Albert Camus’ The Stranger Vocabulary Study Guide

This flashcard set covers the key characters, locations, and thematic vocabulary from Albert Camus' novel The Stranger.

Meursault

The protagonist and narrator who works as a shipping clerk in Algiers and is characterized by his emotional detachment and honesty.

Algiers

The city in North Africa where Meursault lives, works, and eventually stands trial.

Marengo

The location of the Home for Aged Persons, situated approximately $50$ miles from Algiers, where Meursault’s mother lived for three years.

Thomas Pérez

An elderly inmate at the Home for Aged Persons who was Meursault’s mother's inseparable companion and followed her funeral procession.

Marie Cardona

A former typist at Meursault's office who begins a relationship with him the day after his mother's funeral and later expresses a desire to marry him.

Raymond Sintès

Meursault's neighbor who identifies as a warehouseman but is rumored to be a pimp; he involves Meursault in a dispute with a Moorish girl and her brother.

Céleste

The owner of a restaurant where Meursault frequently dines; he testifies that Meursault is a good man and that the crime was an "accident."

Salamano

An elderly neighbor who spent eight years in a love-hate relationship with a mangy, scab-covered spaniel before the dog went missing.

Masson

A friend of Raymond Sintès who owns a seaside bungalow where the murder of the Arab takes place.

The Arab

The brother of Raymond Sintès's mistress who is shot five times by Meursault on a beach under the intense glare of the sun.

The Examining Magistrate

The legal official who questions Meursault and becomes obsessed with his lack of religious belief, eventually calling him "Mr. Antichrist."

Fernandel

The actor starring in the comedy film that Marie and Meursault go to see the day after his mother's funeral.

The "Little Robot" Woman

An odd-looking, meticulous woman Meursault observes at Céleste’s restaurant who later attends every session of his trial.

The Prosecutor

The legal representative who argues that Meursault's lack of emotion at his mother's funeral proves he is a "morally guilty" monster who deserves the death penalty.

The Lawyer

Meursault's defense counsel who attempts to mitigate the crime by describing Meursault as a steady, conscientious worker and a dutiful son.

The Chaplain

The prison priest who attempts to bring Meursault to God, leading to Meursault's final outburst about the certainty of life and death.

Vigil

The ritual in which Meursault and his mother's friends sit beside her coffin overnight at the Home for Aged Persons.

Guillotine

The "implacable machinery of justice" that Meursault contemplates while awaiting his execution by public decapitation.

"Benign indifference of the universe"

The phrase Meursault uses at the end of the text to describe the state of the world he realizes is similar to his own nature.

Czech Crime Story

A story Meursault finds on a scrap of newspaper in his cell about a man murdered by his mother and sister, which he reads thousands of times.