Summary: Chapter 1
Meursault has been arrested and thrown into jail for murdering
the Arab. Meursault’s young, court-appointed lawyer visits him in
his cell and informs him that investigators have checked into Meursault’s
private life and learned that he “show[ed] insensitivity” on the
day of Madame Meursault’s funeral. The lawyer asks if Meursault
was sad at his mother’s burial, and Meursault responds that he does
not usually analyze himself. He says that though he probably did
love his mother, “that didn’t mean anything.” The lawyer departs,
disgusted by Meursault’s indifference to his mother’s death. Meursault
says, “I felt the urge to reassure [the lawyer] that I was . . .
just like everybody else.”
That afternoon, Meursault is taken to meet with the examining magistrate.
The magistrate asks Meursault whether he loved his mother, and Meursault
replies that he loved her as much as anyone. The magistrate asks
why Meursault paused between the first shot at the Arab and other
four shots. Nothing about the crime bothers the magistrate aside
from this detail. When Meursault does not answer, the magistrate
waves a crucifix at him and asks if he believes in God. Meursault
says no. The magistrate states that his own life would be meaningless
if he doubted the existence of God, and concludes that Meursault
has an irrevocably hardened soul. During the course of the eleven-month
investigation that ensues, the magistrate takes to calling Meursault
“Monsieur Antichrist,” with an almost cordial air.
Summary: Chapter 2
Meursault describes his first few days in prison. The
authorities initially put him in a cell with a number of other people,
including several Arabs. Eventually, Meursault is taken to a private
cell. One day, Marie comes to visit him. The visiting room is noisy
and crowded with prisoners and their visitors. Marie wears a forced
smile, and tells Meursault that he needs to have hope. She says
she believes that he will be acquitted, and that they will get married
and go swimming. Meursault, however, seems more interested in the
mournful prisoner sitting beside him, whose mother is visiting.
Marie leaves, and later sends a letter stating that the authorities
will not allow her to visit Meursault anymore because she is not
his wife.
Meursault’s desires to go swimming, to smoke cigarettes,
and to have sex torment him in jail. He becomes accustomed to his
confinement, however, so it ceases to be a terrible punishment.
Only the early evenings seem to trouble him. He sleeps as many hours
as possible, and kills time by recalling the tiniest details of
his apartment and thinking about a story on an old scrap of newspaper
he has found in his cell. The story involves a Czechoslovakian man
who left his village at a young age. After making his fortune, he
returned to his village in disguise to see his mother and sister,
who were running a hotel. He planned to surprise them by revealing
his identity after showing off his wealth. Unfortunately, his mother
and sister killed him and robbed him before he could reveal himself.
When they discovered their mistake, the two women both committed
suicide.
Analysis: Chapters 1–2
The magistrate, when he waves a crucifix at Meursault,
introduces the notion that Meursault and his attitudes represent
a threat to society. Meursault’s atheism and indifference to his
mother’s death implicitly challenge the magistrate’s belief in a
rational universe controlled by God—the belief that gives his life
meaning. By associating Meursault with the devil and calling him
“Monsieur Antichrist,” the magistrate attempts to categorize Meursault
in terms of Christianity, the magistrate’s own belief system. The
magistrate incorporates Meursault into his ordered world view and
then dismisses him as evil, thereby preventing Meursault from undermining his
rational structure of belief.
For the most part, Meursault reacts to his confinement
in prison with characteristic indifference. Most important, his
imprisonment does not incite any guilt or regret over what he has
done. As at his mother’s funeral, Meursault focuses on the practical
details of his life in prison rather than on its emotional elements.
For instance, he thinks the fact that the court will appoint an
attorney for him is “very convenient.” He also enjoys the examining
magistrate’s friendly demeanor in their subsequent meetings, and
does not treat him as an adversary. Not surprisingly, the physical
aspects of confinement weigh most heavily on Meursault’s mind. His
unsatisfied longings for nature, the ocean, cigarettes, and sex
constitute, in his mind, his punishment. He notes that though he
thinks about women, he does not think about Marie in particular.
This statement underscores the physical, nonemotional character
of their relationship.
