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Stranger

This is one of the first times that Meursault exhibits any sort of fear or anxiety. It seems that it is only with his own death that he can realize and feel the true meaning of the situations he is in. Over the course of the novel, Meursault transforms from an indifferent person to an emotionally aware being. It is only when he himself must suffer that this side of him comes out.
             Throughout The Stranger, Meursault transforms and begins to develop meaningful memories about the meaning of his life. In Part 1, all of his memories lack meaning. He can only remember trivial things such as clothing and appearances. At the funeral home, a man asks Meursault about his late mother, saying "was she old?" (16). Meursault is unable to remember this important detail about his mother and can only reply "Fairly"; he "[doesn't] know the exact number" (16). In addition, Meursault mentions that at the funeral, "everything seemed to happen so fast" that he was unable to "remember any of it anymore" (17). However, ironically, he is able to remember such details such as how the "big tears of frustration were streaming down [Perez's] face" (18). This memory is rather meaningless when compared to those that one would have of a parent's funeral. Meursault is much more interested in trivial details about strangers. He spends an entire day watching the people on the streets outside his apartment. He remembers details about individuals and recognizes faces. As the book proceeds into Part 2, Meursault begins to develop meaningful memories about his life. He remembers profound statements made by his mother. For example, he says that it was "one of Maman's ideas that after a while you could get used to anything" (77). In addition, he remembers how "Maman used to say that you could always find something to be happy .
             about"(113). Meursault comes to adopt these principles which he remembers from his mother.


Essays Related to Stranger

1. Stranger -Simmel And Schutz

... membership within the group involves both being outside it and confronting it."# As a man with a Jewish background living in Nazi-Germany, he could certainly understand what it meant to be a stranger. While Simmel did in fact have great influence on the field of sociology, he also produced major works that may be classified as philosophy of history, ethics, general philosophy, philosophy ... , indifference and involvement (118)." This idea of the simultaneous "remoteness and nearness" which appears quite often throughout the essay seems paradoxical, yet it appropriately explains the uniq...

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2. The Stranger on a Lyrical, Literal and Personal Level

... is that we all hide information from people, even people that are very close to us (For example, "Did you ever let your lover see the stranger in yourself?" [19-20].) and then expect those same people to reveal their inner secrets to us. The unhappy result when these people don't reveal ... and he isn't always wrong though you drown in good intentions you will never quench the fire you"ll give in to your desire when the stranger comes along" (53-65). This quote applies perfectly to Mersault in that it depicts the lack of good intentions in his murder but also explains ... Mersault does. A...

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3. Metamorphosis - The Stranger

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4. Stranger in the Village by James Baldwin

... the world? James Baldwin, who is an African American Harlem Renaissance writer, talks about his personal experience of international treatment of black people. "Stranger in the Village" is an essay he wrote documenting his encounter while visiting a tiny Swiss village that is approximately "four hours away from ... and an attraction, being called the n-word, and he shares his theory of how evolved the world will become. In the essay "Stranger in the Village," Baldwin expresses his feelings of loneliness and being out of place in a tiny Swiss village, and compares it to black ... never s...

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5. The Stranger

... not immediately apparent. In fact without in depth analysis the entire point of the book is easily missed. The manner of story telling in The Stranger is unique and at first hard to come to grips with. It is not the story which is especially complex but the manner in which ... lack of such is exactly what is absurd. This simple leap of thought, if the conclusion is correct is precisely the key to understanding The Stranger. It forces one to read between and even through the lines in a search for understanding, one comes to see that that which remains unwritten ... invincibility and righ...

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6. The Stranger

... not immediately apparent. In fact without in depth analysis the entire point of the book is easily missed. The manner of story telling in The Stranger is unique and at first hard to come to grips with. It is not the story which is especially complex but the manner in which ... lack of such is exactly what is absurd. This simple leap of thought, if the conclusion is correct is precisely the key to understanding The Stranger. It forces one to read between and even through the lines in a search for understanding, one comes to see that that which remains unwritten ... invincibility and righ...

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  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Stranger in the Village by James Baldwin

... the village, to most people, is a terminology to be out of the crowd and lost in the community around you. In James Baldwin's essay "Stranger in the village" he is walking through a Swiss village where he believes no other black man has every walked before. Everywhere he goes the villagers ... when he no longer believes he exist in the community. There are points when he was to leave. There are points when he no longer belongs. This is my "Stranger in the Village." In the corner of my old memories lay to rest my days as a brand new 6th grader. I in a brand new world. Not only was ... in...

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8. The Tall Stranger

... America's favorite storytellers. He has thrilled the nation in his stories with his way of bringing to life brave men and women who settled in the American frontier. The Tall Stranger is a story about a stubborn man named Rock Bannon who saved eastern breed settlers from Indian attacks and Mort Harper, a fast talking crook. The book takes place mostly on a trail drive ... extremely mad so he goes after Harper and when he finds them in the canyon they have a gun dual. Of course Rock Bannon wins cause his the protaganist. The Tall Stranger was a very enjoyable book. In relation to the not...

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9. Existentialism in The Stranger

... explanation. Often, one feels a "suffocating sense of being enclosed by events which are irrational or absurd but also inexorable" (Bigelow 175). In The Stranger, Albert Camus uses Mersault and his experiences to convey the philosophy that man is full of anxiety and despair with no meaning in his life except for ... life, a life in which he is simply existing with no motivation. Chakraborty 3 Mersault's murder of the Arab is another example of existentialism in The Stranger. The absurdity of the murder is what makes it a good portrayal of the concept of existentialism. The Arab draws his ...

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10. The Stranger

The Stranger For Camus, freedom arises in awareness of one's life, the every-moment life, an intense glorious life that needs no redeeming, no regrets, no tears. Death is unjustifiable, absurd; it ... absurd, and indeed, generically, life remains absurd, though each individual's life can be valuable and meaningful to him. In a sense, The Stranger is a parable of Camus" philosophy, with emphasis on that which is required for freedom. Meursault, hero of The Stranger, is not a person one would be apt to meet in reality in this respect; Meursault does not achieve the awakening of ... he had bee...

  • Word Count: 1005
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