Following Camus Series (V) Misunderstanding: Absurdity in Modern Tragedy

In Camus' plays, misunderstandings are relatively easy to understand. It has no twists and turns, but the ideas revealed in it are worth discussing.

Misunderstanding describes an incredible story: the prodigal son, who has been away from home for 20 years, anonymously returned to the hotel opened by his hometown mother and sister Marta in order to fulfill his responsibilities. Meanwhile, Marta and her mother are planning to start the last murder in order to leave their hometown and start a new life. As a result, his mother and sister did not recognize him, but murdered him at night. Finally, after learning the truth, the mother threw herself into the river with her son, and Marta committed suicide because she was desperate for the world.

The story of misunderstanding is based on a real news event at that time, which also appeared in another work of Camus, The Outsider. Merso repeatedly read news reports in prison. Camus commented on the news through Musso's mouth and said, "Anyway, I think this shop guest has a little responsibility." It can be seen that this news has a far-reaching impact on Camus, but Camus feels that this tragedy can be avoided artificially. "Just take the simplest and sincere attitude and say the most accurate words." ② The True Story, adapted by Camus, is more dramatic and shows a sense of absurdity everywhere.

John escaped from this desperate town and came back after 20 years. He thought he could bring hope and help his mother and sister out of their misery, but he paid his own life. In a sense, John's desire to help his relatives get out of trouble also shows his rebellious thoughts, but his "fantasy" is the root cause of "misunderstanding" and his death. John intends to make his mother and sister live a happy life, but he doesn't say his name directly, but there are always relatives who can recognize his illusion and turn a blind eye to his wife's outspoken advice. This also reflects that he encountered a fear of the strange world in the resistance, and returned to his hometown and this absurd and desperate environment. His "old fears" germinated again. He was full of anxiety and hesitation, and he dared not face them directly. He was afraid of alienating his relatives, and even the "money for a glass of beer" they offered made him feel sad. It can be said that his resistance is discounted.

With the passage of time, mother did not feel pain and fatigue, but chose to succumb to the same daily life and become an accomplice of sin. She even thinks killing people is a way to help others get rid of it. It can be said that she committed suicide mentally as Camus said. Only after learning that she had killed her own son did she realize "the pain of being born again in love", so she chose to end her absurd life with death.

Marta is the most fierce rebel in the whole story. She hates all the boring things around her and longs to escape, but she chooses killing and evil, just like caligula in Camus' other play. She had a sunny dream, but this dream led her to the abyss of sin, and finally the disillusionment of her dream led her to death.

If Marta chose to commit suicide because of the departure of her mother and brother, it would be better to say that she chose "philosophical suicide" because she realized that she was unable to fight against fate and the absurd situation that could not be changed. Before committing suicide, she shouted angrily and despairingly, "You know, whether in life or death, he and we have no home or peace. (sneer) This bottomless and sunless land will become food for blind animals when people go in. You can't call this place home! "

Her crying broke the truth of this world, leaving only the reality that people exist in this desolate and cold world.

At the end of the story, only Maria, a confused person, is still praying for God's help alone. She is a symbol of people who live in daily life. When the meaning of entrusting others disappears, it leaves people with a feeling of being abandoned in an alien world.

The absurdity in Camus' philosophy is the fate of modern times. It weighs heavily on people like the blind fate of the past, because the inherent limitations of human reason doomed it to be unable to understand the absurdity of this world. The seeds of this tragedy are hidden in everyone's birth.

Different people, different choices, but ushered in the same ending: death, which seems to be a trick of fate, and this once again confirms the absurdity of the world.

The old servant played the role of fate in the story. He was taciturn but always appeared, which contributed to the development of the plot at critical moments several times. On the one hand, he is a witness of evil, on the other hand, he is a bystander of tragedy, which runs through. There are the following aspects:

From the beginning to the end of the whole tragedy, the old servant watched it happen like fate. You want it to help you, but the answer is "no".

Camus himself gave a different answer to this: "He is not necessarily a symbol of fate." Because people are thrown into this world, the pain is isolated and no one can help anyone. However, this interpretation shows another view of Camus' fate: the innate opposition between man and the world always surrounds everyone like fate.

The story background of misunderstanding is not necessarily set in modern times, but it is Camus' attempt to modern tragedy. He combined modern characters with tragic language to make it more absurd.

In a sense, Misunderstanding is similar to the famous ancient Greek tragedy King Oedipus, and it is a tragedy that describes the struggle between man and fate. Although the protagonists did not get rid of the trap of fate in the end and did something against ethics, they gained their own value in the uncompromising struggle. The difference is that, as the root of tragedy, the fate of controlling everything in Greek mythology is incomprehensible and irresistible, and even God can't stay out of it, showing downright pessimism. In Misunderstanding, Camus believes that tragedy is caused by human error and can be avoided. If Wang had revealed his identity, things might have been completely different. So, he went in a positive direction from another aspect.

Although Camus's statement seems to contradict the irresistible fate he has always advocated.

But if we imagine a forgotten son, a strange and indifferent brother, appearing like an uninvited guest, can they really put him into their own lives? As Marta said, everything seems to be accidental, but in fact it has been arranged in a "doomed sequence". The seemingly accidental decision that "no one is recognized in it" is determined by deeper reasons.

In fact, Camus also affirmed the existence of absurd fate and suggested that people should try their best to resist it. Even though the outcome is the same, Camus inspires readers with different character choices: in the face of the absurdity of the world, what matters is not the success or failure of resistance, but the courage to face the world and destiny directly.

Living in isolated land, there is no sunshine. Even in a monastery in spring, there are only two buds and a rose. People who live here are bored, and all the tourists who come here don't want to leave as soon as possible. Camus mentioned more than once in the story that the desolation of this small town was actually a tragic picture of the whole of Europe at that time: during the Second World War, people felt desperate, depressed and hesitant, their survival was seriously threatened, and they lost their sense of security and were shrouded in despair, loneliness and homelessness. People have lost confidence in the world and become more aware of the unavoidable absurdity they face.

However, Camus also built a paradise-like residence for John in the story: on the far side, there is a sea and beach, full of vitality in spring and autumn, and everything here shows its original appearance.

Can people really live in such a place? I'm afraid not. If hope finally leaves this wonderful place, Marta will also end up with an disillusioned wish, which symbolizes that people are trapped in an irreparable prospect, which is the disillusionment of the "paradise" lie fabricated by Christ. This also shows Camus' consistent "anti-Christ" position. So what Camus wants to tell people is that there is no need to rush to salvation in the afterlife, but to recognize one's own situation, face up to the absurd reality and strive to live. This is inner salvation.

The ubiquitous absurdity is the feature of Misunderstanding, and the title of Misunderstanding has a deeper meaning. Camus just wanted to "make people understand that everyone has some illusions and misunderstandings that must be destroyed." The root of this misunderstanding lies in people's wrong understanding of themselves and the world.

In Camus' philosophy, absurdity cannot be eliminated, so people should not try to understand absurdity, but should choose to accept it bravely and soberly. Although this absurdity is invincible like fate, we should challenge it angrily and put our own brand on our lives.

Camus. Outsider [M], Complete Works of Camus, translated by Liu Mingjiu. Yilin Press, 20 17.

② Camus. Preface Drama Collection (American Edition) [M], Complete Works of Camus, translated by Li Yumin. Yilin Press, 20 17.

(3) Lautmann's biography of Camus, Xiaoyun translation. Guilin: Lijiang Publishing House, 1999.