Albert Camus’ The Stranger

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CHAPTER III AMERICAN FILM NOIR AS AN EXTENSION OF EXISTENTIALISM

As we thus reject Christian interpretation and condemn its ‘meaning’ as counterfeit, Schopenhauer’s question immediately comes at us in a terrifying way: Does existence have any meaning at all? A few centuries will be needed before this question can ever be heard completely and in its full depth. 1 This quote by Schopenhauer best describes the condition of noir characters in a noir world. As noir and the philosophy of the absurd gained more prominence during the 1940s, one of the more prominent writers of the time was Albert Camus. He asserted that life has no real rational meaning. He thought of existence as being absurd, particularly in considering the fact that he lived during the horrors of Nazi occupation and all the hardships that came along with it. He wanted to convey that people should keep their dignity whenever they are faced with a cold and uncaring world. He does this using an absurdist style.

3. Albert Camus and Existentialism

Albert Camus was a prominent French literary writer who was directly influenced by the hard-boiled American novels and short stories from the 1920s and 1930s. He was even inspired to write The Stranger after reading Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice. The influence of hard-boiled American novels is seen in some of Camus’ other literary works as well.

3.1 Albert Camus’ The Stranger

Various parallels are obvious in existential philosophy and literary works compared with noir movies. One such popular existentialist novel that was written in Europe in 1942 1 Schopenhauer, Arthur, qtd from Nietzsche, Friedrich, The Gay Science, in The Portable Nietzsche. New York: Penguin Books, 1982, p.357. was The Stranger by Albert Camus, who was a philosopher as well as fiction writer that wrote most of his prominent novels in the mid-20 th century. This novel was only able to be translated and published in the USA in 1946 after the war was over. Although existentialist philosophers like Camus and Sartre did not have a direct impact on WWII noir films per se due to Europe being cut-off from the USA during the war and the war taking more precedence than artistic or literary works, similar ties are found in the mood and style of Camus’ first prominent novel, The Stranger, with the mood and style of noir literature and movies at the same time. The existentialist perspective of The Stranger is visible in the first paragraph of part 1. “Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can’t be sure. The telegram from the Home says: YOUR MOTHER PASSED AWAY. FUNERAL TOMORROW. DEEP SYMPATHY. Which leaves the matter doubtful; it could have been yesterday.” 2 The person telling the story does not seem too interested with getting the news of his mom dying. The character seems to be disinterested, detached, and lacking sympathy. Even his employer is irritated for having to give him 2 days leave from work to arrange the funeral matters. The main character even apologizes to his boss by saying, “Sorry, sir, but it’s not my fault, you know.” 3 In a transcendentalist society, the main character would feel deep grief and be incensed at his boss for being upset for taking funeral leave. The boss would also show more compassion in a society with moral values and care for others. In this story, however, the funeral is an inconvenience at best. The indifference of the main character can also be attributed to the fact that it was the beginning of the war with France in the middle of the war with Germany. So, French people were probably used to seeing death and war atrocities, which could have numbed their feelings toward the death of others from non-war related incidents. As the war 2 Camus, Albert. The Stranger. New York: Vintage Books, 1942, p.7. 3 Ibid, p.7. progressed, people were more desensitized to the death and suffering around them, just like what was happening overseas in the USA at the same time. With so much death around them, people began to question the concept of God and wonder how a God could allow so much suffering to ensue for such a long period. Even the doorkeeper of the retirement home says to the main character, “Madame Meursault entered the Home three years ago. She had no private means and depended entirely on you.” 4 He was basically insinuating the main character did not provide much care for his mother, which in a transcendental society would not have happened. The doorkeeper also implied that he did not like it when old people died because it meant “extra work and worry for our staff”. 5 Instead of showing concern for the death of an elderly person, he is more bothered by how it disrupts the routines of the nursing home employees. In arranging the funeral, the main character, Monsieur Meursault, even admitted that his mother never gave any thought to religion in her whole life, which causes him to wonder about the necessity of having the rites of the Church with the funeral. Next, in the mortuary, Monsieur Meursault is not even interested in having the coffin lid unscrewed one last time to say goodbye to his mom. The people in the story are insensitive to the fact that Madame Meursault has passed, and the worker is more concerned with burying her corpse quickly because the warm weather will make it decay faster and they do not want to be bothered by the smell. Even the main character is interested in the decaying process and does not give much thought to the soul of his mother. He even smokes a cigarette and drinks café au lait in his mother’s presence like he is having an enjoyable time at a café or on a picnic. Monsieur Meursault refers to the people in the retirement home as “old people” which is rather disrespectful and does not consider them to be people at all really as he thinks, “The 4 Ibid, p.7. 5 Ibid, p.8. old people, Mother’s friends, were coming in. I counted ten in all, gliding almost soundlessly through the bleak white glare. None of the chairs creaked when they sat down. Never in my life had I seen anyone so clearly as I saw these people; not a detail of their clothes or features escaped me. And yet I couldn’t hear them, and it was hard to believe they really existed.” 6 At the funeral wake, the main character feels sleepy and has negative opinions about the physical appearances of his mother’s friends in attendance. He is also annoyed by one woman’s crying. He does not converse with any of his mother’s friends and no one has any kind words or condolences to say about his mother, as people would normally do in a transcendental society. After the funeral wake, he decides to take a walk on a nice day and thinks that his mother’s death has ruined his countryside walk. Monsieur Meursault also makes several references to the nursing home director and the residents as the “warden” and the “inmates”, which is rather dehumanizing and shows his lack of morality or sympathy for the elderly living there. Even after his mother dies, he goes back to his apartment and spends the weekend just looking at the passersby and admitting that his life has not changed at all. He even starts dating a girl, Marie, the day after his mother’s funeral. The characters generally have an existential perspective about their surroundings and do not have much true concern or feelings for others. His neighbor in the building, Salamano, is also harsh and swears at his dog all the time for the past 8 years and does not have any real compassion for it. After Salamano’s dog runs away, he conveys his lack of compassion for living beings by replying to Monsier Meursault about the likelihood of the dog being kept in a dog pound at the police station, “Is it likely I’d give money for a mutt like that? No damned fear They can kill him, for all I care.” 7 Next, another neighbor, Raymond, works as a pimp and treats his women like objects and wants to beat them if they get out of line or show 6 Ibid, p.10. 7 Ibid, p.26. ingratitude. Raymond shows his lack of morality by saying to his prostitute, “You let me down, you bitch I’ll learn you to let me down” 8 Then there are some thud sounds and a piercing scream from the prostitute. Monsieur Meursault is even rather indifferent to his girlfriend, Marie, as she asks him if he loves her and he replies that the question has no meaning. These characters are all typical kinds of personalities one might expect to find in an existential noir society. The existential mindset in terms of motivation found in this story is the same as that seen in noir characters. When Monsieur Meursault is asked by his boss if he would like a transfer to Paris, he reveals his lack of motivation for a better life. “I told him I was quite prepared to go; but really I didn’t care much one way or the other. He then asked me if a ‘change of life’, as he called it, didn’t appeal to me, and I answered that one never changed his way of life, one life was as good as another, and my present one suited me quite well.” 9 The characters in the novel all lack any real human connections and only have superficial relationships. Even in marriage the main character is proposed to by Marie but he again admits that he does not really love her but is willing to marry her or another woman for that matter who wants to get married for no particular reason. Also, when Monsieur Meursault has dinner alone at Celeste’s, a woman joins him at his table but they never engage in any dialog, as the woman is self-absorbed with checking all the radio programs she wants to hear in her radio magazine, and Monsieur Meursault is just amused watching her. He does not seem to think of her as a real person but rather as a source of temporary amusement. A further instance of a lack of morality is demonstrated when the main character approaches an Arab who had previously cut his “friend” Raymond’s arm with a knife as 8 Ibid, p.24. 9 Ibid, p.28. revenge for mistreating the prostitute. Monsieur Meursault could have just walked away when he sees the Arab on the beach or reported him to the police for the altercation, but instead he approaches him closer and closer, prompting the Arab to flash his knife. Monsieur Meursault subsequently takes out Raymond’s revolver from his pocket and shoots the Arab 5 times with no remorse or for no real reason. He is not bothered at all for killing the Arab. He even does not think it is necessary to have a lawyer defend him in court. He considers his action and case as being rather simple. He even considers the interrogation as a kind of formality and is ready to say “goodbye” after it is over when he remembers that he is being interrogated for killing a man. Monsieur Meursault’s lack of humanity and ambivalence is obvious when his defense attorney is curious why he was so callous at his mother’s funeral. “I answered that, of recent years, I’d rather lost the habit of noting my feelings, and hardly knew what to answer. I could truthfully say I’d been quite fond of Mother – but really that didn’t mean much. All normal people, I added as on afterthought, had more or less desired the death of those they loved, at some time or another.” 10 As he is in the courtroom the Magistrate is confused why Monsieur Meursault fired one shot and then waited a while before firing four more shots from the gun. As he cannot give a satisfactory answer, the Magistrate takes out a crucifix and says he must repent for his sins to God. The accused finds this childish and answers that he does not believe in God. At this, the Magistrate replies, “I, anyhow, am a Christian. And I pray Him to forgive you for your sins. My poor young man, how can you not believe that He suffered for your sake?” 11 However, Monsieur Meursault finds him boring and just agrees to make him be quiet. He later says he does not regret his action as much as feels a kind of vexation. 10 Ibid, p.40. 11 Ibid, p.42. The subsequent meetings are between the Magistrate and his lawyer for the next 11 months. The existential sentiment is clear on the part of Monsieur Meursault as he reveals, “Neither of the two men, at these times, showed the least hostility towards me, and everything went so smoothly, so amicably, that I had an absurd impression of being ‘one of the family’. I can honestly say that during the eleven months these examinations lasted I got so used to them that I was almost surprised at having ever enjoyed anything better than those rare moments when the magistrate, after escorting me to the door of the office, would pat my shoulder and say in a friendly tone: ‘Well, Mr. Antichrist, that’s all for the present’ After which I was made over to my jailers.” 12 Monsieur Meursault is never regretful of his action in killing a man. He only occasionally misses the time he could walk on the sandy beach. He also occasionally misses spending time with his girlfriend for physical reasons only and smoking cigarettes. Other than that, the only obstacle he has is overcoming his boredom. But eventually he finds ways to amuse himself in his cell. Eventually the days and months just pass by and he does not have any remorse. On the day of his trial, Monsieur Meursault is not worried about his fate but more interested in the court proceedings. He is even amused by the jury and thinks of the jurors as being people in a street car and tries to find interesting aspects of their appearance. Monsieur Meursault is even appreciative of the journalists covering his case and makes small talk with them. The whole Monsieur Meursault is oblivious to the murder he committed but instead focuses on the courtroom activities and the appearances of the people, as if he were at an amusement park. 12 Ibid, p.43. Even after the jury deliberates for only 45 minutes and returns with a capital sentence to be beheaded in a public place, it does not really faze Monsieur Meursault. He further refuses to see the prison chaplain several times, as he does not consider saving his soul to be important and does not grasp the seriousness of the crime he committed. He is more fascinated with the workings of the guillotine and the other methods of executing someone. His existential viewpoint is found again in his indifference at being sentenced to death. “‘But,’ I reminded myself, ‘it’s common knowledge that life isn’t worth living, anyhow.’ And, on a wide view, I could see that it makes little difference whether one dies at the age of thirty or three score and ten – since, in either case, other men and women will continue living, the world will go on as before. Also, whether I died now or forth years hence, this business of dying had to be got through, inevitably.” 13 Eventually the prison chaplain does come to see him and asks, “Have you no hope at all? Do you really think that when you die you die outright, and nothing remains?” Monsieur Meursault replies, “Yes”. 14 It is this mindset that is often expressed by existentialist philosophers and serves as a prevalent mood in many noir literary and film productions. Like characters in noir works, Monsieur Meursault also does not believe he has committed a sin but rather a criminal offense. Monsieur Meursault only thinks about earthly things and does not consider an otherworldly life. This obsession with earthly pleasures is what drives many male protagonist and femme fetale characters in noir productions to act. They do not consider the morality of their actions but rather a temporary satisfaction. The sense of alienation and indifference felt by Monsieur Meursault as he nears the end of his life is a common theme in noir productions. Therefore, noir can be considered a reaction to living in a God-less world 13 Ibid, p.65. 14 Ibid, p.67. where everything is in flux and changing. In an existential world, people cannot see the truth of their existence and can end up becoming like Meursault. In The Stranger, Monsieur Meursault is unaware of his existence and just goes through the motions every day, similar to protagonists in noir productions that are trying to do a self-discovery. However, The Stranger is not as fatalistic as other classic noir stories, in that Monsieur Meursault is just sitting in a jail cell waiting to be executed after his appeals are exhausted, but it is not clear when exactly he will meet the guillotine by the end of the story. Different from a traditional noir story, in The Stranger the world of nature is present and given great detail. In American noir stories, nature is often dead with little description about trees, flowers, and other such vegetation. Similar to the alienation and a similar lack of meaning and sense found in The Stranger, this sentiment is also portrayed in noir storylines. For example, in Mildred Pierce when Mildred is thinking about committing suicide, the police officer who catches her in the act displays emotional isolation and dissociation. The alienation and inhumanity of this character in the film can be seen from the first dialog between the policeman and Mildred on the pier, as Mildred is contemplating suicide. The policeman sees her and says, “What’s on your mind, lady? You know what I think? I think maybe you had an idea you’d take a swim. If you take a swim, I’d have to take a swim. Is that fair? Because you feel like killing yourself, I gotta get pneumonia. Never thought about that, did you? Okay. Think about it. Go on, beat it now. Go on home before we both take a swim.” In a utopia society, a police officer is supposed to serve the public and help those in need, but here he is more annoyed and inconvenienced by the thought of getting wet and catching a cold. Another case of inhumanity is found a short time later early in the film in Wally as he just wants to flee the scene of a crime after he discovers Monte’s body. Wally does not check to see if Monte is breathing or not; he just wants to leave the crime scene as quickly as possible. As the police catch him before he can leave the premises, he matter-of-factly says, “This is a pretty big night for you. Lots of excitement. There’s a stiff in there.” This is a very cold an uncaring way to refer to a deceased person. A police officer comes out of the house and in an equally cold manner states, “You never saw deader.” This sets the tone for mindset of the other characters throughout the film. Like The Stranger, ethical ambiguity is visible in The Postman Always Rings Twice, as a drifter, Frank Chambers, decides to help Cora Smith kill her husband Nick Smith, just so he can be with her, even though it is wrong to murder someone. To face the consequences for their actions, Cora is killed accidentally in a car accident and Frank is sentenced to the gas chamber. Ethical ambiguity is evident in Double Indemnity as well, as Walter and Phyllis plan to kill Phyllis’ husband. Walter desires Phyllis physically, and Phyllis is interested in her husband’s wealth. To make them pay for their crimes, Phyllis is shot to death, while Walter dies slowly after being shot but still has time to confess his crimes to the insurance investigator. The Production Code of the Hays’ office made the directors have endings where a moral message is conveyed. The characters’ schemes do not result in their desired outcomes. The characters’ schemes are fruitless and the characters themselves are self- destructive. In classic noir films, killers are usually killed themselves, cheaters are commonly caught by the police, and thieves are sent to jail. The characters are not portrayed as being noble or role models.

3.2 Albert Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus