“That's partly why I didn't go there much this past year. And also because it took up my Sunday…” (Camus, 5).
This statement from Meursault, admits to the real reason as to why he didn’t visit his mother at the home, aside from her already being adapted to her new environment: it was an ordeal to plan a trip and visit her. It doesn’t matter to Meursault, that as his duty as her son, he should pursue the effort to visit her and check in on the wellbeing of his mother. Instead, he prioritises his personal time, over preserving a decent relationship with his mother, during her old age. This decision of Meursault, is a testament to his practice of detachment from people. Meursault encounters no guilt or worry, in opting to not visit his mother, because he simply did not care enough about their relationship and his mother’s perspective of him to do so. In accordance to his beliefs as a nihilist, as there is no meaning to life, to foster meaningful connections and fulfil societal roles, such as being a model son or person, are tasks done in vain and are not a part of Meursault’s agenda. Thus, Meursault chose to allocate Sunday’s to himself, instead of visiting his mother, with little to no hesitation or concern, as to what it would speak to his quality as a son.
