The Outsider Essay

In his novella, The Outsider, Albert Camus presents his philosophy of the absurd through his intriguing protagonist, Meursault. Meursault begins the novel in a state of indifference and throughout keeps himself emotionally and socially detached from the world around him. It is the callous indifference and insensitivity in the narration of Meursault, which gives the reader an insight into the mind and psyche of the character. Meursault seems socially unaware, emotionally incapable and understands relationships only in the context of the physical; therefore the colours used in the text become more than just physical descriptions. Camus uses vibrant colours to express Meursault’s contained emotions, however as Meursault becomes more aware of his

Camus’s character is seemingly devoid of emotions however his description of colours possesses an emotional significance. The shades of white, black and red dominate this passage. Camus uses ‘white’ to gradually build the tension in the scenes. The first appearance of white occurs at the morgue where Meursault meets the caretaker and the nurse. The language in the passage changes, emphasising on the colour white – the ‘whitewashed walls’, ‘white moustache’ and ‘a white bandage’. White colour absorbs light and it can be inferred that Meursault absorbs his emotions, containing them within himself. White also symbolizes knowledge and here it might be the knowledge of death, which humans are not ready to accept. Camus employs white to make the atmosphere in the scene sterile and unpleasant which helps the reader sense the uneasiness experienced by Meursault because later in the passage he writes, ‘the glare from the white walls was tiring [his/Meursault’s] eyes,’ making ‘every object… [stand] out so sharply that it was painful.’ Camus describes Perez as pale with ‘white hair’ who wore a ‘large white collar on his shirt.’ The white explains Meursault’s antipathy towards Perez and the reader can be certain of that because it was only at the very end that Meursault ‘understood why at the end of her [Mother’s] life she had taken a fiancé.’ It was Meursault’s initial distaste and confusion of Perez that was projected

The funeral of mother parallels the killing of the Arab as suggested by the word ‘same’ when Meursault compares the two. The colour schemes in the both the passages bear a stark similarity. The passage opens with Marie and Raymond clad in ‘a white linen dress’ and ‘a white short-sleeved shirt’ respectively. Immediately Meursault feels ‘rather disgusted’. White becomes a powerful motif in the passage to indicate the rising tension. Camus includes subtle hints of red in the imagery, for example the sand turning red and the ‘dripping blood’, to hint at the antagonism between Meursault and the Arab. The heat and ‘dazzling red glare’ from the sun made him feel tired (‘I could feel my forehead swelling up under the sun’). The black colour had made Meursault feel lost on his mother’s death; however the ‘black speck’ revived the memories of the day. Camus further establishes the emotional connection between the killing of the Arab and the death of mother by making Meursault admit that ‘it was the same sun as on the day of mother’s funeral and again it was my forehead that was hurting the most and all the veins were throbbing at once beneath the skin’. Meursault’s admission and Camus’ striking contrast of the colours on both the events depict Meursault’s highly emotional self which he was unable to express through his thoughts or words. And finally it was the annoyance of his mother’s death that