Camus The Stranger: Summary and Outlines Some of the Main Themes
The novel's protagonist, Meursault, is a distanced and indifferentyoung man. He does not believe in God, and lives his life with seeminglysensuous abandon. After Meursault is caught up in the life of a localpimp, he rather inexplicably murders a young man on the beach, and is puton trial. In a ridiculous and seemingly arbitrary trial, he is essentiallytried and found guilty for failing to adhere to society's beliefs andmorals. It is during this trial that Meursault comes to terms with the The Stranger begins with the news that Meursault's mother has died.Writes Camus, "Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know. I hada telegram from the home: 'Mother passed away. Funeral tomorrow. Yourssincerely.' That doesn't mean anything. It may have been yesterday" (p.9). Here, the somewhat disturbing detachment of Meursault's recounting ofhis mother's death sets the distanced and cynical tone for his experiences Meursault takes two days off work to go to the home where his motherlived. At the home he meets the warden and caretaker, and views hismother's body. At the home, Meursault naps, talks to the caretaker, and
It is only when he is tried for murder and sentenced to death, that hefaces the benign indifference of the universe. Therehe meets Marie Cardona, who he frolics with in the water. The next day, Saturday, Meursault decides to go to the beach. His final wish is that " thereshould be a crowd of spectators at my execution and that they should greetme with cries of hatred" (p. They play in the water again, and she asks him if he loves her, towhich he replies " that it didn't mean anything but that I didn't think so"(p. He learns that he can live without cigarettes,women, swimming and other pleasures, once he gets used to not having thesefreedoms. Meursault looks forward to returning home, and havingthe chance to sleep for 12 hours straight. Meursaultenjoys the pleasures of life, and shows no emotion at his mother's death. He encounters his mother's friends, and notesthat he had " the ridiculous impression that they were there to judge me"(p. The prosecutor argues that Meursault does not feel remorse, and of" burying his mother like heartless criminal" (p. Salamano notes that he has lost his dog, andcries with grief. He also encounters Raymond, who is rumoredto be a pimp, and they discuss Raymond's cheating girlfriend, and hisconflict with an Arab.
Common topics in this essay:
Marie Cardona,
Camus Mother,
God Meursault,
Meursault Raymond's,
,
Eventually Meursault's,
Arab Meursault,
Thomas Perez,
Marie Meursault,
mother's death,
meursault notes,
benign indifference,
grief meursault,
meursault learns,
meursault enjoys,
meursault's mother,
meursault comes,
marie meursault,
mother died,
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Acceptance Essays
