Meursault is NOT a role model

Does Meursault have a complete life?

No matter how many people view Meursault as a hero, I still cannot see him as someone I would want to emulate.  Yes, I can see that he is a tragic hero, and I even find myself sympathizing with him a little bit, after hearing what everyone has to say about him.  But is he really that worthy of admiration?

Yes, he does not conform to society, but he does not even think about it.  He just does what he does, feeling only hot, tired, irritated, content, or full of lust for Marie.

WHERE IS HIS PASSION????

OK, I can see how he has an admirable quality (singular, because his only admirable quality is not being obsessed with societal systems), but on the whole, I do not believe that he is a person worthy of role-model status.

Would any of you want to live a life devoid of true joy, of true love, of true pain, of any emotion where you really experience human life?

Would you really want to live a life where annihilating another human being does not cause a second thought?

Comments

[jane]

meursault is not meant to be a role model for future generations. who would want to live in a world devoid of all passion, emotion and meaning? meursault stands as a symbol of the absurd life which Camus emphasizes throughout many of his works. as humans we live with a constant desire to find reason in the universe. this desire to make sense of the world causes us to believe in a meaningful life or in God. however, in reality, the universe gives us no reason to believe that it contains any kind of reason at all. the concept of absurdity is merely the conscious awareness of the senselessness and meaninglessness of everything around us. meusrsault does not choose to be emotionless, but in actuality cannot force himself to believe, or advocate, things that are not real or dishonest. in this aspect, meursault can be viewed as a tragic, or absurd, hero in the novel. he is unable to overcome his emotionless state of nature, and has no moral sense of what is right and wrong. it is this unorthodox mindset which initially condemns him to death.