Summary Of Albert Camus The Stranger

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Albert Camus’ The Stranger is a novel originally written in French about an Algerian clerk, Meursault, who is essentially numb to the outside world. The first few sentences of the book read, “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know.” (Camus 3) Meursault handled his mothers passing different than most people would and that’s not hard to notice. He didn’t wish to see her dead body one last time and didn’t even shed a tear at her funeral. After this attention grabbing event at the start of the novel the reader begins to learn more about Meursault’s personal life. He enjoys the beach and decides to vacation there with some of his friends. During the vacation, some Arabs who have been following them confront Meursault and his friends. After multiple standoffs, violence commences and Meursault fires his gun killing the Arab. Meursault is then put on trial for murder and during the court case even he cannot explain the motive behind his crime. The judge along with the jury question him countlessly over any grief he has for killing the Arab, and also ask him about how he handled his mothers death. They judge him as a cold-hearted killer who really does not value life the way a man should. Because of this senseless crime Meursault is sentenced to death, which he accepts because in his eyes life is meaningless, and has no rational order. By the book being told through Meursault’s point a view, the sense of existentialism is easier to identify. His thoughts point to a man who has no ideas, goals, or emotions and essentially carries his life out like a robot with every action coming and going without any feeling.
The story of this absent-minded killing is told through the main character, Meursault’s point of view. He is living in...

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...st would, free of emotion. By Camus telling the story through Meursault’s point of view, the themes of existentialism are easier to identify. Like that of an existentialist, Meursault “observes and responds. He never asks why, what ought to be done, although he does comment upon connections between events—why, for example, the people in the streets on Sunday behave as they do.” (Citation) We as readers are able to make this connection because of the writing style used by Camus. Short sentences filled with physical action are often used while emotion is something that is rarely mentioned. The convicted killer is now sitting on death row with the same indifferent attitude that he’s always had. Reading the story from his perspective helped me realize that he is accepting of the consequences that came with his decision and now waits patiently for whatever comes next.

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