Comparing the effects of external power in causing change of characterization of Isobe in Deep River by Shusaku Endo
and Mersault in The Stranger by Albert Camus in relation the death of their family members
Maung Pyay Phyo Oo
In Deep River by Shusaku Endo and The Stranger by Albert Camus, the two authors use
external power to change the characterization of the two protagonists, Isobe and Mersault. The
two characters are affected by the setting, circumstances, motifs and the other characters in the
novels. The change of characterization after the death of the family members (Isobe’s wife and
Mersault’s mother) is significant in the novels because it is the reflection of the texts as a whole.
Before the death of family members, Endo characterizes Isobe as a stereotypical Japanese
husband, because Isobe was:
Like most Japanese husbands, he was ashamed to present any outward display of his love
to his wife. (Page 9, Deep River)
This one sentence encompasses the other description of Isobe such as being disillusioned
by work and the interaction of human relations and being embarrassed to openly reveal his
feelings. The diction of the word ashamed emphasizes the Japanese culture because of its
conservative nature, emphasizing the stereotype of a Japanese husband
However, Mersault does not have a definite character before Maman’s (his mother) death
because the novel begins with Maman’s death and there is also little mention of Mersault’s life
before. What we know is that Mersault is a man who sent his mother to a nursing home because
he did could not take care or support her with his income (Page 4, The Stranger). Also, Mersault
had “a thing” for a colleague of his, Marie Cardona (Page 20, The Stranger). But from these two
pieces of information, it is difficult to establish a character for Mersault.
So, we will examine the first description of Mersault at the beginning of the novel. When
Maman dies, Mersault portrayed as a cold, unemotional man by his ignorance of the detail about
the death of his mother:
Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know (Page 3, The Stranger)
The use of the short, rhythmic opening sentence makes the reader feel as if Mersault does
not care and wants to move on from the topic quickly. This is also enforced by his unwillingness
to see his own mother inside her casket before vigil, therefore showing lack of care for his
mother. From this, we can also see that Mersault does not conform to French or Algerian
traditions by showing little care and grief for Maman’s death.
At this point in the plot, after the death of family members, Isobe is almost a polar
opposite to Mersault because of the thoughts of Isobe’s wife that filled his mind. Soon after the
death of his wife, he repeatedly tells himself:
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Comparing the effects of external power in causing change of characterization of Isobe in Deep River by Shusaku Endo
and Mersault in The Stranger by Albert Camus in relation the death of their family members
Maung Pyay Phyo Oo
She’s gone off on a trip with a friend, she’ll be back soon
This mantra-like statement by Isobe gives insight into his fragile mind as he realizes the
need of his wife in his life. The need to have his wife may also come from the Japanese culture
where men are expected to cope with their own issues and this may be the only way Isobe knows
how to deal with the problem. This longing for his wife is one of the aspects of characterization
that creates a divide between Isobe and Mersault’s ignorant nature.
But we do see the two characters similar in some aspects during the funeral ceremonies.
In Algeria, Mersault follows the traditional Christian style ceremony by keeping vigil and
burying Maman near her nursing home. Similarly, Isobe follows a traditional Japanese style
cremation with the 7th day memorial service and 49th day gathering.
During the funeral, Isobe’s mind seems to be scattered, as he constantly keeps asking
question in his mind:
What is happening? What are they doing?
What the hell is this? What are we doing? (Page 18, Deep River)
During the funeral procession, Mersault does not ask questions but keeps thinking about
his surroundings than his mother or the funeral itself such as color:
The sticky black of the tar, the dull black of all the clothes and the shiny black of the
hearse. (Page 17, The Stranger)
From these two quotes we can see that both characters show little interaction with their
family and show more interest towards the exterior. Isobe questions what “they” are doing and
what “we” are doing. This shows he is a man who fails to understand the society and is likely
due to the loss of his wife. In The Stranger, Mersault’s thoughts jumped around his surroundings
as he walked towards the cemetery. He felt lost in the colors of nature around him. Here, we see
both characters are similar because of their inability to coexist with their situation. This makes
the two characters confused and unable to blend in with the society, ironically for Isobe as he
was described as a stereotypical husband.
The mourning scenes are one of the few occasions in the text in which Mersault conforms
to religious views, in contrast to his aggressive reaction to the attempted Christian indoctrination,
shown later. Although the religious practices of his society and the circumstance of Maman’s
death slightly influenced Mersault, the change is not significant enough to be permanent. The
main significance of this is that Camus foreshadows Mersault’s understanding attitude towards
Maman at the end of the novel through the limited use of Mersault’s acceptance of religion.
Isobe accepts religion for a different reason from Mersault. He does so because religion is the
only way to justify the reincarnation of his wife.
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Comparing the effects of external power in causing change of characterization of Isobe in Deep River by Shusaku Endo
and Mersault in The Stranger by Albert Camus in relation the death of their family members
Maung Pyay Phyo Oo
Reincarnation is supported by Isobe’s Japanese Buddhism as well as India’s Hinduism.
And by using Isobe’s niece and a scientist, external powers, as a plot device, Endo successfully
turns Isobe into a religious man, giving him hope of finding his wife and making him travel to
India. Contrary to this, Camus keeps Mersault an existentialist man for a majority of the novel:
…asking me if I believed in God. I said no. (Page 69, The Stranger)
This quote is Mersault’s recount of an exchange with the examining magistrate. Again,
we see Camus’s style where he tends to use short, abrupt sentences through the text, showing
Mersault’s attempt to avoid the subject of God. The question is followed by a court scene where
he is repeatedly questioned and testimonies on the lack of Mersault’s love for Maman. This does
not directly change Mersault but leads to the attempted indoctrination of Christianity before his
execution. As Mersault confronts the Chaplain, he mentions:
…the whole absurd life I’d lived, (Page 121, The Stranger)
Through this passage, Camus alludes to his own essay, The Myth of Sisyphus, in which
Camus writes of the meaningless nature of life and the universe. So, we can see that the constant
pressure on Mersault by the prosecutors, magistrate and chaplain have lead him to openly
admitting to be an absurd man. But the sudden change comes at the dawn of the execution, when
Mersault finally understands Maman’s choices before her death and saw his whole life
differently. Mersault, at last, described by the vivid imagery of the nature around him, realizes
that his absurd life was happy after all. The clear and serene feeling created by the vivid imagery
of nature makes Mersault’s sudden change seem absolutely normal.
Contrary to Mersault’s distrust in supernatural powers, Isobe relies on these, such as
reincarnations and fortune tellers. His reliance on external powers to help him achieve his goal of
finding his wife is the result of Isobe’s lack of confidence and fragility of his mind, as mentioned
above. As he fails to find his wife through these methods, he begins to realize the faintness of
his chances:
After this, I can give it up, he told himself. After this I’ll be able to give the whole thing
up. (Page 176, Deep River)
Again, Endo uses self-talk to convey the thoughts of Isobe to the readers. By using selftalk, the readers feel the loneliness of Isobe not having anybody to talk to, which keeps the loss
of his family important even as the novel progresses. But Isobe releases his loneliness duing his
last scene:
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Comparing the effects of external power in causing change of characterization of Isobe in Deep River by Shusaku Endo
and Mersault in The Stranger by Albert Camus in relation the death of their family members
Maung Pyay Phyo Oo
‘Darling!’ Once again he called out towards the river. ‘Where have you gone?’ (Page
189, Deep River)
The diction of ‘Darling’ and the strong tone in his voice definitely shows the readers his
change into an independent man, well capable of expressing himself. The author continues to
write that the Ganges surrounding him silently took in his cry; this is the effect of the Ganges as
the exterior power.
Both Isobe and Mersault began the story as introverted characters; Isobe as a
conservative man and Mersault almost in his own carefree world. But as the texts progressed, the
characters were became dynamic. Isobe became steadily independent through Deep River and
Mersault did no show his sudden understanding of life until the. These changes were similarly
created by external power including plot devices such as funerals and change in the story’s
setting and motifs such as religion. The changes were important because it reflected these aspects
of a Deep River and The Stranger in just two characters.
Wordcount: 1499
Reference:
Camus, A. (1955). The myth of sisyphus: chapter iv. Retrieved from
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/keefer/hell/camus.html
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