Literature Analysis Essay on The Stranger by Albert Camus

Introduction

The stranger is a novel written by Albert Camus and him that analyzes the life of Meursault who has a fascinating character. Meursault is the main character, and in the beginning, he is portrayed as immoral and heartless. However, as the story progresses, he develops an appealing character, and he leaves the reader with a lot of empathy because he rediscovers himself.

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Meursault

Meursault does not care about the personal relationship, and he is only concerned about his dreams. His dreams were based around becoming a better person in life and improving his lifestyle. He had a weird relationship with his mother, and he was not affected by her death (Camus 9). His mother's death is highlighted to us at the beginning of the novel where he narrates about her death. However, according to him, his life continues as usual, and nothing would change (Camus 11). He is telling his mother's death on a Sunday, and according to him, he will go to work on Monday as usual. He is not emotional, and in the entire novel he is not affected by her absence, and this appears peculiar.

Raymond is Meursault's close friends, and he asks Meursault to testify at the police when he is arrested for assaulting his mistress. Raymond claimed he beat her because she was cheating on him and Meursault agrees that Raymond was justified to beat her up. He testified and said "I understood his wanting to punish her (Camus 32). Meursault's accepts without making any considerations, and this also shows his lack of emotions. Raymond comes across a group of men, and his mistress brother "The Arab" is part of the group, and this ends up in a fight. Meursault is involved, and he shoots the Arab, and to him, this appears normal, and this is indeed absurd. He is taken to prison, and during his hearings, the judge cannot understand how the death of his mother did not move him. This is strange to understand and besides killing a man he still defends himself by claiming that the reflection of the brother's knife blinded him and he ended up shooting. Even after, he explains to the Judge that he remains unregretful of his crime (Camus 71).

According to Meursault, he justifies, and he does not consider how death could have affected the man's family or even friends. The witnesses that come to testify makes the situation more difficult for Mersault as they all confirm that he hardly relates to people. The judge finds him guilty, and he is sentenced to death. According to the trial, it is clear that Mersaultis is heartless and that nothing can change his perception of life. The isolation in prison also helps him realize that he misses interacting with other people. He appears to understand that life is beyond living and this is based on the things he tells himself. He says things like 'I reminded himself' 'its common knowledge life is not worth living anyhow.' It is clear he reflects his life, and he is aware he could have done much better by interacting with other people and maybe he could have enjoyed life. His mentality change is a clear indication that he is now beginning to see sense in how some of his actions had affected his life. However, he does not achieve his dreams because he eventually lands in prison where he is supposed to face a death sentence.

Marie Analysis

Marie is Mersault's co-workers, and the two start their relationship a day after his mother's funeral. She is young and pretty, and she loves Mersaults although she finds him a little bit different from other people. She is a middle-class woman who lives a normal life, and she has the ultimate dream of getting married. She seems to be enjoying life, and she loves watching movies, going out to the beaches, swimming, and based on her lifestyle it is clear she enjoys life a lot. However, according to her, she loves him because she finds him different and he is also attractive. Her timely relationship with Meursault could have been a perfect time for her to console him and create a bond with him. However, this appears difficult because he is alright and he does not seem bothered by the loss. She has not established herself as a career woman, and some of her previous jobs included a clerk and typist. However, the two have a lot of things in common especially their likes, and this appears to make them more comfortable together.

She also has a weird relationship with Marie, his girlfriend who is indeed in love with her. He is not romantic although he agrees to marry her. This makes Marie very happy, and she hopes he would become an adequate husband who will provide for their family. According to her a man who could provide for the family and make them happy was all she needed. However, she wanted a romantic man who would treat her like a woman, but this is not anything close to Meursault (Camus 32). She hopes they can move together in Paris some time and live happily in this city, but all her dreams are shattered (Camus 107). These dreams die when Meursault is imprisoned, but she does not give up as she supports her all through her trial. She hopes that he is found innocent, but this is not the case because she is found guilty and sentenced to death. However, everything transformed after Mersault is penalized to death.

The Priest

The priest is introduced to us as a man of God who believes even the prisoners deserve love and people to help them with their issues. His dream is to help the prisoners rediscover themselves and realize that life has a lot to offer and help them turn their lives to God. During this time Meursault refuses to see him, and this is very tough because he can hardly get the chance to convince him. However, the chaplain is persistent, and besides knowing that he is unemotional and he does not enjoy other people's company, he still sees him against his will (Camus 117). His persistence plays a crucial role in helping him to rediscover himself and help him realize more about life. He is convinced that he could do something to help Mersault although most of the people could have a different opinion on the matter. The priest helps Mersault to develop both psychologically and philosophically although the road is very challenging. Meursault starts seeing life with a different angle, and he accepts that he deserves his fate and he even he admits all life is meaningless and he had some measure of comfort. This was a clear indication that the priest's persistence had paid off and he had played a crucial role in helping Meursault. Experiencing such challenges makes the priest a better person in his journey of inspiring and helping more prisoners.

Work Cited

Camus, Albert. The Stranger. Trans. Stuart Gilbert. New York: Vintage-Random House. 1942. Print.