Is Meursault Depressed?

            Meursault’s personality has been the topic of a lot of our discussions. He does not care about anything and just seems to go along with whatever people tell him to do. He also seems to like to do whatever is easiest for him and requires the least amount of work. While I was reading the book I was wondering why Meursault did not really care about anything. On the one hand, it could seem that the he is suffering from depression and perhaps he used to have a different personality when he was younger. However, he also seems pretty content with his life so perhaps he simply does not care about anything and that is just part of who he is.

            Meursault definitely shows signs that he could be depressed. He does not seem to care about his future or about what is happening in his life, he does not even care about things that could have a major impact on his him. For example, when his boss asks him if he wants to move to Paris where he could have a better job and travel Meursault just reacts by saying yes but he thinks that “it was all the same to me [Meursault]” and he was not “dissatisfied (…) here at all” (41). His boss has just given him a great job offer which is probably an upgrade from his old job plus he gets to live in Paris. While most people would probably be excited about an opportunity like that, Meursault does not care at all and he pretty much just turns down the offer. When Marie asks Meursault to marry her, he says that, “It didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to” (41). It seems that Meursault really likes Marie because he enjoys spending time with her. However, he does seem to care about anything, especially when he has to make a decision about something that could affect his future. His non-caring attitude could be a sign that he is depressed. Meursault’s loss of interest in activities and his constant tiredness could also be a sign that he is depressed. Meursault sleeps a lot when he has nothing else to do and at both his mother’s funeral and when he goes to Masson’s house he says that he is feeling very tired. At one point Meursault decides to go out to the balcony and he just sits there for hours with doing nothing except watching people go by.

            However, this does not necessarily mean that Meursault is depressed. It could also just show that Meursault is a relaxed person who enjoys some time to himself just watching the world go by. He also seems like a pretty happy person and he enjoys many parts of his life. For example, he describes when he and Emmanuel are chasing the truck and they are “hurtling forward in a mad dash through canes and winches” and they are laughing and having a great time (26). Meursault makes it seem like this is something they have done before so it is clear that he definitely enjoys doing some activities and having fun. Meursault also brings up how much he loves swimming and is clearly something that he really enjoys doing. Meursault does care about some things and in some sense Meursault just seems like a relaxed and happy guy. However, he has no interest in a lot of other subjects and often just appears like he does not care about anything. Do you think that he acts the way he does because he is depressed (or another reason) or because he is a relaxed guy and that is just the way he is?