The Outsider by Albert Camus

Author:Albert Camus
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Existentialism, Philosophy, General, Fiction, Classics, Movements
ISBN: 9780141904252
Publisher: Penguin Books Limited
Published: 2013-10-30T22:00:00+00:00

He looked very tired. He sat there in silence for a moment while the typist, who had been taking down the entire conversation, finished off the last few sentences. Then he looked at me intently and rather sadly. ‘I’ve never met anyone with such a hardened soul as yours,’ he said softly. ‘Every criminal who has stood before me has always cried when faced with this symbol of suffering.’ I was about to reply that that was because they were criminals. But then I realized I was also a criminal; it was an idea I was having trouble coming to terms with. The judge stood up as if to indicate that the interrogation was over. All he asked me then, in the same slightly weary tone of voice, was whether I regretted what I’d done. I thought about it and replied that rather than feeling genuine regret I found it all rather tedious. I had the impression that he didn’t understand me. But nothing more happened that day.

During the days that followed, I saw the examining judge often. On each occasion, though, my lawyer was present. The questions were limited to asking me details about certain points in my previous statements. Or sometimes the judge discussed the charges with my lawyer. But, to tell the truth, they never took any notice of me during these meetings. Gradually, however, the tone of the interrogations changed. It seemed as if the judge were no longer interested in me and saw my case as more or less closed. He didn’t talk to me about God any more and I never saw him get as worked up as on that first day. As a result, our meetings became more cordial. After a few questions and a bit of discussion with my lawyer, the interrogation was over. My case was progressing, as the judge put it. Sometimes, when the conversation dealt with general matters, I was even included. I started to be able to breathe freely again. During these meetings, no one was unkind to me. Everything was so natural, so well organized and so seriously played out that I had the ridiculous impression that I was ‘one of the family’. And throughout the entire eleven months of the investigation, I can honestly say that I was almost surprised to realize that the only moments I had ever really enjoyed were the rare times when the judge would walk me back to the door of his office, pat me on the shoulder and say in a friendly tone of voice: ‘That’s all for our Antichrist today.’ Then I’d be handed back to the guards.

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