The Mothers’ Role in the Stranger and Meursault Investigation

A mother’s role in a child’s life

A mother is a child’s female relative. They give birth to the infant, aware that the child’s life is entirely dependent on her. Mothers play a number of roles. These responsibilities include love, defending, and caring for the child, as well as imparting character and educating the child on how to deal with life’s challenges. The Meursault inquiry depicts a world in chaos. Meursault, the writer, is unconcerned about her mother’s death. He was hanged after murdering his friend’s brother. The stranger is a depiction of the contrast in the positions of mothers and fathers. Most mothers didn’t have a source of income and were left in the houses because society considered them as homemakers and was forced to follow the Islamic cultures strictly despite their wills. This research work is an analysis of the roles of women in the stranger and Meursault investigation.

The strong bond between mothers and children

Mothers are supposed to create a strong bond with their children. According to Meursault’s investigation, the death of Musa did not matter so much to his brother Harun (Daoud, 10). Despite the absolute poverty they were living in, her mother showed immeasurable spirit in enquiring about what happened to Musa. From the story, Harun’s mother went through challenges in finding out what happened to Musa since they were not given a body to bury. The same role is evident in the stranger. Meursault’s indifference led to his downfall. The prosecutor claimed that Meursault buried his mother with a crime in his soul. That is the reason he was condemned to die. The prosecutor quoted that if such a callous soul is freed, it opens up an abyss that swallows the entire society. The two texts show that there must be a strong liking between the mother and the child, and it is the role of the mother to ensure that bond exists.

Mothers as homemakers

Mothers are expected to be the homemakers. They aren’t supposed to engage in economic activities. Their roles are to take care of their children. According to the stranger, the 22-year-old Camus jots that his whole sensibility is founded on his anxious feelings about his mother (Camus, 22). The figure of the mother appears in the story of Meursault. The son’s failure to reciprocate the same care for the mother is a gateway to the mechanical ordeal that finally leads to his death. According to Meursault investigation, Harun’s mother was very determined to know what happened to her son. She crossed over to the European quarters hurling curses to the woman she was assuming to be Meursault grandmother. She indirectly requests Harun to seek retribution against the death of her son. Unlike Harun, she lea her struggles with the weapons at her disposal. Both texts show the role of the mother in taking care of their children.

Mothers providing physical comfort

Mothers are also supposed to give physical comfort to their children. In the stranger, the mother of Doctor Rieux pays him a visit in Algeria. They adore each other silently without confessing their affection. When Catherine Camus emerged finally, her son was facing trial. Her presence made him realize his limitations. The memory of her mother as a woman who consoles filled her son with a debt which cannot be resolved. In the Meursault investigation, fifteen years after the murder, Harun and his mother moved to where Meursault’s mother’s home was located. They lived in the rural poverty where the mother assumed the work of a cleaning lady while Harun did the odd jobs. The two texts show that mothers are supposed to be physically present to the needs of their children.

Mothers and religious matters

It is a role of mothers to engage themselves in religious matters of their children. According to Meursault’s investigation, Harun’s mother wanted her son Musa to be declared a martyr, meaning he died for the interest of God (Camus, 23). Musa’s death took place several years before the war broke. Therefore, it was difficult to treat it like that of Shahid. Regardless of this, his mother struggled to make him pronounced as a martyr. Years after the independence, she wanted recognition because her son was a martyr. However, she never received it because she failed to prove that she existed, even though he was publicly executed. However, in the stranger, Albert Camus claimed that the knowledge that one cannot live without God and idea of salvation as death reigns was his own opinion. This shows her mother played an insignificant role in his spiritual growth.

Mothers providing for basic needs

It is the role of the mother to provide for the basic needs of their children, in the Meursault investigation, Harun and his brother were at home with their mother who they depended on their necessities. Their father had gone to fight leaving them home with their mother. The mother struggled through all odds to make ends meet and to ensure that Harun received his education. After the death of Musa, their mother struggled to get his body so that they can bury him. Their father is out of the question because society expected men to cater for national welfare, but the mothers had to provide for the basic needs of their kids. Similarly, in the stranger, the woman was the one expected to cater to the needs of their children. Catherine Camus was silent from the public. Her son declared that he would fight for the nation and her mother because the role of the mothers was in the family boundaries where she was to engage herself in providing for her children as the men fight.

Mother as a liberator

There is a slight contrast between the two texts, in the Meursault investigation, it was the role of the mother to fight for her liberation. Though she was on her own, the society expected her to carve her path and seek for what she desires. Harun’s mother did not fight for independence; she is an exaggerated story of veteran memoir. She diverted the weapons of the colonizers, showing the importance of their mother. In the stranger. Catherine is a silent woman who is a creature of circumstances, who is forced by the society and the children to live a passive life confined to the family limits. The two texts are different in the presentation of a mother as her liberator against social injustices.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the two versions portray similar roles played by mothers, which include being the homemakers, creating bonds between family members, providing physical comfort, and providing the basic needs of their children. However, Meursault’s investigation adds to the roles of the mothers in that they nurture their children on religious issues and portrays the mother as her liberator, as she is the one who can determine whether she is freed from cultural injustices or not.

Works Cited

Camus, Albert. The Stranger. 2015.

Daoud, Kamel, et al. The Meursault Investigation. 2015.