Journal #15

Why would Camus make the novel into two parts? Compare the two, and see what is similar.
Camus probably created the separation of the novel to compare the life of a free man, and the life of a condemned man. Similar to the myth of Sisyphus, Merseult is first free to do what he wants, living among the mortals and enjoying things like the sun, the ocean, and human company. Once he kills a man, however, he is in direct contempt of the higher forces (in this case the judicial system) and becomes condemned to live in his own personal Underworld (jail). The parallels between the myth and the novel are amazing, and they become readily apparent once you view Merseult's life first as a free man, and then as a man unable to escape his cruel fate.
One similarity between the two parts is that they both begin with a scene including a man and his mother. In part one, Merseult realizes that "Maman died today"(Camus 1). Then in part 2, we see a man simply staring at his mother in the prison cell, "He was across from the little old lady and that they were staring intently at each other" (Camus 75). Camus probably created the parallel between the two in order to make the reader aware that if Merseult's mother was still alive, she would have been there for him, and they probably would have been having a similar experience. Instead, Merseult is left with Marie, whom he doesn't truly care for, and is left alone without a real emotional connection to the outside world. Both of the quotes show how there are direct similarities between the two sections of the novel, and that they mirror each other slightly.
Another connection is that both parts end with death, or the premise of death. In part 1, Merseult murders the Arab on the beach, and in part 2, Merseult himself is sentenced to death and is awaiting his execution. Camus probably created this parallel to show that death is inescapable. Merseult realizes that, "I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world" (Camus 122). This quote is showing how Merseult has no more hope, and is simply awaiting the death that will come to us all, regardless of our precautions or beliefs. He realizes that his death, along with the Arab he killed, is utterly unpredictable and unstoppable.
A third parallel between the two sections of the book is about religion. When the novel begins, we find out that Maman turned to religion in her final days. Camus says, "it seems your mother often expressed to her friends her desire for a religious burial...While not an atheist, Maman had never in her life given a thought to religion" (6). This quote makes little sense in the beginning, when we have no connection to the latter part of the novel when Meursault himself is confronted with the possibility of accepting God as a way to alleviate his worries about death. When asked by the chaplain about how he would handle "that terrifying ordeal," Meursault responds, "I didn't want anybody's help, and I just didn't have the time to interest myself in what didn't interest me" (Camus 117). This shows how Meursault, unlike his mother, will hold true to his beliefs even in the face of certain death, which is certainly admirable of anyone.