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2. The Stranger Part I

1. The sun and heat in The Stranger distort Meursault’s mood, state of mind, and actions. In any other circumstance, it seems to indicate that Meursault would not have fallen asleep but instead would have thought about his mother dying, but, “It was very hot” (Camus 3). He believes the “glare of the sky and the road” is what caused him to sleep (Camus 4). Again the sunlight causes sleepiness when he was with the caretaker. “The room was filled with beautiful late-afternoon sunlight… I could feel myself getting sleepy” (Camus 7). The light seems to reverse its effects on Meursault, whereas most people would be more awake with more light, he was sleepier. Meursault narrates, “I asked [the caretaker] if he could turn off one of the lights. The glare on the white walls was making me drowsy” (Camus 9). Meursault reveals his understanding of the sun’s distortion on his state of mind when he says, “All of it— the sun… and my fatigue after a night without sleep—was making it hard for me to see or think straight” (Camus 17). The water at the beach seems to bring Meursault back to reality after the funeral and puts him in a realistic state of mind, though it shows lack of emotion from mourning over his mother. In Meursault’s narration of the day after the funeral, “I had a hard time getting up, because I was tired from the day before. I wondered what I was going to do and I decided to go for a swim” (Camus 19). There he sees Marie Cardona, and they go together to a comedy film the night after his mother’s funeral.

2. Meursault’s sentiments on love are mainly void of passion. He does not believe in an afterlife, and therefore life on Earth lacks meaning or a need for love. Meursault often speaks of how he wants Marie but when she asks him if he loves her, “I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so” (Camus 35). Though he wishes to be with her and to have her sexually, his sentiments of her is that of something that can be replaced, not something to be cherished. When Marie asks Meursault to marry her and his answer is nonchalant, Meursault notes, “She just wanted to know if I would have accepted the same proposal from another woman, with whom I was involved in the same way. I said, ‘Sure’” (Camus 42). His sentiment on romantic love is that nothing matters. Meursault may have loved his mother because he still referred to her as Maman, a child’s word to refer to the mother, and he explained that he did what was best for her but it is also evidenced that he did not really care for his mother in one way or another when he didn’t visit her to disturb her. Meursault added, “And also because it took up my Sunday—not to mention the trouble of getting to the bus, buying tickets, and spending two hours traveling” (Camus 5). His other statement that shows he did not care about his mother was when he realized, “It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed” (Camus 24).

3. Meursault’s entire regard to life as unimportant widely affects his sentiments on love as well as friendship. Meursault’s neighbor, Raymond Sintes, needs Meursault’s advice and aide and decides to tell Meursault about the man he beat up over blood sausage and wine. Meursault recalls, “Then he told me that as a matter of fact he wanted to ask my advice about the whole business because I was a man, I knew about things, I could help him out, and then we’d be pals. I didn’t say anything, and he asked me again if I wanted to be pals. I said it was fine with me: he seemed pleased” (Camus 29). Meursault’s attitude is indifferent, and his defense or reason is simply, “I don’t have any reason not to talk to him” (Camus 28). Later, after Meursault writes a letter to Raymond’s former mistress for him, Raymond called Meursault a pal. Meursault dictated, “I didn’t mind being his pal and he seemed set on it” (Camus 33). People seem to like Meursault because he is completely without judgment and befriends all sorts of people though they are distant and more like friendly acquaintances like Celeste, Salmano, and Emmanuel. Meursault does not measure friendship by any scale but merely is friends with a few people because he has no reason not to be.

4. Meursault views ambitions and drive as a thing of the past, a mindset, for students, which is destroyed as one enters adulthood and meets reality. He perceives his vocation, his urge to follow a specific career, as merely a way to pass the time and to earn money. Camus’ particular word choice makes it clear how detached his main character is from human emotion by saying, “I wasn’t dissatisfied” and “I wasn’t unhappy” (Camus 41). Meursault’s conversation with his boss proves as much. “[H]e asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any case one life was as good as another and that I wasn’t dissatisfied with mine here at all. He looked upset and told me that I never gave him a straight answer, that I had no ambition, and that that was disastrous in business” (Camus 41). The theme most prevalent in this state of mind is a blasé attitude toward life. It mainly follows existentialism, a movement in which the universe follows no purpose. This chaotic idea could possibly lead a man to commit a crime and think nothing of it. If there is no ultimate consequence, existence is pointless.

5. It is most likely that critics call Meursault an anti-hero because although he is the protagonist, he does not possess heroic qualities, ideas or stereotypical mindsets. Meursault’s only redeeming quality lies in his honesty. This quality, while noble, leads to his downfall because he cannot lie his way out of a difficult situation, but instead sees everything as it is. Meursault is not brave and will not defend the weak, turning a blind eye to Salmano abusing his dog or Raymond abusing a woman. He murders a man for no heroic purpose, and though he blames the sun and light, he does not lie up an answer to impress his condemners. He is also the opposite of a hero because no one admires him or aspires to be him. In the fight that occurs on the beach, Meursault is definitely the anti-hero, not helping his pals Raymond or Masson in the fight against the two Arabs in which Raymond is cut. Raymond hadn’t asked him to help, only saying, “If there’s any trouble, Masson, you take the other one. I’ll take care of my man. Meursault, if another one shows up, he’s yours” (Camus 53). Once the fight had begun, a true hero would have joined in the fight to defend an honor or idea or would have broken up the fight, but Meursault stood there and watched and yelled out useless warnings.

6. Meursault’s character is an absurdist, a reflection of the author, Albert Camus. The absurdist condition of Meursault and his world is that the quest for the meaning of life, and making life valuable was illogical for the individual. With no meaning of life other than simply existing, Meursault perceives life as pointless. If life is pointless, than age and love and friendship is pointless as well. This explains why Meursault neither knows nor cares his mother’s age at death. When asked he simply says, “‘About sixty,’ so as not to make a mistake” (Camus 25). If life was not pointless, than stopping his routine to mourn his mother would be logical, but because life is absurd, going to the movies and finding a mistress the first day home from the funeral does not disturb Meursault. Meursault revolves around a routine where he sees old Salmano and his dog every day, and Celeste says it is a pity and Meursault goes to work and everything is normal. Meursault’s first disruption in his daily pattern is his mother’s death, which leads him to be odd, eventually potentially contributing to Meursault murdering the Arab. Meursault is asked by Marie to marry her. Meursault did not mind one way or the other of getting married but when asked a second time if he loved her he said no. Because Marie is not an absurdist character she does not understand, and asks why he would consent to marriage without love. Meursault explained “that it didn’t really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married” (Camus 41). It is not out of ill will but out of Meursault’s absurdist condition that he does not care one way or the other the outcome of his life or marriage. Meursault is satisfied with his life because it is meaningless anyhow to him.

Part II

1. Meursault’s lawyer’s take on his defendant was that he was being purposefully unhelpful and that he would probably lose the case if he did not bend the truth. Meursault’s one redeeming quality is that he always tells the truth, so although that should seem a worthy trait, the fact that Meursault will not make himself appear less guilty upsets the lawyer. Meursault says to his lawyer, “my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings… What I can say for certain is that I would rather Maman hadn’t died. But my lawyer didn’t seem satisfied” (Camus 65). Meursault’s lawyer knows that showing insensitivity at a funeral is unacceptable in the society and that it was information to be used against Meursault even though Meursault only sees it as unrelated to his case that he shot the Arab. Meursault’s lawyer did some quick thinking. “He asked me if he could say that that day I had held back my natural feelings. I said, ‘No, because it’s not true.’ He gave me a strange look, as if he found me slightly disgusting” (Camus 65). The chaplain is similarly not understanding of Meursault’s state of mind and refuses to see Meursault for what he is. The chaplain believes that he can convert Meursault’s entire lifestyle in the last moments of his life to believe in God and believe that repentance will make life worth living. The chaplain was used to saving people to God, saying, “Every man I have known in your position turned to Him” (Camus 116-117). Meursault grew annoyed that this man refused to accept him for who he was and yelled that the chaplain wasn’t on his side, a childish remark. The chaplain’s assessment was that Meursault’s “heart was blind” and that the only thing he could do for him was pray (Camus 120).

2. Meursault has a much quicker temper and a stronger defiance of those who do not understand him, than he did before. He also comes to a realization of his feelings toward his mother and Marie and why he does the things he does. His quick temper at the end of his life is apparent when he, upset with the chaplain, snapped. “I started yelling at the top of my lungs and I insulted him and told him not to waste his prayers on me” (Camus 120). This anger of the chaplain asking him to call him father is very different than his indifference when the priest at his mother’s funeral called him “my son”. He has also changed from not understanding his mother to a deeper understanding of her actions. His mother always said one could get used to anything but towards the end of Meursault’s life he says, “For the first time in a long time I thought about Maman. I felt as if I understood why at the end of her life she had taken a ‘fiancé,’ why she had played at beginning again” (Camus 122). Meursault’s change in attitude is one of blasé indifference to becoming passionate. “I was pouring out on him everything that was in my heart, cries of anger and cries of joy” (Camus 120). His last words epitomize his last wish, which is unusual because he does not believe wishing did anything. He finishes, “I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate” (Camus 123).

3. Meursault’s attention to detail shows that he is observant and reflective. His attention to detail also signifies that even though his speech is simple, he is not. In his absurdist condition, he does not see everything in black and white, but sees every texture, color, and shape. He bests pays attention to detail when describing people, and when describing the heat. Describing the examining magistrate, he said, “ I looked at him and saw a tall, fine-featured man with deep-set blue eyes, a long gray moustache, and lots of thick almost white hair” (Camus 64). Meursault also pays attention to detail in order to keep from being bored in prison. He recalled, “I would remember every piece of furniture; and on every piece of furniture, every object; and of every object, all the details; and of the details themselves—a flake, a crack, or a chipped edge—the color and the texture” (Camus 79). Meursault encounters heat and it defeats him earlier, influencing him to kill the Arab to stop the light or the heat. He described the moment by saying, “And every time I felt a blast of its hot breath strike my face, I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists in my trouser pockets, and strained every nerve in order to overcome the sun and the thick drunkenness it was spilling over me” (Camus 57). The only time that Meursault is oblivious to detail of people is when he mentions the Arabs. He does not describe them as he describes other people, showing how society in Algeria considered Arabs inferior in 1942, not worthy of the descriptions Meursault gives of the others.

4. Meursault has always been a stranger or outsider because he does not confine himself to societal norms. There are numerous instances in which he does something that seems disrespectful, but it is unintentional on Meursault’s part. Meursault says, “On my way out I was even going to shake his hand, but just in time, I remembered that I had killed a man” (Camus 64). Meursault shows his lack of understanding of the law when telling his lawyer, “At one time or another all normal people have wished their loved ones were dead. Here the lawyer interrupted me and he seemed very upset. He made me promise I wouldn’t say that at my hearing or in from of the examining magistrate” (Camus 65). Meursault is an outsider in this respect because anyone would know you do not admit you wanted someone dead when on trial for murder. Meursault does not lie, seeing it as unacceptable, yet society wills him to lie in order to save himself. Because Meursault stands for a principle, he is found guilty. Meursault is seen as a stranger in the examining magistrate’s eye who whispers, “I have never seen a soul as hardened as yours” (Camus 69). He is also an outsider to the magistrate when asked if he believes in God and Meursault says no, “He said it was impossible; all men believed in God, even those who turn their backs on him” (Camus 69). His inability or unwillingness to lie makes him an outsider as well because anyone could lie and get themselves out of this case. He is asked by the judge if he is sorry for what he did. His seeming audacity causes him to reply to the judge, “more than sorry I felt kind of annoyed” (Camus 70).

5. Meursault’s biggest display of true emotion is his anger at the chaplain during the last hours of his life. Meursault’s greatest fault, besides the fact that he killed a man, is that he is not understood but he thinks he understand other people. When the chaplain tried to make Meursault be like everyone else, Meursault snapped. He narrated, “I was pouring out on him everything that was in my heart, cries of anger and cries of joy” (Camus 120). He also shows true emotion, that he loved his mother when discussing how he, at the end of his life, understood his mother. He said, “So close to death, Maman must have felt free then and ready to live it all again” (Camus 122). Meursault also showed that he may have had true feelings for Marie towards the end because he says, “But the face I was looking for was as bright as the sun and the flame of desire—and it belonged to Marie” (Camus 119). Meursault even shows a hint of jealousy in his fit of rage at the chaplain, asking, “What did it matter that Marie now offered her lips to a new Meursault?” (Camus 122). Meursault shows happiness dwelling on his mother and saying, “Maman used to say that you can always find something to be happy about… I found out that she was right” (Camus 113). Meursault also seems to show true emotion or understanding when thinking of a story his Maman told him about his father. His father was made sick by witnessing an execution and at first Meursault was disgusted at his father but then he understood once he saw he might be executed. His first showing of true emotion is when he said, “I wanted to see Maman right away” (Camus 4). Because he was asked to wait and because he was hot and tired, Meursault decided not to see his mother. But it was not because he did not want to, but because he could not bear it. It is most apparent that he loved his mother but did not consider that important to his case. He stated first, “I probably did love Maman” (Camus 65). The examining magistrate also asked about that. Meursault remembers, “He asked if I loved Maman. I said, ‘Yes, the same as anyone” (Camus 67).

6. The idea of hope in the second part of the novel drains slowly until there is none left in Meursault. Hope, for Meursault, is not absurd which goes against everything else in his life. It begins when Meursault does not take his case seriously and believes he will be set free. Meursault’s lawyer had told him that “my case was a tricky one, but he had no doubts we’d win, if I trusted him” (Camus 64). Hope is a prevalent theme in the novel best seen when “Marie shouted to me that I had to have hope. I said, ‘Yes’” (Camus 75). Marie has more hope, telling Meursault that he’ll be released, acquitted, they would go swimming, and they would get married. Meursault’s hope is seen shortly after his visit with Marie where he hopes of being free. “When I was first imprisoned, the hardest thing was that my thoughts were still those of a free man” (Camus 76). Meursault’s hope dwindles and he continues, “Afterwards my only thoughts were those of a prisoner” (Camus 77). Meursault eventually loses all hope when no one will understand him and he knows he is to be executed. The chaplain asked, “Have you no hope at all? And do you really live with the thought that when you die, you die, and nothing remains” (Camus 117). With Meursault’s idea of hope, the only thing he can reply is yes. After the chaplain had angered Meursault enough he snapped. Afterwards he remembers, “As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world” (Camus 122).

The Stranger Themes

Absurdity

Meaninglessness of Life

Importance of Physical Aspects

Circularity/Continuity

Knowledge vs. Ignorance

Adjustment over time

Understanding

Love

Motifs

Noises

Death and Aging

Watching and Observing

Classification by Race

Symbols

Sun

Courthouse

Crucifix

Colors