Method to Madness
By Alex Sholl
In Albert Camus’s The Stranger, Meursault has a few actions and behaviors that would eventually cause him to be antagonized by a prosecutor in a court of law and sentenced to death. These quirks about Meursault cause the people at his trial to see him as a soulless monster, but seeing the events from his perspective as the reader can shed light on what Meursault is really like, and can lead to the conclusion that I am arguing, that Meursault’s actions can be explained by a physiological condition. In truth, at least part of Meursault’s odd behaviors can be attributed to his introverted nature and his susceptibility to sensory overload.
Introverts are characterized by a preference to listening during conversations over speaking. Introverts also tend to have a small, close group of friends unlike extroverts who usually have a larger group of friends who they aren’t as close to. A study in the Journal of Psycholinguistic Research notes a possible physiological reason for the difference between introverts and extroverts being their baseline levels of cortical arousal (brain activity). (Giannakakis, Kyprianou, Papadimitriou, Papageorgiou, Rabavilas, Stachtea, Stefanis 131) Everybody has their own baseline level of brain activity, and introverts tend to have a higher level than extroverts. The brain also has a level of brain activity that is considered ideal. Since extroverts tend to have low baseline levels of activity, they seek out social interactions to try to raise their activity levels. Introverts on the other hand, might try to avoid excessive interactions to ensure they don’t overshoot the ideal level which can cause discomfort and fatigue.
Georg Simmel gives some of the first descriptions of sensory overload in “The Metropolis and Mental Life.” In the paper he explains that with all of the things that people living in cities must worry about (schedules, finances, etc.) along with all the lights and noises present in a city that strain is put on people’s minds instead of their bodies. He also states that city dwellers tend to react rationally instead of emotionally in order to lessen the burden on their sensations (Simmel 48). Meursault agreeing to marry Marie just because he couldn’t think of a reason not to do so is an extreme version of this rational kind of thinking. (Camus 41) Things like bright lights, loud noises, and strong smells can cause sensory overload because more information than the brain is able to process at a time is being picked up at once. Psychological stress factors can also be contributing factors which can lead a person developing the increased rationality mentioned above as a defense mechanism. A person who is suffering from sensory overload can deal with it by getting away from whatever is causing it, going to someplace where he or she won’t be overstimulated, or sleeping.
It’s not uncommon for an introvert to also be susceptible to sensory overload since the same high level of brain activity that causes the former can make the later more likely. A study in The Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice linked higher sensory processing sensitivity, introversion, and ectomorphism and found that the more unstable the environment an animal grows up in, the more likely they are to have those three traits. (Rizzo-Sierra, Leon-S, Leon-Sarmiento 159-161) We don’t know anything about Meursault’s body type, but we do know that he grew up without a father which could constitute an unstable environment. (Camus 110) The same study also mentioned that the highly sensitive individuals that they observed “require more quiet time daily to be alone, as well as… longer sleep times” (Rizzo-Sierra et al. 159) This need for quite time is evident in Meursault when considering his affinity for small, quiet environments. After Meursault’s mother moves to the retirement home, Meursault begins living out of one poorly cared for room in his apartment. He even moves the table to his room so that he doesn’t have to bother eating in a different part of the apartment (Camus 21). Even the room that he does live in seems to be pretty plain having “some saggy straw chairs, a wardrobe… a dressing table, and a brass bed” (Camus 21). If what he gives is a complete description of his room, it would mean that the place where he lives is completely void of decoration. He also adapts to prison life very well being content with nothing more than a portion of a newspaper article, examining the scarce contents of his room, his hour in the yard, his memories, and sixteen to eighteen hours of sleep a day. (Camus 77-81) In both cases, his living space is very minimal and significantly lowers the possibility of being overstimulated. Meursault also seems to have an above average need for sleep. He has trouble getting out of bed the day that he was going to the beach and still falls asleep on the shore, and as noted earlier, he begins sleeping for over sixteen hours in prison. (Camus 47, 51, 79)
It is often noted that Meursault is introverted like in John Marzillier’s book The Gossamer Thread: My Life as a Psychotherapist where he briefly mentions that Camus depicted Meursault as gloomy and introverted. (Marzillier 6) He fits the previously mentioned criteria considering that by his account of the conversations with the retirement home caretaker right before his mother’s vigil and with Raymond when he was talking about his mistress, Meursault doesn’t seem to contribute much to the conversations and just listens. (Camus 7-8, 28-32) He also seems to have a very small circle of friends, the only ones we know about being Céleste, Emmanuel, Marie, and Raymond.
Mary Gennuso noted that “Meursault is very much a man attuned to the senses and his creature comfort is important to him, to the point that he admits that… if he is not physically comfortable, his feelings can be influenced” (Gennuso 247). Meursault has two major instances of sensory overload in the book, his mother’s funeral and the time of the murder. Those two points where Meursault seems the most detached, and in both cases he had a lot wearing on him. At the funeral he has to deal with the fact that his mother has died, and shortly after Meursault meets Masson and his wife, the reality that he is getting married finally hits him. (Camus 50) The death of a family member and getting married are both life changing events that probably gave Meursault a lot to chew on. Seeing the fight between Raymond, Masson, and the Arabs on the beach probably caused him even more mental stress. In both cases he also suddenly begins to describe his surroundings in extreme detail, reaching a peak where he describes all of the sights, smells, and sensations bombarding him. During the walk to the church Meursault notes that the colors around him, the feeling of the sun, and the many overpowering smells combined with “[his] fatigue after a night without sleep- [are] making it hard for [him] to see or think straight” (Camus 17). After dealing with so many things one right after the other, his senses seem to kick into overdrive, causing his first withdrawal of the book where he loses focus of things like other peoples’ feelings and wellbeing, even to the point of brushing off one of the men attending the funeral collapsing from heat stroke. (Camus 18) Right before Meursault finds the Arab during his solo walk on the beach, he is complaining about the sun burning his face and the feeling of his sweat getting into his eyes. (Camus 58) When Meursault does encounter the Arab, the Arab brandishes his knife in such a way that the sun reflects off of it into Meursault’s eyes. (Camus 59) At this point, Meursault has another withdrawal where, instead of becoming completely uncaring, he describes all of his sensations using bizarre imagery like “cymbals of sunlight crashing on [his] forehead,” “the dazzling spear flying up from the knife in front of [him],” and “the sky [splitting] open… to rain down fire” (Camus 59) The over the top way that he describes everything shows that he has become concerned only with the discomfort that he is feeling at the moment.
All in all, Meursault most likely has an above average level of brain activity that leads to the supposed apathy towards his mother’s death and to the murder he commits that would prove so damning to him. As shown above, the situations that made Meursault seem so unforgivable cases where he was overwhelmed by his circumstances, whether he realizes it or not. Despite how the public sees him, Meursault is really just a man with a strong tendency towards internalization and withdrawal. While making the mistake is understandable since Meursault’s case is so extreme, what happened to him could be part of a larger issue with a society that prefers a people to be outgoing and to always wear their hearts on their sleeves.
Works Cited
Camus, Albert. The Stranger. New York: Vintage Books, 1988. Print.
Gennuso, Mary. “Does Meursault Lie?” Albert Camus’s The Stranger: Critical Essays. Ed. Peter Francev. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014. 235-258. Print.
Leon-S, Martha, Fidias Leon-Sarmiento, Carlos Rizzo-Sierra. “Higher sensory processing sensitivity, introversion and ectomorphism: New biomarkers for human creativity in developing rural areas.” Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice 3.2 (2012): 159-162. Print.
Marzillier, John. The Gossamer Thread: My Life as a Psychotherapist. London: Karnac Books Ltd, 2010. Print.
Simmel, Georg. “The Metropolis and Mental Life.” Classic Essays on the Culture of Cities. Ed. Richard Sennett. New York: Meredith Corporation, 1969. 47-60. Print.
Papageorgiou, Charalabos. "The Interference of Introversion-Extraversion and Depressive Symptomatology with Reasoning Performance: A Behavioral Study." Journal of Psycholinguistic Research 41.2 (2012):129-139. Print.
Introverts are characterized by a preference to listening during conversations over speaking. Introverts also tend to have a small, close group of friends unlike extroverts who usually have a larger group of friends who they aren’t as close to. A study in the Journal of Psycholinguistic Research notes a possible physiological reason for the difference between introverts and extroverts being their baseline levels of cortical arousal (brain activity). (Giannakakis, Kyprianou, Papadimitriou, Papageorgiou, Rabavilas, Stachtea, Stefanis 131) Everybody has their own baseline level of brain activity, and introverts tend to have a higher level than extroverts. The brain also has a level of brain activity that is considered ideal. Since extroverts tend to have low baseline levels of activity, they seek out social interactions to try to raise their activity levels. Introverts on the other hand, might try to avoid excessive interactions to ensure they don’t overshoot the ideal level which can cause discomfort and fatigue.
Georg Simmel gives some of the first descriptions of sensory overload in “The Metropolis and Mental Life.” In the paper he explains that with all of the things that people living in cities must worry about (schedules, finances, etc.) along with all the lights and noises present in a city that strain is put on people’s minds instead of their bodies. He also states that city dwellers tend to react rationally instead of emotionally in order to lessen the burden on their sensations (Simmel 48). Meursault agreeing to marry Marie just because he couldn’t think of a reason not to do so is an extreme version of this rational kind of thinking. (Camus 41) Things like bright lights, loud noises, and strong smells can cause sensory overload because more information than the brain is able to process at a time is being picked up at once. Psychological stress factors can also be contributing factors which can lead a person developing the increased rationality mentioned above as a defense mechanism. A person who is suffering from sensory overload can deal with it by getting away from whatever is causing it, going to someplace where he or she won’t be overstimulated, or sleeping.
It’s not uncommon for an introvert to also be susceptible to sensory overload since the same high level of brain activity that causes the former can make the later more likely. A study in The Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice linked higher sensory processing sensitivity, introversion, and ectomorphism and found that the more unstable the environment an animal grows up in, the more likely they are to have those three traits. (Rizzo-Sierra, Leon-S, Leon-Sarmiento 159-161) We don’t know anything about Meursault’s body type, but we do know that he grew up without a father which could constitute an unstable environment. (Camus 110) The same study also mentioned that the highly sensitive individuals that they observed “require more quiet time daily to be alone, as well as… longer sleep times” (Rizzo-Sierra et al. 159) This need for quite time is evident in Meursault when considering his affinity for small, quiet environments. After Meursault’s mother moves to the retirement home, Meursault begins living out of one poorly cared for room in his apartment. He even moves the table to his room so that he doesn’t have to bother eating in a different part of the apartment (Camus 21). Even the room that he does live in seems to be pretty plain having “some saggy straw chairs, a wardrobe… a dressing table, and a brass bed” (Camus 21). If what he gives is a complete description of his room, it would mean that the place where he lives is completely void of decoration. He also adapts to prison life very well being content with nothing more than a portion of a newspaper article, examining the scarce contents of his room, his hour in the yard, his memories, and sixteen to eighteen hours of sleep a day. (Camus 77-81) In both cases, his living space is very minimal and significantly lowers the possibility of being overstimulated. Meursault also seems to have an above average need for sleep. He has trouble getting out of bed the day that he was going to the beach and still falls asleep on the shore, and as noted earlier, he begins sleeping for over sixteen hours in prison. (Camus 47, 51, 79)
It is often noted that Meursault is introverted like in John Marzillier’s book The Gossamer Thread: My Life as a Psychotherapist where he briefly mentions that Camus depicted Meursault as gloomy and introverted. (Marzillier 6) He fits the previously mentioned criteria considering that by his account of the conversations with the retirement home caretaker right before his mother’s vigil and with Raymond when he was talking about his mistress, Meursault doesn’t seem to contribute much to the conversations and just listens. (Camus 7-8, 28-32) He also seems to have a very small circle of friends, the only ones we know about being Céleste, Emmanuel, Marie, and Raymond.
Mary Gennuso noted that “Meursault is very much a man attuned to the senses and his creature comfort is important to him, to the point that he admits that… if he is not physically comfortable, his feelings can be influenced” (Gennuso 247). Meursault has two major instances of sensory overload in the book, his mother’s funeral and the time of the murder. Those two points where Meursault seems the most detached, and in both cases he had a lot wearing on him. At the funeral he has to deal with the fact that his mother has died, and shortly after Meursault meets Masson and his wife, the reality that he is getting married finally hits him. (Camus 50) The death of a family member and getting married are both life changing events that probably gave Meursault a lot to chew on. Seeing the fight between Raymond, Masson, and the Arabs on the beach probably caused him even more mental stress. In both cases he also suddenly begins to describe his surroundings in extreme detail, reaching a peak where he describes all of the sights, smells, and sensations bombarding him. During the walk to the church Meursault notes that the colors around him, the feeling of the sun, and the many overpowering smells combined with “[his] fatigue after a night without sleep- [are] making it hard for [him] to see or think straight” (Camus 17). After dealing with so many things one right after the other, his senses seem to kick into overdrive, causing his first withdrawal of the book where he loses focus of things like other peoples’ feelings and wellbeing, even to the point of brushing off one of the men attending the funeral collapsing from heat stroke. (Camus 18) Right before Meursault finds the Arab during his solo walk on the beach, he is complaining about the sun burning his face and the feeling of his sweat getting into his eyes. (Camus 58) When Meursault does encounter the Arab, the Arab brandishes his knife in such a way that the sun reflects off of it into Meursault’s eyes. (Camus 59) At this point, Meursault has another withdrawal where, instead of becoming completely uncaring, he describes all of his sensations using bizarre imagery like “cymbals of sunlight crashing on [his] forehead,” “the dazzling spear flying up from the knife in front of [him],” and “the sky [splitting] open… to rain down fire” (Camus 59) The over the top way that he describes everything shows that he has become concerned only with the discomfort that he is feeling at the moment.
All in all, Meursault most likely has an above average level of brain activity that leads to the supposed apathy towards his mother’s death and to the murder he commits that would prove so damning to him. As shown above, the situations that made Meursault seem so unforgivable cases where he was overwhelmed by his circumstances, whether he realizes it or not. Despite how the public sees him, Meursault is really just a man with a strong tendency towards internalization and withdrawal. While making the mistake is understandable since Meursault’s case is so extreme, what happened to him could be part of a larger issue with a society that prefers a people to be outgoing and to always wear their hearts on their sleeves.
Works Cited
Camus, Albert. The Stranger. New York: Vintage Books, 1988. Print.
Gennuso, Mary. “Does Meursault Lie?” Albert Camus’s The Stranger: Critical Essays. Ed. Peter Francev. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014. 235-258. Print.
Leon-S, Martha, Fidias Leon-Sarmiento, Carlos Rizzo-Sierra. “Higher sensory processing sensitivity, introversion and ectomorphism: New biomarkers for human creativity in developing rural areas.” Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice 3.2 (2012): 159-162. Print.
Marzillier, John. The Gossamer Thread: My Life as a Psychotherapist. London: Karnac Books Ltd, 2010. Print.
Simmel, Georg. “The Metropolis and Mental Life.” Classic Essays on the Culture of Cities. Ed. Richard Sennett. New York: Meredith Corporation, 1969. 47-60. Print.
Papageorgiou, Charalabos. "The Interference of Introversion-Extraversion and Depressive Symptomatology with Reasoning Performance: A Behavioral Study." Journal of Psycholinguistic Research 41.2 (2012):129-139. Print.