A review by exlibrisalex
Reflections on the Guillotine by Albert Camus

4.0

Here Camus discusses the gruesome process of death by guillotine and how that act is so awful, it only adds to the horror of the original crime committed by the perpetrator (or conversely victim of capital punishment). How can capital punishment confer greater peace to the public when it’s so upsetting and can only be referred to obliquely and indirectly by the media and public when discussed (“the condemned paid his debt to society” vs “the man had his fucking head chopped off today and blood spurted everywhere and the eyes continued to blink for minutes after decapitation”). Does the practice truly set an example for those who might commit crimes in the future or is it really just an exercise in revenge?

Revisiting The Stranger after reading this would be fascinating.