The announcement in The Stranger that Meursault is going to be sentenced to death is more anticlimactic than would be expected. The entire second part of this book is all leading up to the outcome of his trial. Yet the verdict is delivered in one single sentence. It contains very little emotion or reaction to the fact that Meursault is going to die.
If even one little sentence was different, the entire book could change. Meursault's life would be very, very different. What would happen if Meursault was proven not guilty?
. . .
The presiding judge had already started pronouncing a rigmarole to the effect that "in the name of the French people" I had been proven not guilty. Before I could even react I was quickly ushered away to confirm my release. I could finally leave.
I left the courthouse. As I walked out into the cool night air, Marie dashed over to meet me. It felt good to hold her hand as I hadn't been close to her in so long. The silvery moonlight made her look as if she were glowing. She looked very pretty, and I told her so. We walked to the bus stop. I was going back home.
A thought suddenly occurred to me. I was completely free.
When I awoke the next morning I was surprised to see my own home instead of the dark cell that I remembered too well. Soft, golden sunlight lit up my room. It was a hopeful light. I walked out on to the balcony to watch the morning commuters hurry through the streets. I remembered again that I could have been dead. I pushed the thought out of my mind. I am still alive.
The sunrise was beautiful. The sky was bathed in oranges and pinks and reds, like a piece of art. It filled me with a new energy. The new day was like a new beginning. I realized how much I was missing life when I was in jail. I needed to be close to death to really appreciate how amazing it was to be alive.
I turned away from the sunset. There were so many things to do. It was time to start living.
| http://thatintrovert.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-am-working-lady.html |
(Nothing like a good cheesy ending, right?)
