Happy Death

Mersault, an office worker, has achieved nothing and is imprisoned in an eight-hour work day. Zageus started planning to make a lot of money when he was twenty-five years old, and he got what he wanted in just a few years. By chance, the poor and healthy Mersault met the rich but disabled Zageos. Under the careful planning of the two, Mersault gained a large amount of wealth, tried different lifestyles, and finally died happily. From desire to conquest, Mersault has come a long way. When death is inevitable, the meaning of happiness emerges: "There is no such thing as length in a happy life. If you think happiness is happiness, there is nothing to discuss, and even death will not constitute any obstacle - in that case, death is just an episode of happiness." "Death" is the theme of Camus's writing throughout his life: in "The Stranger" Meursault was sentenced to death for being unpretentious, in "The Plague" the plague ravaged the whole city, and in "Caligula" the tyrant executed his subjects arbitrarily... "Camus once expressed in this way that as a writer, there is not much to express. The writer will actually write the same book over and over again, but the way the book is written is different every time." (Part 1) "A Happy Death" is Camus' debut novel. Mersault's choices and reflections also foreshadow Camus' other novels and discussions in the future.