The Stranger Reading #2

“I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all” (Camus 41).

            Mersault makes this statement when his boss asks him if he wants to work in Paris. Mersault does not have a typical response to the proposition, because most people would either be really excited about the opportunity to live in Paris, or apprehensive about moving their leaving or leaving their family. Mersault has no family, nor is he excited about the job. His comment illustrates the belief that he and everyone else, are just living, and that the decisions you make are irrelevant. His comment is based on the assumption that everyone ends up in the same place, and that a person should not change their lifestyle if they already content. Mersault’s comment exemplifies his indifference to society and his passive voice. Mersault is not living life; he is barely even going through the motions. He does bring up the job offer when Marie is talking about getting married, and she comments that she would enjoy Paris. It appears that Mersault is in some way looking for a reason to go to Paris, and by Marie making the comment he can go and say simply that it was her decision. Mersault is beginning to illustrate that he does care about some decisions, but only just a little.