Reply #31: It's ironic in a bizarre way, I think. [View All]

[TahitiNut]

I can't imagine that Smirk selected that reading on his own. Somebody has a bizarre sense of humor. Not only is Camus about 90 degrees out of phase with Junior's cartoonish "world view," the book is about a character that has at least one of Junior's characteristics - a total lack of empathy. The difference is that, in L'etranger, Meursault at least contemplates his own condition. Junior sure doesn't. I've always quibbled with the English translation of the title, and personally think of it as "The Alien" or "The Foreigner." Meursault isn't quite human - he's an alien to some of the core elements that make us human. It wouldn't be quite accurate to say he's emotionless, but he feels no human attachment/connection. His relationships are based on something else far more pragmatic and self-serving. That his victim was an Arab is emblematic of the 'foreigner' theme in a sort of counter-point to Meursault's alienation to the species.

Junior too is not really human - he's really missing even more components. Somebody sure was whacked to get him to read that. There ain't a snowball's chance in Dante's Inferno he'll comprehend even a part of it.