Moriah Calfin

Psychology Profile: Confidential

Profile

Name: Claude Benoît Meursault

Age: 32

Birthdate: 08 January 1914

Address: 66543 Rue Laribi Mohamed Tiaret, Algeria 14000

Marital Status: Unmarried- Relationship with Marie Cardona

Occupation: Clerk at Mediterranean Shipping Co.

Interests: Collecting stamps and cigarettes

 

 

 

 

Confession

Raymond’s friend invited Marie and I to their beach house. Raymond was worried because a group of Arabs, a brother of a past mistress, had been following him around. I agreed to go to the beach house. On Sunday, Marie had to wake me up. I think we were in a rush and I didn’t have time to eat. I had a headache and a cigarette. Raymond’s Arabs were watching us as we waited for the bus, but they never talked to us. Then, Raymond, Marie, and I got on the bus. The bus ride was nice and once we got to the next stop, we went to Masson’s bungalow. We swam, ate lunch, and went for a walk. The heat from the sun was making me sleepy. Raymond and Masson pointed out two Arabs. The Arabs were walked towards us. Raymond said he’d take one guy and Masson could have the other. The sand was scorching. Raymond and Masson beat up the Arabs, but one of the Arab’s had a knife and gave Raymond a nasty cut; one on his arm and the other on his mouth. The sun was blinding as we went home. Masson took Raymond to the doctor, they came back, and we went back to the beach. We saw the Arabs again. Raymond wanted a fight and I took his gun so if Raymond and Masson did fight the Arabs, it would be fair. But, before Raymond had a chance to fight, the Arabs walked away.

Raymond and I walked back to the bungalow. He went inside and I walked back to the beach. The water was reflecting the sun and my feet were burning. I saw a blue overall wearing Arab. He was resting in a cool spring that was surrounded by some rocks. It was so hot that I had chills as I held onto Raymond’s gun, which was in my jacket. The Arab leaned forward and drew out a knife. The reflected light sliced my eyes and a large headache formed. Sweat was pouring off my face as I drew out Raymond’s gun. I didn’t mean to kill him. I hadn’t planned to kill him, but I shot him once and then four times more. He was dead.

The police must have heard the gun shots, because a couple of them arrive at the beach to arrest me. I gave them the gun and then asked if I might sit down in the shade because I felt dehydrated. I asked for a glass of water, but no one gave me any. After, the police took me to the station.

Interview

Officer: *muffled noise* All right. It’s on. This is Officer Anton Pinet. August third. 1946. The time is… 4:26 p.m. What is your name?

Arrestee: Meursault is fine.

Anton: Alright, Meursault. Where do you live?

Meursault: I live at 66543 Rue Laribi Mohamed Tiaret, Algeria 14000. It’s an apartment on the corner of Rue Laribi Mohamed.

Anton: And where do you work?

Meursault: I work at the Mediterranean Shipping Company.

Anton: Could you be more specific? What is your job at the Shipping Company?

Meursault: I’m a clerk. I work pretty hard.

Anton: I see. And lastly, what is the date of your birth and where were you born?

Meursault: January 8^th 1914. And I was born in Tiaret.

Anton: Have you hired an attorney?

Meursault: I haven’t hired one. Is it necessary?

Anton: “Why do you ask (pg 63)?”

Meursault: My case is fairly simple.

Anton: “That’s your opinion. But the law is the law. If you don’t hire an attorney yourself, the court will appoint one (pg 63).”

Meursault: It’s convenient that “the court should take care of those details (pg 63).”

Anton: I agree. It is a good law.

…..

Anton: Officer Anton Pinet. Time is currently 7:34 p.m. and the date the third of August. I am here to finish conducting the interview with Claude Meursault. Meursault, I am going to ask you some questions and I would like you to respond with the best of your ability.

Meursault: I will try.

Anton: First question, where were you on July twenty-second?

Meursault: At the beach.

Anton: What beach?

Meursault: The one in Algiers. Raymond and Marie went too.

Anton: So when you went to the beach, did you have a good time?

Meursault: Yes, I did. But, the sun was so bright and I didn’t have a hat. There was also a pair of Arab’s that Raymond was afraid of. Raymond, Masson, and I saw the Arabs on the beach. I held onto Raymond’s gun and then he and Masson fought with the Arabs. Raymond took one and Masson took the other. They were winning, but Raymond got a sliced by a knife that the Arab had; we didn’t know he had a knife.

Anton: Do you feel responsible for Raymond’s cut?

Meursault: No. It was Raymond’s mistake because he wasn’t paying attention and then got the cut.

Anton: Tell me more about how you were feeling when you walked back Masson’s house.

Meursault: It was hot. And bright out. The sun was so bright and I wish I had a hat that day.

Anton: So you reach the house and watch Raymond walk into the house. And then you decide to wa- … Meursault, what was going through your head when you turned back to go to the beach.

Meursault: I don’t remember. There was this noise in my head, like a buzzing or ringing. And I didn’t want to climb the stairs, but standing at the doorstep was just as bad.

Anton: *papers shuffling* So, you went back to the beach and saw one of the Arabs…

Meursault: I took Raymond’s gun and shot him. He died instantly.

Anton: The medical reports say the victim had five gunshot wounds.

Meursault: Yes, I shot him four times after the first.

Silence for twenty seconds.

Anton: Do you have anything else you want to say or add?

Meursault: Might I get a cigarette?

Anton: I don’t know. I can ask but I think the answer is no.

Scraping noise as chair is pushed back. Steady footsteps as Meursault starts to walk away. Slight pause and then jingling noise as curtain is pulled back. Footsteps fade.

Anton: The time is now 8:02. Recorder is turned off.

Psychoanalyst Report

Claude Benoît Meursault is a man that shows signs of psychopathic behaviors and I fear that Mr. Meursault is stuck in the sixth stage of Erikson’s physiological stages. I have read Mr. Meursault’s confession, the police reports, and have sat one room over during the police interrogations. To say that I have not become fascinated with Mr. Meursault would be a lie. This man shows no signs of emotion whatsoever. His Maman died recently and reports are that there was no empathy, no desire to see his mother one last time, and at the funeral itself, his gaze was uninterested. Mr. Meursault was not able to provide for his mother, although he has a steady job at the Mediterranean Shipping Company. He stated, “I work pretty hard” and I have seen his income; it is a decent amount. The caretaker, whom I have talked with, said he told Mr. Meursault that there was no shame. Maman needed someone to take care of her and Mr. Meursault could not give his support. Mr. Meursault had not seen his mother in years and when he did- she was dead. This makes me question Claude’s childhood. Was his relationship with his Maman unstable? I do not believe I will ever get an answer because Mrs. Meursault is dead and Claude does not give emotional answers. This branches off to his interview with Officer Anton Pinet.

I specifically had Anton ask Claude about how Meursault was feeling when he was at the beach. I will describe the setting. Claude, who calls himself Meursault, was sitting in a chair. His body posture, I must point out, was quite impressive. He sat up straight, his shoulders were relaxed, and he did not tap his foot. Meursault’s manners were perfect. I bring up the Maman again- Was she the one to teach him such polite manners? Anton told me when he questioned about killing the Arab, Meursault squinted as if it were bright out. Pointedly, Meursault described both the funeral and the beach as being hot days with “bright” glares. I have deducted that Mr. Meursault killed the Arab because of the sun. Do not take this as child’s play- the sun has caused a man to murder. Since Meursault was not able to take care of his mother, and he felt the pressure- I am positive he did when he did not look at his mother’s dead body- he showed his strength by killing the Arab man. This was not an act of revenge for his friend Raymond. I believe Meursault does not have emotional feelings for his Raymond or Marie. “The sun was bright. My feet hurt. I was so hot.”- Meursault. Meursault, Meursault, Meursault. Where is the conscious thought for others? There is no fight for others. No love. No emotion. Only isolation. Thus, Erikson’s sixth stage.

Erik Erikson, genius of developmental psychology, stated in the sixth stage, that the main idea is intimacy versus isolation. The age group for this stage is 19-40 (Meursault is 32) and focuses on love. As I have stated before, I do not think Meursault is able to love- he has not shown signs of true love, only physical relationships. Erikson states that a person is not fully developed until they can form a romantic relationship. The goal is to relate to another person intimately and by doing so, the given person will put aside their needs and put thought into another person. The fear of love is isolation. Meursault has shown signs of isolation by being present, but not mentally and emotionally present. He is also not able to fulfill the commitments that have been given- Taking care of Maman. The sixth stage is about forming relationships. Has he maintained a relationship? To Marie? Maman? No and no. This man is deeply lacking in developmental progress, shows signs of failure, and most importantly, no effort to improve.

To conclude this psychological report on Claude Meursault, I leave this question. Who did he kill for? I know the answer. Clause Benoît Meursault killed for himself. There was no intent to protect Raymond. His fear of love has pushed his actions to murder. Meursault will not accept his responsibility to commit effort in forming relationships. I recommend he starts treatment right away. His time for completing the goal of intimate relationship in the sixth stage is almost past. I fear though that Meursault will not be able to show any signs of emotions and if this is the case, there is no point to why he might not be put in jail or even sentenced to death. I do not take this lightly, but there is no evidence pointing toward innocence. When one dies, they feel nothing. Is not Meursault already there?

Sources Used:

–                   My imaginative brain

–                   The Stranger

–                   Into to Psychology. Teacher: Frank Gallow.