Literary Criticism: The Stranger (Albert Camus)

 

This story is set in Algiers, where Mr. Meursault, Raymond, and Marie live. Meursault is a French settler in Algeria who learns of his mother's death by telegram. During the funeral, he suffers not from the death of his mother, but from the heat. He is estranged from society and immune to emotions; his relationships with others, including his close friends, are purely mechanical.

Thomas Pérez is a friend of his mother. Céleste is the owner of a café that Meursault frequents. Marie Cardona was a typist in the same workplace as Meursault. Salamano is an old man with a dog; he abuses his dog but is still attached to it. Raymond Sintés is a neighbor of Meursault; he is a vile man who is being hunted by an Arab man because he beat the man's sister. Masson is the owner of the beach house; he loves his wife, and they are both happy.

The Chaplain tries to force Meursault to believe in God in order to seek Christian forgiveness. The main theme is Absurd: it is a novel based on indifference toward others and a protagonist who doesn't care about religion, ideals, or traditional experiences. According to Albert Camus, a life can be lived in a single day; if we see the things around us properly, we can live for decades in a prison remembering what we saw. The villain is society—and even the entire universe—which cannot accept a man who stands against prevailing morality.