Summary:
Meursault is a strange sort of man, somewhat insensitive and very much a man onto himself. However his brusque mannerisms lead to society judging him and ultimately hating him, as he is judged to be a threat. The question is, a threat to what?
The Stranger by Albert Camus deals with a character that readers are not accustomed to, which in this case is Meursault. If his thoughts were similar to everyone else's, the philosophy in The Stranger would not exist. The story demonstrates how Meursault is a rebel in the eyes of society. He is judged not for killing a man but because of how he is as a human. Meursault realized that society viewed him as a threat because of the insensitivity he showed on the day of his mother's funeral. Had Camus not included Meursault as a character, the story would be entirely different, seeing as how Meursault's philosophy is what differentiates this novel from others.
Throughout the first chapter of the book, Meursault asked for several days of in order to go to his mother's funeral. Meursault said. "But he wasn't too happy about it. I even said. It's not my fault" (Camus 3). This conveys that Meursault is very insensitive because no "ordinary" person would ever say that especially after a death. His behavior at this point of the novel was completely inappropriate. A person should be a little sensitive when in situations like this one. From the first couple pages of the book, the reader can conclude that Meursault is not the kind of person you meet everyday. Meursault is not concerned with the feelings or emotions of others around him.
During the time that Meursault's unconscious stage in the novel, the reader can see that his persona is unique. Meursault doesn't get too involved with anyone he comes into contact with and that is the reason why he does not have so many companions. When Meursault began to develop "feelings" for Marie, she begins to get her hopes up. When she popped the question of marriage, Meursault says ."..that it didn't really mean anything but that I didn't really love her." (Camus 41). This quote is an example of one of the things that an average person with an emotional disposition society would consider normal. Marie on the other hand sees marriage as a sacred bond people share. Instead, Meursault goes on to say that marriage didn't mean anything to him and that it didn't matter if they were married or not. This shows that Meursault is blunt; he has no regard for the feelings and or concerns for others.
Among other things, Meursault did not know or care for his mother. He had sent her to a home so that she could be taken care of, which Meursault saw as a burden. In the beginning of chapter three, Meursault's boss asks him how old Maman was and Meursault answers "About sixty, so as not to make a mistake..." (Camus 25). This scene was a bit awkward because it is not usual for a person to not care for his mother or father. Meursault was the exact opposite; he used what he had in order to have his mother taken care of. It is hard to believe how a person like Meursault can exist in the real world. Perhaps since we do not know anyone like Meursault who has no heart, it makes it difficult for the reader to continue reading the novel.
Through the eyes of an ordinary person, Meursault is a menace to society because of his philosophy towards life. His emotions and thoughts cannot be compared to other people. He has no feelings whatsoever about anything and doesn't see the problem in being coldhearted. The other characters that surround him show that he is somewhat a stoic. He sees death as an everyday occurrence and that Maman's death was bound to happen sometime. Meursault says. "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know."(Camus 3). This is why the jury judged him for not having feelings for his mother and not because he had killed a man. This is why he was seen as a menace to society. The reader sees the story in the defendant's point of view. As the book progresses the reader begins to understand why Meursault behaves the way he does in the entire novel. On contrary, the others could not understand how coldhearted a person can be. When they discovered how he is as a human, the people decided to have him decapitated because society could not handle such a person and did not want others to follow in his footsteps.
Meursault was judged for who he was and was hated by society. The small things that didn't really seem to have a major role in the beginning of the story, turned out to have such a great impact on the whole story. Things like the death of his mother and how he turned down Marie's proposal. These issues at first don't seem to further the plot or character development in any efficient manner, which the reader later sees in the last chapter of the book. That is why the story was unique because it is a style of writing that readers are not used to. Meursault is such unique person; it makes his perspective of the book one of a kind.
Word Count: 867
This is the complete article, containing 851 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
