Upon first reading The Stranger, by Albert Camus, one is left with the impression that Mersault is a heartless, unfeeling monster. However, through rereading the novel and thoroughly analyzing the text, one unmasks the theme hidden behind Mersault’s thought process: life is pointless, and whatever menial tasks we manage perform in our lifetime mean nothing, for in the end we all die anyway. A unique, one-of-a-kind approach to this theme is used. Not only does Camus use an informal and childishly simple dialect, but he also uses the lack of strong imagery and personification to illustrate a strong felt indifference towards the world. Furthermore, Albert Camus repetitively displays the sun as a constant annoyance. The sun could be interpreted as a symbol for life. Thus, through these literary devices, or lack thereof, Albert Camus is able to convey the belief that life is pointless because we all die in the end.
One of Camus’s most obvious literary techniques is his unique dialect, which is apparent in the very first sentence: “Maman died today.”(3). The utter simplicity of nearly every sentence in the book drills home the blunt (and occasionally hidden) truth of each fact. At the same time, however, the reader understand
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For example, in the first chapter Mersault attends his mother’s funeral. Likewise, personification rarely peeks out from the text, choosing to keep hidden for those rare times in which the author wishes to invoke emotions in the reader or to convey the understanding of emotions stirred within Mersault. The few implementations of strong imagery and personification such as these two allow the reader to firmly grasp the level of annoyance Mersault feels as a direct effect of the sun. Thus far in Mersault’s life, it has only displayed itself to be a hindrance, manifesting itself in the novel as an inescapable presence, much like life. However, it is not the applications of these devices that connects the reader, Mersault, and the theme. I believe that this is a very insightful and original book, and that Albert Camus is ingenious in his support. This lack of explanation is also what enables the reader to realize Mersault’s indifference to the world around him.
Dialect, imagery, personification, symbolism, and repetition all combine to form concrete blocks upon which the theme is supported. In The Stranger, Mersault is continually exposed to the sun, and each time the author vividly expresses the main character’s annoyance. Instead, it is the lack of these devices that drives the message deep into the reader’s mind. When properly puzzled over, one might arrive at the conclusion that perhaps the sun is actually a symbol for life itself. While some are direct, some are indirect, and some are used simply by very rarely being implemented, each has its own place within the novel. The frail imagery displayed in these examples and other such sentences throughout the book are not employed to directly support the theme. Also, when visiting the beach with Marie, he describes the sun as “overpowering”(55) with a “dazzling red glare”(57).
Approximate Word count =
959
Approximate Pages =
4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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