Comparison of "Ragtime", "The Stranger" and "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead"
COMPARISON OF "RAGTIME", "THE STRANGER" AND "ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD"
Option One: Character Discussion
Compared to Ragtime or Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, I wasn’t really drawn into their world as much as I was with The Stranger. It’s not that Ragtime was more compelling than The Stranger, I just found Camus’ to be much more 'readable '. I thought Mister Meursault was the most intriguing character I’ve come across in a book in some time. I don’t really read that much, but I found following his actions to be addicting. It’s just the way he reacted to things, like his mother 's death, some people would usually breakdown and cry at that point in time. But Meursault was preoccupied, had his own way of analyzing things, and his 'perception ' of things seemed to be more important to him than reality, and he did not fully realize the impact of events. When there were changes in his life, it was hard to tell if things were meant to be. Changes for him started with his mother dying, then escalated with events involving Marie and other people around him. What ends up happening to him makes for the strangest book with the strangest character I have ever read.
At the very beginning of the book Meursault is asked if he wants to see his deceased mother in her casket. He was asked why he didn’t want to, and replied “I Don’t know” to the caretaker. What was going through his head? I asked myself. Right off the bat we are shown a man who was confusing as any. I’d want to see my mother if she was in a casket. But, then again, Meursault had not seen his mother in 5 years. There wasn’t any explanation as to why he 'd not want to see her dead, but that just added to the books mysterious qualities. I believe I read the book quickly because it was so short. I noticed myself blowing through the pages just to see what Meursault was going to do next. The guy lived a somewhat relaxed life, it seemed very simple. You are not told much about him, You don 't learn
Option One: Character Discussion
Compared to Ragtime or Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, I wasn’t really drawn into their world as much as I was with The Stranger. It’s not that Ragtime was more compelling than The Stranger, I just found Camus’ to be much more 'readable '. I thought Mister Meursault was the most intriguing character I’ve come across in a book in some time. I don’t really read that much, but I found following his actions to be addicting. It’s just the way he reacted to things, like his mother 's death, some people would usually breakdown and cry at that point in time. But Meursault was preoccupied, had his own way of analyzing things, and his 'perception ' of things seemed to be more important to him than reality, and he did not fully realize the impact of events. When there were changes in his life, it was hard to tell if things were meant to be. Changes for him started with his mother dying, then escalated with events involving Marie and other people around him. What ends up happening to him makes for the strangest book with the strangest character I have ever read.
At the very beginning of the book Meursault is asked if he wants to see his deceased mother in her casket. He was asked why he didn’t want to, and replied “I Don’t know” to the caretaker. What was going through his head? I asked myself. Right off the bat we are shown a man who was confusing as any. I’d want to see my mother if she was in a casket. But, then again, Meursault had not seen his mother in 5 years. There wasn’t any explanation as to why he 'd not want to see her dead, but that just added to the books mysterious qualities. I believe I read the book quickly because it was so short. I noticed myself blowing through the pages just to see what Meursault was going to do next. The guy lived a somewhat relaxed life, it seemed very simple. You are not told much about him, You don 't learn
Bibliography: Doctorow, E.L., Ragtime: A Novel, New York, Penguin Books USA Inc, 1974, 1975 Camus, Albert, The Stranger, New York, Random House, Inc, 1942 Stoppard, Tom, Rosencrantz and Guilderstern are Dead, New York, Grove Press, 1967