault, the protagonist, goes through the agonizing experience of moving from a basic indifference toward life to a conscious realization that the infinite value of life lies in the very finiteness of its nature. As a consequence of Meursault’s failure to accept any philosophical reasoning behind existence leads him to recognize the absurdity of life. Rhein argues that Camus believes all actions are not equal, and they can be judged without applying the sources behind human experience. Therefore, in his portrayal of Meursault, Camus implies that we cannot live happily or productively if all events are thought to be morally equivalent.

The willingness to relate with Meursault’s apparent indifference cannot be deciphered until discovering what his indifference is, and where it comes from. Rhein’s point of view provides a deeper understanding for the passivity that Meursault comes off to be. This point of view brings light to the fact that Meursault may actually be the opposite of what he comes off to be. He appears to be a human being that cares about nothing, and has no feelings towards anything, but Rhein’s argument brings up the possibility that the reason Meursault comes off as passionless or nonchalant towards the world may be because he holds too much devotion to staying true to his own being and feeling. This devotion he has towards himself is hidden by his surface image, making Meursault seem as if he dispossesses any passion at all. The reader must read between the lines to discover why Meursault comes off as indifferent, why he carries out the actions he does, and what leads him to the conclusion that life is absurd. Rhein’s point of view is an excellent contribution to consider, because rather than displaying Meursault’s “apparent indifference”, Rhein demonstrates why he comes off in this manner, which may help readers relate more or less to the character and narrator of Meursault.