"Mersault is the only Christ we deserve"

In class, we discussed Camus saying that "Mersault is the only Christ we deserve". Mersault and Jesus Christ are both similar in the fact that they were both aliens in this world. Throughout Mersault's life, he never really connects with anyone. He may have had relationships with Maman, Marie, and Raymond, but they are rather superficial, because he acts rather indifferently towards them. This is seen when he goes to his mother's funeral, but doesn't show any emotion. Also, he has a relationship with Marie, but when she asks him to marry him, he says that he doesn't care if it really happens or not. This alien aspect of Mersault's life is also shown in the courthouse when he sees all the judges and lawyers talking, and he feels like he is an outsider and everyone hates him. Jesus Christ was also an outsider because he was a sinless man in a corrupted world. They both were killed because of their differences. Mersault was killed not because he killed the Arab, but because of his indifference towards his mother's death. This alienated him from the rest of the population, and this is why I think the jury decided to pronounce him guilty. Jesus Christ was crucified because the Romans didn't like that he was declaring himself to be the Messiah, because by saying this, he was separating himself from humankind.

It is also important to note that like Mersault, Albert Camus didn't believe in the afterlife. This kind of indifference to death is showcased by Mersault, when he comes to peace with himself once he realizes that there is no difference if he dies now by guillotine, or by old age 20 years later. On the other hand, Jesus Christ teaches us that there is a life after this one, a much better one. He teaches us that this life is just a prelude to the next. Once we accept this, we are saved. When Camus says that "Mersault is the only Christ we deserve", he is saying that as humans, we don't deserve an afterlife. The only thing we deserve is to realize that there is no afterlife, and this is supposed to give us "peace", because it doesn't matter when or how we die. Once we realize this, we are "saved". He parallels this kind of "salvation", this indifference of death, with the idea of the afterlife that Jesus Christ teaches.