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The Outsider: Meursault

            
             The book "The Outsider" written by Albert Camus tells the story of a man named Meursault who lives in French Algiers. Meursault is an observer and rarely a participant. I believe that this helped seal his fate. .
             There are many examples in the book where Meursault has observed rather than participate. One of these examples is crying at his mothers" funeral. At the funeral he watches others mourn rather than mourning himself. Meursault feels that death is just a part of life, you live and then you die. Meursaults reaction to his mothers" death was an important part of the trial where the jury did judge his reaction as cold hearted and callous, and therefore making him capable of murder. .
             Meursault meets a girl named Marie whom throughout the book he spends a lot of time with. Rather than participating in love he observes it. Meursault is more affected by the physical side of love rather than the emotional side. In the book Marie asks him if he loves her showing that she expresses emotion there fore making her conventional. Meursault is not participating in the love of their relationship and replies, " it doesn't mean anything, but I don't think so". This is another important factor of the trial the jury judges him on his ability to care about people's feelings and emotions. This appeared to the jury that he didn't feel or care about emotion portraying him as capable of murder. .
             Raymond who lives in the apartment above Meursaults has some problems with his mistress. Raymond wishes to punish her. He tells his story to Meursault and he agrees to write a letter to her, which will end with Raymond beating her. Meursault does not question the morality of the situation even though he knows someone is going to get hurt. The jury judged him on his seemingly uncaring and immoral approach to this situation. This is another trait that helped seal his fate.
             Although Meursault saw no harm in how he observed situations rather than participated in them the way he treated these caused him to appear to the jury as callous, immoral, uncaring and cold hearted and there fore making him seem unconventional.


Essays Related to The Outsider: Meursault

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The opening lines of the novel, The Outsider by Albert Camus, set the tone for the book: Mother died today. ... Conversely, the story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber, is seemingly contrary to the novel The Outsider. ... Meursault was a peculiar man who kept to himself. ... Meursault's beginning of the end came when he killed the Arab on the beach. ... The harder the priest tried, the more annoyed Meursault became. ...

  • Word Count: 1148
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2. The Outsider by Albert Camus

"The Outsider," also known as "The Stranger," is a novel by Albert Camus that was published in 1942. ... These concepts capture the uniqueness and isolation of Meursault's character. ... Consequently, Meursault's reaction to his mother's death badly influences his court sentence. ... These thoughts are presented through Meursault. ... Interactions between Meursault and the Chaplain are very significant. ...

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3. Meursault: The Absurd Hero

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4. Camus's Characterization of Meursault in The Outsider

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  • Word Count: 1704
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A Stranger to Morality Meursault, the novel's hero, a "stranger" to the system of Christian morality insofar as he cannot comprehend it, is certainly not an "outsider", neither consciously choosing to remain "outside" society nor being rejected by it. On the contrary, Meursault is the perfect model of a young lower-middle-class Algerian- born, with an ordinary desk job, and with the ordinary insider's simple taste for watching a banal film, having a drink at the local bar, going to the beach, lying in the sun. ... Meursault is on the road to becoming the Absurd Hero, one who will a...

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6. outsider

Your honour, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, all the evidence concerning this trial has been shown within this court room, now let me take you outside the square and piece this simple puzzle together from beginning to end, to reveal the big picture of this crime against humanity. There is no doub...

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7. The end of nothing

Meursault realizes that death is a part of life and is inevitable. ... Meursault finds himself hoping for some sort of loophole. ... Meursault realizes that everyone's fate is to die. ... Society has merely chosen a way for Meursault to die, but it is Meursault's choice on how to die that makes the difference. ... Mersault is an outsider and acts out of the norm of society's ways. ...

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8. Camus

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