The Stranger Meursualt and Society

A detailed Summary of The Stranger Meursualt and Society

In Albert Camus' novel, The Stranger, the protagonist Meursault is a character who has definite values and opinions concerning the society in which he lives. His self-inflicted alienation from society and all its habits and customs is clear throughout the book. The novel itself is an exercise in absurdity that challenges the reader to face the nagging questions concerning the meaning of human existence. Meursault is an existentialist character who views his life in an unemotional and noncommittal manner, which enhances his obvious opinion that in the end life is utterly meaningless.

The novel opens with Meursault having just learned that his mother has died. His reaction to her death is far from typical, and he simply says, "Maman died today, or yesterday maybe, I don't know." As he prepares to leave town to attend the funeral, he expresses a sort of general discomfort. This discomfort can be seen in his extremely uncomfortable conversation with his boss, in which Meursault simply tells his boss, "it's n

After the procession, Meursault remembers little about the funeral itself. The only thing that he remembers were the words of the nurse who spoke to him as they entered the village. She told Meursault, "if you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church." These words have a powerful effect on Meursault and he seems to regard them as a metaphor for life when he says, "she was right, there was no way out." His actions and attitude at the funeral are indicative of the rest of his life. Meursault is truly a stranger in his own life. His is caught up in the absurdity of human existence, and is utterly unable to find any sort of meaning in his life. Nothing matters to him because he realizes that his own mortal existence, as well as everyone else's, will eventually come to an end. His preoccupation with his inescapable doom prevents him from caring about anything or anyone. His unemotional manner enables him to commit murder set on a sun-drenched Algerian

Some common words found in the essay are:
Albert Camus', Monsieur Perez's, Monsieur Perez, funeral meursault, monsieur perez, physical discomfort, human existence, novel meursault,

Approximate Word count = 702
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

join now Save Paper

Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

"Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
Jack M.
"With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
Brian P.
"I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
Sara J.
"I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
Rachel W.
"I love this site!!!"
Marie N.

The Stranger Meursualt and Society

Related Essays

Saved Paper

Newest Essays

Testimonials