Meaursalt is a simple and ordinary man living in French Morocco. Neither intellectual nor emotional, when his mother died, he did not feel or show any sorrow. He is a character rather distracted by his surrounding, such as people walking by and nature. He would feel much irritation whenever the sun would shine red and bright. On a thoughtless walk on the beach, he ends up killing an Arab (who had a hostile relationship with his friend) for no apparent reason, but because his [Arab] blade light reflected by the sun. In addition, for no good reason he shoots four more times, the body lying on the ground. He is tried in court, during which he feels he is his own

Albert Camus is originally from Algeria where he worked as a journalist. Later he moved to Paris during World War II. There he worked for the Combat resistance network and was editor for the ongoing Combat in Paris. He saw the chaos daily and during this time, he wrote his main works on absurdity. This experience is probably what prompted Camus to create Meaursalt. In Paris, he discovered that the bottom line of life is that it is meaningless. It is concluded by the fact that death for him is something that has to take place. This explains the indifference Meaursalt feels, because death was only a matter of time. A war-torn world of death and poverty could only encourage such beliefs that Camus had.

Camus is known as prominent modern existentialist. Existentialism possesses many vague meanings, just like Camus¯ ambiguity in the novel. The basic theme of existentialism is the stress on individual existence and the resulting individual freedom and choice. Existentialists believe that there is no objective and rational basis for decisions. Camus perhaps is sending a message that decisions should be made based on an individual¯s perception of good and wrong, not based on what is moral or not according to society . Also, he might be sending a message that morality should be based on how people actually behave, and not on an ideal standard how people should behave (moral relativism). For Meaursalt, it could be that it isn¯t so bad to murder. He sees the world differently and regards human life no more or less than a dog. Above all, however, Meaursalt accepts the consequences of his actions.

The sun is a major symbol in the novel. Meaursalt despises the heat of the bright red sun. The sun is Meaursalt¯s nemesis, because it symbolizes destruction and violence. He describes heat as °inhuman and oppressive± (15). During the murder trial, the prosecutor questions why he shot the victim four additional times. It wasn¯t because of a grudge against the Arab, but because the knife the Arab held reflected light. As Meaursalt would prefer, by chance he shot the victim. It could be argued that he had no intention to shoot a dead person multiple times. Perhaps, he was aiming at the burning sand.

This novel was easy to read and I understood Meaursalt, and could even relate to him somewhat. But I definitely do not accept his values. Any criticism of a novel dealing with the search of the meaning of life is dangerous, because it is a sensitive issue. Let alone, this novel claims that life is meaningless. For me, Meaursalt is an absurd man, literally. This novel is regarded as a very important modern piece and I could see why. I¯m not really fond of the question, °What is the meaning of life?± I¯m not sure whether to say it is objective or subjective. The novel its

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Approximate Word count = 1909
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)