The Stranger is a book of many facets and meanings most of which are 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 it is told. It is done by a narrator. In his telling of his tale he neglects to mention several important aspects of his internal state, (which after a great deal of speculation seems to be what the book is really about). One soon learns that it is exactly that which is most important for complete understanding of the book, which is so carefully omitted. But, these features are not completely forgotten about, they are implied and inferred creating the need for careful analysis. For example, Camus himself, on the back cover of the book says the book is an exploration of "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd"; at first glance this book seems to have an almost unhealthy lack of the absurd and Camus' statement seems meaningless. That is until the book as a whole is explored and one realizes that the lack of such is exactly what i

The story begins with the death of the central character, Mersault's, mother. That is in fact the first line of the book, the statement of this fact. It is the deadpan and uncaring manner of this statement that alerts the reader to the fact that this will be a different kind of book. The narrator never says that he is not overly distraught over his mother's death, but it is implied through the language he uses when talking of this event. "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know...Maybe it was yesterday". One can almost feel the nonchalant manner in the way it is written, yet it is not immediately obvious. That is what I mean by reading in between and through the lines.

On his way home from the office Mersault runs into his neighbor, Salamano. Salamano has a dog, a spaniel, who is afflicted with severe mange. The man is extremely mean to the dog, beating it and swearing at it and generally being needlessly cruel. Mersault doesn't feel any pity towards the animal's situation and takes it as being the way things are.

Once at the home he meets the director immediately prior to sitting his deathwatch. While talking to the director Mersault feels he is criticizing him for not taking proper care of his mother. His immediate response is to defend himself, the fact that he has enough of his faculties together to even be worried about such things is another disturbing indicator of his lack of grief and general lack of caring for his mother's death. The director then asks Mersault if he'd like to see his mother, his only response is to get up and follow the director to where her coffin is. It is made clear in the book that there is no verbal response; this is important because throughout the book Mersault almost never lies to another human being. The lack of an answer actually means no. Mersault does not want to see his mother. He is only present for form's sake.

If there is a message at all in this book it is the importance of family. Mersault and his mother never really got along when they lived together. They didn't really converse "...Maman used to spend her time following me with her eyes, not saying a thing". Mersault never learnt how to feel from his mother and he never had a father. These facts have created deep rooted psychological issues within him. He refuses to acknowledge the chaplain's title of father, instead addressing him as monsieur, and only speaks at all of his real father on the last few pages of the book. The fact that he only speaks so lately and briefly of this man demonstrates the pain that he feels when even thinking about him. The implication being that a healthy, happy family life is essential for a good and productive, psychologically sound existence later on. On the other hand, a dysfunctional unfulfilling family life will create discontent, emotional emptiness, fear of intimacy and a whole bag of mental problems.

During Mersault's trial, the legal system seems to be designed against him. The prosecution does an extremely good job of character assassination. They cite his odd, numb behavior at his mother's funeral, his involvement with Raymond and his girlfriend, the fact that he was seeing Marie only a day after his mother's funeral, and other of his actions that make him in their eyes, a dangerous sociopath. "...I have had occasion to call for the death penalty, never as strongly as today have I felt this painful duty made easier, lighter, clearer by the certain knowledge of a sacred imperative and by the horror I feel when I look into a man's face and all I see is a monster," a part of the prosecution's final statement. Poor Mersault didn't stand a chance.

After the funeral, Mersault has a Saturday to himself and decides to go for a swim. While swimming he meets a young woman who recently worked in his office, Marie. They start flirting, talking and all of those things that two young people who are attracted to each other like to engage in. He te

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3153
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)