Meursault is guilty of murder; there's no doubt about it whatsoever. We know he killed
the Arab; we watched him do it. He hasn't at any point sought to deny what he did, much less try
to explain it. Legally and morally he is guilty, no question.
What makes the
issue more complex than it ought to be is the attitude of the state as evidenced by the
prosecution in Meursault's subsequent trial. Meursault's crime was so utterly senseless, so
completely lacking in obvious motivation that it's not enough for him to be judged according to
strictly legal criteria. He must be put on trial not just for what he did but also for what he
believes, or rather doesn't believe, because as a nihilist he doesn't actually believe in
anything.
It's not enough, then, for the prosecution to provide evidence
that Meursault killed the Arab; in that sense the case is easy. What they need to do instead is
to judge and condemn Meursault's whole way of thinking, with its contempt for society and
complete indifference...
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