Will's Thoughts

One topic we have discussed quite a lot in class is whether Rochester is a sympathetic character. While Rochester does many despicable things, there are many reasons for him doing so. Why Rochester is a sympathetic character: Much like Antoinette, Rochester is in a difficult position in his family. Because he is not the oldest son, he gets none of his father's inheritance. Thus, when Mr. Mason gives him the opportunity to gain an entire estate in the West Indies, he is basically forced to accept because it is far too good an option to pass up, and the chances of him getting a similar offer are very low.  The Caribbean is a completely alien world to Rochester, both with the people and the environment. Because of this, he is also quite insecure and paranoid. A quote on page 172 summarizes this perfectly: "I was tired of these people. I disliked their laughter and their tears, their flattery and envy, conceit and deceit. And I hated the place". Rochester is very much ...

One of the most interesting parts of The Stranger is Meursault’s extremely strange personality that is shown throughout part one and much of part two. Meursault seems to be completely indifferent to events that should evoke very emotional responses from normal people. Not only that, but his “none of it matters” attitude make him a very drone-like character that only takes actions based on others- he always chooses the path of least resistance when faced with a problem.           So, when did Meursualt become this way? Visualizing a young Meursault with the same strange behavior, or Meursalt living with Maman seems very strange, although it is certainly possible.           There are three likely possibilities: Meursault was born this way, the change happened after school when he “lost his ambition”, or the change happened after Maman’s death. As previously mentioned, the first theory...