Camus, the writer, made this extract effective by using different types of imagery and adding varied elements. He showed in this extract how Meursault reflect himself through nature, and the impact it has on him, the way he thinks
The extract starts by injured Raymond coming back, and shows the stubbornness of Meursault,” Masson and I said we’d go with him … But I followed him all the same”. These two lines show that Meursault don’t care what others want, and that he will not consider it and will do what he wishes to do instead. This makes the extract effective because it shows the difference of what he feels before the incident and after. ” The sun was crashing down … into little pieces “, imagery used to show how harsh nature can be. That’s effective because we hardly picture nature as being harsh, and walking on the beach was always something beautiful pictured in a good way. Meursault describes nature or the beach in a difficult way to imagine, and that shows how he’s strongly affected by the surrounding nature.
Nature has a great impact on Meursault and that what makes it more effective by showing how he’s influenced by nature, and that’s why it used a lot. He links between what’s happening and nature surrounding, “when Raymond handed me his gun, the sun glinted off it. “, this line is written as if nature is watching them, and when the gun was handed to Meursault the sun glinted off as if it rested and stopped watching, and if we described it that way it’s a personification, by giving the sun the ability of looking, and its visualized like a mother who don’t want any of her children injured. “Amid the sand … at a standstill”, he’s in a position where he’s responsible to take care of Raymond and shoot if anything happens to him and all he cares about is the nature surrounding and how its stabled, just as if nature guides him to do what to do. “I realized at that point that you could either shoot or not shoot”, it’s the line just after the previous one and it uses the word realize as if he noticed what nature wants. He say shoot or not to shoot simply as if there is no differences between them at all, and the decision won’t make a change. “My head ringing from the sun”, this shows the impact nature has on Meursault, and how chooses the hot unbearable sun over going in and comforting another human. “The blinding … of the sky”, it’s a metaphor comparing the opposite, as if he all thinks about is nature, and that increases the effectiveness of the extract by showing how his mind is only thinking about nature and find it more interesting than other living creatures. “Whether I stayed there or moved … same things”, he don’t feel the consequences, he don’t see the differences in what’s coming in the future, all he cares about is the present. ”The little waves … walk.”, he details every move in nature, and every change happens to him, this shows how important nature is to him. Another personification is added, “I felt the blast of its hot breath on my face”, he pictured the hot weather as if it breathes and how that affects him to make the moves he have done to rebel against the sun, he feels the surrounding elements aspiring against him.
Although he’s still in the open nature, he still misses the comforting nature, the part where he hears the sound of the water babbling, he wants to escape from the sun and the women’s tears to this part of nature, to the relaxing part, ”I wanted to hear … relax in the shade again.” Then it says “but when I got nearer … had come back”, as if the Arabs disturbed his thoughts. The Arab don’t even have a name as if they don’t have any identities or significance in this world, and this is effective because it shows the way Meursault thinks about them. “Naturally, I gripped Raymond’s gun inside my jacket”, this quote signify it as a natural response guided by nature, by saying naturally he links himself with nature, although we readers don’t see him as a normal natural human being, we see him without emotions or any normal significance, however, he sees himself as a natural normal human being, and that’s effective because it pictures how our thoughts differ from Meursault’s way of thinking.
Meursault even though he is on Raymond’s side and there to protect him, he still doesn’t feel anything for him, he sees him as nothing that important but a dancing shape in the hot air, “he was just a shape dancing in front of me in the scorching air”. This particular part is effective because it shows Meursault’s true feelings, that he’s not there to hurt anyone or as a real friend, he’s just there because there where the events guided him.
“The waves sounded even longer and lazier … as before”, in this part he reflects how he feels through nature, he looks at the waves, sun and sand and describe them of how he feels, and this show that he view himself as one of nature’s elements, he says “the same light and sand as before”, as if light signifies the view, and he still look at the same view, it didn’t change, and sand describes the way he looks, as we know in the religious view that humans were firstly made from sand, and we know that he’s Christian and that probably what he believes, too. However, the waves describe the way he feels, and we know from the description that he feels lazy. That’s make the extract effective because he links himself with the nature surrounding, and nature signify pureness, that show us how pure he it that he doesn’t even know killing a man was wrong or right.
“And because… with one step”, he doesn’t think of the consequences, he moved forward not to hurt anyone but trying to escape from the hot sun, the Arabs misunderstood him. This signifies how Meursault is getting closer with people, but he’s misunderstood, and all he gains is trouble, and loneliness is safer for him to live in. “The light leapt up … at my forehead”, this part is effective because it shows how nature could be the reason for his death , because of the sun he moved, and because of that he could be killed, the light which signifies nature is pictured as a sword attacking his forehead, as if the Arabs and nature are attacking him. “My eyes were blinded by this veil of salty tears”, nature blinded him from the danger surrounding him, this shows how nature can be blamed, and this is effective because it shows that nature is the reason of what he does, and that’s a natural reaction due to the situation he’s in.
“All I could feel were the cymbals … knife in front of me”, he’s in a condition where he might be killed and all he feels is the cymbals the sun were clashing, it’s a personification, because the sun can’t fight anyone or clash someone. He’s describing it as the sun is fighting him and all what he have done is blamed on the sun. “That was when everything shook. The sea swept ashore a great breathe of fire.” , a personification to describe the anger of the sea, as if things he knew have changed, he continues by saying “the sky seemed to be splitting … sheets of flames”, not even the sea have changed but the sky have changed, too, it anger makes it rain sheets of flames instead of pure refreshing drops of water. This adds a great effectiveness to the extract, by showing how Meursault’s view of nature started to change.
“The trigger gave … that it all started”, he’s shocked, confused, he don’t understand what happened. That’s the climax of the chapter, the turning point. It’s very effective because it shows how confused he got, he’s trying to put together what he have done, and he’s trying to rest his mind, to think about it. “I realized that I’d … I’d been happy”, he’s reflecting himself, again, through nature, as If he destroyed his balance and the perfect silence he had in him, as if he closed the door of happiness and his rested mind. “I fired four more times … door of unhappiness”, because of the confusion he has in him, and to settle down his mind he fired four more to believe what happened, to wake him up, he then describe it as a four sharp knocks at the door of unhappiness, its effective because it shows at last that Meursault has feelings in him, to feel happy or not. This incident is a shock to wake him up, to wake up his emotions and feelings.