Beloved

Trying to understand why a ghost-person-baby come back to life does what she does may be quite difficult, but may give a lot of insight as to basic human behavior.

The past seems to influence all of the characters in some way. Denver seems to want to move away from it; it (meaning slavery) was something that she was not a part of. Sethe seems trapped by it, constantly letting it affect her frame of mind. Sethe doesn't want her children to go through what she did. Beloved only seemed to exist in/ because of the past. She died before she was able to experience freedom.

Love is a big part of the book, and the people in it. They are all trapped by, consumed by, moved by, or wary because of it. Beloved can survive as a human only when she is loved, so it causes her to act in certain ways because she craves more and more of it in order to survive. Denver often feels lonely, and Beloved seems to be her only friend, so she (for a while) would do anything for Beloved's love and attention.  Sethe "loved too much" causing her to take ownership and caring too much for her children, causing her to go as far as killing them because she thought it would be better.

Freedom, hope for a better life, and survival are also major themes in Beloved. Sethe runs away for a better life, even though it causes her pain and suffering. She sent her children on without her because she wanted them to survive and live a better life than she had had.

The Stranger (L'Etranger)

Why does Meursault act the way he does?
a) He refuses to lie
       -He wouldn't say he regretted shooting the man because, honestly, he didn't.
       -He didn't confess his sins and turned to Christ because it wasn't what he believed.
b) He does what he needs to, and what is easy.
       -He chooses to stay in one room, because it is easier.
       -He goes to work because it is necessary.
c) It didn't matter to him one way or another
       -He didn't care if he was married or not, because it didn't matter to him. He would still be with Marie either way, even if he didn't really love her.
       -He was going to die anyway, so did it matter when?
d) Something outside of his control affected him
        -He shot because the sun was in his eyes
e) It was natural
        -He slept because he was tired

Why do the people convict Meursault?
a) They are afraid
b) They don't understand him
c) They dislike the idea that he was relatively unaffected by his mother's death, and 'buried her with murder in his heart.'

Another big idea is that people (like Meursult's Maman) just get used to something.
--Maman didn't like living in Meursault's apartment because it was not what she was used to. She also didn't want to move because she had gotten used to living with Meursault.


Something to take note of: The author (Camus) is Algerian/French, so many customs (like the courthouse) are different than in America. This has an affect on how the people act and how life is conducted.

Metamorphosis

Why does Gregor...

1. Protect the picture?
• It is his connection to the familiar.
2. Hide under the couch?
• To be courteous (he doesn't want to scare his family)
3. Try to go to work initially, despite his change?
• He cares for his family and believes they cannot get along without him working.
4. Change?
• He was stressed and put under a lot of pressure, which could cause a person to become sick.
5. Lock his doors to his room in his own house?
• He became accustomed to locking doors before he fell asleep because of travelling all the time.

Why does Gregor's family...

1. Lock Gregor up, mistreat him, barely feed/clean up after him?
• They are afraid of him and don't understand him.
• They are afraid of what others might think if they see him
• They forget he is/was part of the family
2. Take in tenants?
• They have to make money somehow, even if it means inconveniencing themselves and swallowing some of their pride. However, note that they never mention Gregor or voluntarily allow the tenants to see Gregor.