Isolation in the Writing Styles of Camus

The writing style of Albert Camus in The Stranger shows the topic of isolation. Camus uses very short, straight to the point sentences, using very simple vocabulary to convey his message. In The Stranger, Meursault will give a complete thought in one sentence but the sentence after that will be completely different than what he was talking about in the previous sentence. The diction, syntax, and the organization of the novel all aid the readers to understand the topic of isolation and its purpose in the novel which is how Meursault, through his isolation from everyone and society, realizes that he has the ability to choose what he desires.

The diction of the first part of The Stranger is very simple and easy to understand. For example when he explains his day at “the office” (Camus 25), in chapter three, he says that his “boss [is] nice” (Camus 25). He could have used to explain his emotions with words like sedate or cordial, however he wanted to show his emotions very quickly and in a easy way to understand. He chose words such as “nice” to point out that he is a very simple person and is different from everyone else. Meursault lived a non-conformist life and didn’t care much about what happened around him. Even on “the day of [his] execution,” he wished that the “large crowd of spactators …. [greeted him] with cries of hate” (Camus 123), which is why he uses such simple words to explain his emotions. This is when he does realize that he has the power to choose what he wants to do. It can be said that it was Meursault’s isolation from everyone and society which led him to make this conclusion because he had time to actually understand the absurd. However, the second half of The Stranger uses much higher vocabulary as Meursault...

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...is how Meursault, through his isolation from everyone and society, realizes that he has the ability to choose what he desires. Camus protrayed isolation through low level vocabulary and short sentences where each one setted up itself and sweeps the others into the void. Through the singular viewpoint of the narrator Meursault, Camus presents a philosopy devoid of middle-class morality where sentence and personal honesty become the bases of a happy and responsible life.

Works Cited

Camus, Albert. The Stranger. Trans. Matthew Ward. New York: Vintage International., 1989.

Print.

Bloom, Harold. "An Explication of The Stranger." The Stranger - Albert Camus. New York:

Chelsea House Publishers, 1989. 13-20.