Final answer:
The reason why Meursault kills the Arab is likely a multifaceted issue that encompasses personal, social, and philosophical elements, as seen through various perspectives on violence in the provided excerpts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question regarding the reason why Meursault kills the Arab pertains to a critical examination of a character's action in a literary context. This is an inquiry that delves into the motivations, societal influences, and philosophical underpinnings in a fictional narrative. The excerpts provided touch on various views of violence, legal implications, historical oppressions, and emotional responses linked to different settings and characters. From these texts, one can infer that violence often arises as a complex interplay of personal, social, and existential factors.
The authors' perspectives on violence range from its utilitarian justification in the case of General Thomas Robert Bugeaud's military strategies in Algeria to the personal and psychological turmoil that leads to acts such as Alcée's impulsive declaration of love under strain. Legal contemplations of violence, as indicated in the case of the adulterer and the fictional character Jean's intellectual condition, highlight the relevance of intent and moral understanding in recognizing the gravity of violent actions.
Overall, these texts reflect various layers and dynamics of violence, including historical narratives of conflicts like the Arab guerrilla warfare during French colonialism or fictional instances of personal confrontation. They reveal that an individual's actions, such as Meursault's, can never be understood in isolation but are influenced by multitude contextual factors.