The Unconventional Protagonist

The Unconventional Protagonist (Resubmission)

When I think of a protagonist, the first thing that comes to mind is a notable and likable character. These characters are meant to be rooted for and for me as a reader to use as a “gateway” into what can be fantastical worlds. On the other hand, some literary works have their characters be downright despicable or even evil, like in the cases of American Psycho and A Clockwork Orange. However, through the use of whatever type of protagonist an author decides on, a message can be said, as well as a theme. Through his unconventional protagonist, Albert Camus gives us insight into how “irrational” the human experience can be and the philosophical approach of absurdism.

When we come into this world, we are not given a clear or even set form of instructions on how we should navigate our time. During my early childhood, I became heavily consumed with thoughts of why and how when it came to specifics for my life. However, much like Meursault, a character who embodies this uncertainty, I found that I was only guaranteed that one day, my time on Earth would run out. Meursault presents himself to the audience as someone who lives life in a manner that would be unusual by ourselves or through the eyes of the societal norms we have been raised under. He would be deemed as someone who does not appear to react, feel, or act in a way that I could root for in a traditional sense. However, at times, I could find myself oddly rooting for him due to being deemed as an odd one because of how I felt or acted.

One of the first, or even just a few, times I found myself relating to Meursault was when we, as an audience, were first introduced to his indifferent nature to life through his Mom’s death. The first glimpse is shown in the novel’s first paragraph, “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday.”(Camus Page 3) At first glance, this did not fully come off as someone who would see the world through indifferent glances, but as someone who was trying to process the news of the death of a loved one. However, what solidified that characterization for me was seen within the passage,” Just then the caretaker came in behind me. He must have been running. He stuttered a little. “We put the

cover on, but I’m supposed to unscrew the casket so you can see her.” He was moving toward the casket when I stopped him. He said, “You don’t want to?” I answered, “No.” He was quiet, and I was embarrassed because I felt I shouldn’t have said that. He looked at me and then asked, “Why not?” but without criticizing, as if he just wanted to know. I said, “I don’t know.” He started twiring his moustache, and then without looking at me, again he said, “I understand.””(Camus Page 6)

        Meursault’s continued inappropriate reaction towards death and the funeral for that person reminded me a lot of a time when I myself would be deemed a Meursault or even compared to him. This instance occurred when I was in my freshman or sophomore year of high school. I had just returned from school and was trying to finish the pile of homework I was assigned from my classes when I was told by my mom that one of my dad’s relatives had passed and that the funeral would be that same day in Tijuana, Mexico. At first, she made it seem like we would have the choice to stay home while she and my dad went to the funeral. However, my dad then decided that we would all have to go no matter what. Since we were not allowed to use our cellular data for the internet then, the hours spent in Mexico seemed to drag on for my bored mind. However, the point at which I would start to be viewed as a Meursault would be when I was starting to get frustrated by the amount of time we were spending there and kept asking my parents when we would finally be able to leave. In my mind, I wanted to avoid being stuck in the car for hours while trying to cross the border, and I wanted to go to sleep in my bed since it was already pretty late in the evening. Once it was starting to get to being there close to the middle of the night, my frustration became evident and shown to everyone else. It got to the point where I practically shouted the statement, “I didn’t even know him,” when my dad’s sister tried to calm me down. In my logic at the time, how was I supposed to care for the passing of someone I didn’t even meet or be happy to be in a place where I never wanted to be? After that incident, I was severely judged and reprimanded for a while because of my inappropriate handling of the situation.

        Although I would personally not root for Meursault, Camus makes excellent use of him as a potential mouthpiece for topics he discusses or alludes to later in the book. The most important one of these instances I found to be the trial for Meursault’s murder of the Arab man. Although it could mainly be a reflection of the times, Camus shows us how people can focus on the most obscure things and make us, as the audience, question whether or not they have their priorities in place. Instead of focusing on the act of murder itself, we see everyone in court instead focus on how odd Meursault handled things in his personal life recently. Although I have not read any of Camus’s other works before this one, this one would be enough to make me consider seeking out any other works.

        I find that a protagonist in written or other works usually embodies certain morals or acts as a mouthpiece for critiques of society or behaviors. However, Camus makes his audience see the world through the eyes of what can be deemed an irrational person who sees no meaning in life other than our guaranteed death. Seeing Meursault as a type of protagonist opened my eyes to other forms of character or storytelling and the philosophical approach to nihilism and absurdism. Camus did this effectively and uniquely through his use of an unconventional protagonist.