The Stranger by Albert Camus
**Overview of "The Stranger" by Albert Camus**
"The Stranger," a novel by Albert Camus, explores themes of absurdism and existentialism through the life of its protagonist, Meursault. The story begins with Meursault receiving news of his mother's death, which he approaches with emotional detachment. Following the funeral, he engages in mundane activities, such as swimming and spending time with a woman named Marie. The narrative escalates when Meursault becomes involved in a violent altercation between his neighbor, Raymond, and the brother of a woman Raymond has abused. This culminates in a pivotal moment where Meursault, seemingly without provocation, shoots the brother multiple times.
As the plot unfolds, Meursault finds himself on trial, where his character and perceived lack of social norms overshadow the actual crime. The courtroom proceedings highlight societal expectations, as witnesses focus on Meursault's behavior during his mother's funeral rather than the murder itself. Ultimately, he is convicted and sentenced to death, leading to a profound internal transformation as he grapples with the absurdity of existence. The novel concludes with Meursault embracing a sense of peace in the face of impending execution, reflecting on the indifference of the universe. "The Stranger" invites readers to contemplate the nature of life, death, and the search for meaning in a seemingly indifferent world.
The Stranger by Albert Camus
First published:L’Étranger, 1942 (English translation, 1946)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Existentialism
Time of plot: Late 1930s to early 1940s
Locale: Algeria
Principal Characters
Meursault , an office workerMarie Cardona , his girlfriendRaymond Sintes , his friend and neighbor, a pimpSalamano , another neighbor, an old man
The Story
When Meursault is notified of his mother’s death, he leaves immediately for Marengo, where she was living in the Home for Aged Persons. He is taken to the room where her coffin is placed and casually declines the doorkeeper’s offer to unscrew the lid so he can look at her. Meursault spends the night there, drinking coffee, smoking, and chatting with the doorkeeper. The next day, a Friday, he attends the funeral and leaves immediately afterward to return to Algiers.
Saturday morning, Meursault goes for a swim and runs into Marie Cardona, a girl who formerly worked in his office. He invites her to a movie and later takes her to bed.
Meursault spends Sunday lounging on the balcony of his flat, smoking and watching people on the street below. The next day, returning home from work, Meursault comes upon Raymond Sintes, a young man who lives on the same floor. Raymond, who calls himself a warehouseman but is reputed to be a pimp, was just in a fight with the brother of a Moorish girl he is seeing. Believing that the girl is cheating on him, he beat her up, and her brother accosted him, seeking revenge. Raymond asks Meursault to draft a letter to entice the girl back so he can humiliate her, and Meursault agrees to help.
One afternoon, Meursault is in his room with Marie when they hear Raymond beating the girl again. A police officer is summoned. Later, Raymond asks Meursault to testify to his own knowledge that the girl was false to Raymond. Again, Meursault agrees to help, and he and Raymond go out to a café. Upon returning, they encounter another neighbor, an old man named Salamano, whose dog ran off. Although he abused the animal mercilessly, he is weeping and fearful of what will become of him without his longtime companion.
That Sunday, Meursault and Marie accompany Raymond to the beach, where they encounter two Arabs who were following Raymond for some time. A fight breaks out, and Raymond is cut before the Arabs slip away. Later, with his wounds patched, Raymond goes walking and comes upon the Arabs again. This time, Raymond pulls a gun, but Meursault, who followed, offers to hold it to ensure a fair fight. Almost immediately, however, the Arabs vanish.
Raymond goes back to the bungalow, but Meursault—Raymond’s pistol still in his pocket—stays out in the blazing afternoon sunlight and soon comes upon the Arab who stabbed Raymond. Meursault steps forward and, seeing the flash of a knife blade in a blur of light and heat, pulls the trigger. He pumps four more bullets into the Arab’s inert body.
Meursault is arrested and questioned by the examining magistrate for the next eleven months, usually with a court-appointed lawyer present. The questions focus on two things: his apparent callousness at his mother’s funeral and the fact that he hesitated after his first shot and then fired four more times. At one point, the magistrate displays a small silver crucifix and asks Meursault whether he believes in God. When Meursault replies matter-of-factly that he does not, the magistrate is visibly upset.
Meursault is held in prison, where he is visited by Marie, who holds out hope for his acquittal. He soon becomes accustomed to prison life, although small privations occasionally upset him, most of all, the fact that he is not allowed to smoke. He begins to sleep sixteen to eighteen hours a day. Soon, six months pass, and he begins talking to himself without realizing it.
In June, his trial begins. One of the first witnesses called, the warden of the Home for Aged Persons in Marengo, testifies that Meursault’s mother complained about her son’s conduct toward her and that on the day of the funeral, Meursault neither cried nor lingered by the grave. The doorkeeper is called to testify that Meursault did not want to view his mother’s body. When Marie takes the stand, the prosecutor maneuvers her into admitting that her affair with Meursault began the day after his mother’s funeral and that they first went to the movies to see a comedy. When Raymond attempts to exonerate his friend, he is exposed as a criminal and a pimp.
After a trial that seems almost to exclude him from its proceedings, Meursault is pronounced guilty and sentenced to death by decapitation. Meursault refuses repeatedly to see the chaplain, but one day the chaplain enters the cell without his permission and tries to talk to him about God. Meursault is patient at first, but then, becoming bored and annoyed, lashes out, cursing the chaplain and pointing out that all his supposed certainty amounts to nothing in the end. Hearing the commotion, the guards rush in to rescue the priest, leaving Meursault to drop off to sleep, exhausted.
When he awakens, he finds himself awash in a strange feeling of peace and resignation, devoid of hope and accepting of what he describes as “the benign indifference of the universe.” He is content to await his execution and, in fact, hopes that it will be witnessed by a large crowd of spectators cursing him.
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