-
The first time Marie and Meursault go to the beach.
Meursault and Marie enjoy a day at the beach, in the water. Meursault’s attention is to Marie’s physical attributes, like her lips and eyes, when they are together. Meursault has a superficial appreciation for Marie as the focus of their relationship revolves around their “brown bodies feeling good.” He doesn’t dig deep to find sincere emotion and attraction. -
The assault scene where Raymond is beating up his wife and the difference in reactions between Marie and Meursault.
When Raymond is beating up his mistress, Marie is terrified and wants Meursault to call the police but Meursault refuses and claims that he doesn’t like the police. However, we know that Meursault has loyalty to Raymond because Meursault finds Raymond friendly and understands Raymond’s position. He doesn’t want to get his friend in trouble. He values maintaining the status quo over causing turbulence he deems unnecessary because it doesn’t directly impact him. -
Marie asking Meursault to marry her. However, Meursault is extremely indifferent since marriage is a social construct that he doesn't believe in.
Marie asks Meursault if he wants to marry her, but he says it doesn’t matter if they get married or not. He doesn’t believe marriage is a serious thing and probably would accept a proposal from any other woman if she asked. He would go with whatever she wanted. Meursault has physical commitments to people, but holds no deep emotional connections. He is in relationships for the sake of being in relationships. -
Marie and Meursault attend the beach for a second time along with Raymond, Masson, and his wife.
On the beach with Raymond, Masson and his wife, Meursault for the first time acknowledges that he could get married. Swimming with her, he felt close and in unison. He was happy and beginning to feel an emotional connection, with intimacy beyond physicality. Yet he still wants her in a sexual way, and this is predominant in his mind when they swim together and he realizes he hasn’t kissed her. Meursault develops a reality with Marie beyond just the “I don’t care” relationship he held. -
Marie visits Meursault while he is in jail.
Marie visits Meursault in jail for the first time and Meursault is not interested in the conversation Marie is trying to have with him. His focus is on the conversation that’s happening next to him, not on Marie’s questions surrounding marriage when he gets out. Meursault states that he was talking just so he had something to say. Towards the end of the conversation he only wanted silence and didn’t want to be there anymore. He doesn’t value Marie when he can’t have physical intimacy. -
Marie testifies at Meursault's trial.
Marie is a witness in the murder trial of Meursault. She describes their relationship as a friendship, yet they are going to get married. As she was telling the prosecutor about the day after Maman’s death, Marie started crying when the prosecutor twisted her words, as she was trying to convey that “it wasn’t like that.” She views Meursault positively and doesn't characterize him poorly. Meursault can be perceived well.
