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The Renegade or a Confused SpiritA Study of Identity in Albert Camus' Exile and the KingdomThe short story The Renegade or a Confused Spirit by Albert Camus explores the themes of exile and the kingdom as the main character establishes a sense of identity.
A SynopsisIn Albert Camus' short story The Renegade or a Confused Spirit (Le Renegat ou un Esprit Confus), the themes of exile and the kingdom play an important role in the evolution of the main character. The main character is a missionary who comes from the Massif Central region of France, where he is surrounded by the Protestant religion in his youth; yet he becomes a Catholic missionary. He is sent to a place called Taghaza where he is expected to convert those who follow the religion of the House of Fetish. Two Kingdoms The young missionary is sent away, or exiled, from his mother country and the "Christian Kingdom". At first, he plans to convert the people of Taghaza from their pagan religion to the Christian religion. However, what is ironic is that the missionary who has come to convert the followers of the House of Fetish is, in the end, converted to their religion. He enters into the "Pagan Kingdom" where he learns pain, shamefulness, and a power which he has never known before. Exile and Identity The missionary experiences a linguistic exile in addition to his physical exile because when his tongue is cut from his mouth he loses his language, both literally and symbolically. He becomes exiled from all which he had known before and develops a new identity. Exile permits him to discover the kingdom of fetish and accept it as truth and a part of his newfound identity. Existentialism The house of fetish is even more like a kingdom to the missionary because it is a true kingdom created by men for men. The extreme customs of the house of fetish, such as the severe shaming and torture of its members as ritual, show the absurdity and exaggeration of the religion. The decision of the main character to convert himself to this religion demonstrates an aspect of existentialism within the story: he can control his destiny and the world is without meaning if one does not give it any. He realizes that if he is as cruel as his lords, he will gain power and no longer be a slave, thus controlling his own destiny. The House of Fetish and Christianity An aspect of the story which elaborates on the importance of exile and serves as a parallel between the Christian religion and that of the House of Fetish is the similarity of events. In the bible, one learns that Christ experiences a self-imposed exile when he fasts and prays alone before his death. He utters the words, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In a like fashion, the missionary at the end of the story, converted, cries out "O fetish, why have you forsaken me?" The Renegade or a Confused Spirit follows the path of a man who who finds himself exiled as a result of not belonging to his own kingdom. This exile represents solitude and a loss of identity. On the other hand, the kingdom represents a sense of belonging and a newfound identity.
The copyright of the article The Renegade or a Confused Spirit in European Literature is owned by Danielle DuChateau. Permission to republish The Renegade or a Confused Spirit in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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