The Stranger by Albert Camus Notes
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Summary
Meursault, an emotionally detached French-Algerian man, lives a life of indifference. After showing little emotion at his mother's funeral, he becomes involved with his neighbor, Raymond, and casually begins a romantic relationship with Marie. While on a beach trip, Meursault kills an unnamed Arab for no clear reason other than the sun. During his trial, his lack of remorse and indifference toward his mother's death are scrutinized more than the murder itself, leading to his conviction. As he awaits execution, Meursault embraces the absurdity of life, finding freedom in accepting its inherent meaninglessness
Quotes and Significance
"Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Preparing to go to his mother’s funeral.
Significance:
Introduces the concept of Absurdism, emphasizing the lack of meaning the event has to Meursault.
The wording "I don’t know" emphasizes the lack of meaning the event has to the MC.
"She said, “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.” She was right. There was no way out"
Speaker: Nurse
Context: Following Maman’s hearse.
Significance:
Highlights the paradoxical nature of life.
Contributes to the idea that life is meaningless.
Illustrates that there is no winning.
"It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Recounts that his weekend is over and that his mother is truly dead.
Significance:
Lists Maman’s burial as a simple affair along with other benign tasks.
Further solidifies the idea that life is meaningless and that nothing and no one matters.
"A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault and Marie are together, and Marie asks if Meursault loves her.
Significance:
Allows the reader insight into Meursault’s mindset and how he views other people.
Emphasizes that nobody truly matters and values such as love don’t either.
". . . One life was as good as another and I wasn’t dissatisfied with my life here at all"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault is offered a job position in Paris and rejects it as he is content with his life.
Significance:
Reflects existentialist themes central to the book.
Represents the acceptance of the absurdity of his existence.
"I realized he was crying. For some reason I thought of Maman. But I had to get up early the next morning"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault’s neighbor Salamano’s dog goes missing, and Salamano goes to Meursault’s flat to vent about it.
Significance:
Highlights Meursault’s emotional detachment and indifference.
Shows how trivial concerns overshadow any potential emotional response.
". . . the day, already bright with sun, hit me like a slap in the face"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault wakes up, and the sun shining through the blinds annoys him.
Significance:
Shows the perceived assault that Meursault is experiencing from the sun.
Asserts sun as an antagonist and foreshadows sun as a concurrent oppressive force that shapes the future of the story.
"It was then that I realized you could either shoot or not shoot"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault is confronting the Arab on the beach for the first time with Raymond and Masson.
Significance:
A metaphysical representation of an existential crossroads.
Meursault realizes that his decision to shoot or not shoot is arbitrary in the grand scheme of things.
"It was the same sun, the same light still shining on the same sand as before. For two hours the day had stood still; for two hours it had been anchored in a sea of molten lead"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault encounters the Arab on the beach for a second time without Raymond or Masson.
Significance:
Emphasizes the oppressive and surreal effect the environment has on Meursault.
Underscores Camus’ use of nature as both a literal and symbolic force.
"The sea carried up a thick fiery, breath. It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault is about to shoot the Arab.
Significance:
Shows the intense sensory experience Meursault is going through.
Uses visceral images to convey the almost suffocating and unbearable experience.
Enhances the theme of the oppressive atmosphere Meursault feels trapped in from the heat and sun.
Biblical allusion to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, evoking an almost apocalyptic feel to the scene.
"But by then I had gotten used to not smoking and it wasn’t a punishment anymore"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault has been in prison for some time now.
Significance:
Shows Meursault’s acceptance of circumstances and his existence even when faced with adversity.
Illustrates disconnection from societal norms about emotions/suffering, reflecting an existential perspective in which meaning is subjective.
"On the one hand it wasn’t very likely. On the other, it was perfectly natural"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault is reflecting on a story he had read in a newspaper found between the mattress and bed planks.
Significance:
Captures Meursault’s characteristic ambivalence.
Reflects Meursault’s acceptance of life’s absurdity.
Embodies the existential belief that life is full of contradictions.
Illustrates tensions between the human desire for meaning and the fact that the universe is indifferent.
"The two policemen took me into a small room that smelled of darkness"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault is taken to the courthouse by two policemen.
Significance:
Foreshadows death, as the smell of darkness can be linked to the smell of dirt over a grave or the stifling air inside a coffin.
This sensory detail can also reflect Meursault’s view on the oppressive nature of the justice system that he is entering.
"For the first time in years, I had this stupid urge to cry, because I could feel how much all these people hated me"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault is listening to the court and realizes that he is being scrutinized for his character and emotional responses, focusing specifically on his mother rather than just on him killing the Arab.
Significance:
Only time Meursault judges his own feelings as “stupid” instead of “only natural”.
Meursault is confronted with the emotional weight of his situation and the judgment of others.
". . . there was a lot said about me, maybe more about me than about my crime."
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault is listening to the court and realizes that he is being scrutinized for his character and emotional responses, focusing specifically on his mother rather than just on him killing the Arab.
Significance:
Illustrates how the judicial system prioritizes personal judgment over objective justice.
Reflects the exploration of existentialism and absurdism, where meaning is imposed by society rather than derived from a person’s actions.
"looking at it objectively, it made perfect sense. Otherwise, there would be too much pointless paperwork"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault is chatting with his lawyer about his next plan of action.
Significance:
Meursault is such an absurdist that he sees paperwork that could potentially save his life as meaningless.
"For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate"
Speaker: Meursault
Context: Meursault is on his way to be executed.
Significance:
Reflects Meursault’s profound sense of isolation and his complex relationship with existence and society.
He wants a large crowd of spectators “Screaming cries of hate” because he has an underlying yearning for connection even if it is negative.
Rather than seeking redemption, he resigns to the absurdity of his existence.
Highlights the absurdist theme that life is devoid of meaning and that attention, even in a negative sense, is better than an existential void of isolation.
Themes
Absurdism
Isolationism
Society & Judgement
Inevitability of Death
Meaninglessness of Life
Literary Techniques
“Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know.”
Literary Device: Tone
Camus employs a detached tone through Meursault's apathy.
The casual, indifferent phrasing sets the mood of emotional detachment.
Meursault’s uncertainty about the day of his mother’s death exemplifies his lack of concern for socially accepted emotional responses.
Effect/Purpose: It establishes early on Meursault’s character and the existential theme of indifference.
“She said, ‘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.’ She was right. There was no way out.”
Literary Device: Irony
The 2 choices given about avoiding sunstroke and chills symbolizes existential irony: “Damned if you do, damned if you don't”
Effect/Purpose: The irony reflects the inescapable nature of human existence and its inherent contradictions, reinforcing the absurdist philosophy conveyed in the novel.
“It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed.”
Literary Device: Juxtaposition
Meursault’s response to his mother’s burial contrasts with societal expectations of grief.
The juxtaposition between something as significant as a funeral and the casual return to work emphasizes Meursault’s emotional detachment.
Effect/Purpose: This further emphasizes his alienation and his disconnect with conventional emotions, portraying how little impact these major life events have on him, a central idea in existentialism.
“A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so.”
Literary Device: Anti-romanticism
Camus uses anti-romanticism here, defying traditional ideas of love as meaningful or important.
Meursault dismisses the concept of love as something meaningless.
Effect/Purpose: This line highlights Meursault’s existential detachment and rejection of societal norms around relationships and emotions. It also contributes to his image as an outsider, unable or unwilling to attach importance to things that most people would value.
". . . One life was as good as another and I wasn’t dissatisfied with my life here at all.”
Literary Device: Equivocation
By equating all lives and expressing a lack of dissatisfaction, Meursault presents life as a neutral experience, emphasizing the absurdist belief that life is devoid of inherent meaning.
Effect/Purpose: This reflects the novel's theme of absurdism. Also reinforces Camus’ philosophy that humans must confront the absurdity of existence.
“I realized he was crying. For some reason I thought of Maman. But I had to get up early the next morning.”
Literary Device: Parataxis & Juxtaposition
Camus places clauses or phrases one after another without clear hierarchical connections, injecting Absurdism into writing style.
Meursault juxtaposes his reflection on his mother with the mundane concern of waking up early, highlighting a lack of emotional attachment.
Effect/Purpose: Emphasizes Meursault’s detachment from deeper emotions and human connections. It shows how he values routine over sentimentality, further reflecting how isolated he is.
". . . the day, already bright with sun, hit me like a slap in the face.”
Literary Device: Simile & Violent Diction
The simile compares the brightness of the sun to a physical blow, emphasizing the oppressive, almost violent force of nature in Meursault’s perspective.
The diction used here makes it seem like the sun is physically assaulting Meursault.
Effect/Purpose: This simile conveys the overwhelming force of the natural world, and how it is inherently arbitrary to human existence.
“It was the same sun, the same light still shining on the same sand as before. For two hours the day had stood still; for two hours it had been anchored in a sea of molten lead.”
Literary Device: Repetition, Alliteration, Metaphor
Repetition of the “same”, alliterates the ‘s’ sound, and emphasizes Meursault’s feeling of being weighed down by the oppressive heat.
Effect/Purpose: These 3 devices together enhance the idea of existential stagnation. Meursault’s inaction and the relentless heat symbolize his internal conflict before committing the murder.
“The sea carried up a thick fiery breath. It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire.”
Literary Device: Biblical Allusion
References the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Effect/Purpose: The allusion creates a sense of inevitable destruction, symbolizing Meursault’s overwhelming sense of doom. The hostile environment reflects his inner turmoil and the looming consequences of his actions.
“But by then I had gotten used to not smoking and it wasn’t a punishment anymore.”
Literary Device: Symbolism & Anaphoric Reference
Smoking, something Meursault enjoyed, symbolizes his freedom.
Meursault getting “used” to the idea of not doing it anymore, reflects his resignation to the constraints of his imprisonment.
Anaphoric reference because “you could get used to anything”.
Effect/Purpose: This symbolizes Meursault’s acceptance of his situation. It represents the novel’s existential theme of adapting to life’s restrictions without searching for meaning in them.
“On the one hand it wasn’t very likely. On the other, it was perfectly natural.”
Literary Device: Paradox
The statement suggests that an event can be both unlikely and natural.
Effect/Purpose: This paradox emphasizes the absurdity of life and that events are inherently contradictory and arbitrary.
“The two policemen took me into a small room that smelled of darkness.”
Literary Device: Foreshadowing
Camus foreshadows death by introducing the courthouse as smelling of darkness, which can reference the smell of dirt of a grave or coffin.
Effect/Purpose: Gives the reader a foreboding sense of dread for Meursault’s fate.
“For the first time in years, I had this stupid urge to cry, because I could feel how much all these people hated me.”
Literary Device: Irony
Meursault, who has been emotionally detached throughout the novel, suddenly feels the urge to cry, but not out of guilt for his crime, but because he senses the hatred directed toward him.
Effect/Purpose: This irony underscores Meursault’s alienation. He is not moved by remorse or love, but by the realization of his rejection by society. Additionally this is the only part of the book where Meursault does not deem a feeling as perfectly natural.
“For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.”
Literary Device: Situational Irony
A person does not expect to want to be hated.
Effect/Purpose: The desire for hate to “consummate” his life reflects his embrace of the absurd. His acceptance of his alienation completes his existential journey, finding some comfort in the acknowledgment of his separation from societal values.
Symbols/Motifs
“Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know.”
Symbol: Maman (Mother)
Meursault’s mother symbolizes societal expectations of family bonds, emotions, etc. His indifferent reaction to her death highlights his detachment from these values.
Significance: Maman represents the world of human connections that Meursault is detached from. His refusal to grieve or show conventional emotion symbolizes his break from societal norms, reinforcing the theme of existential indifference.
“She said, ‘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.’ She was right. There was no way out.”
Motif: The Sun
The recurring motif of the sun appears throughout the novel as an oppressive force that affects Meursault’s mood and decisions.
Significance: Meursault’s discomfort, especially caused by the sun, represents the uncontrollable aspects of life. This motif reinforces the novel’s absurdist themes by showing how random and external forces, rather than moral or logical reasons, influence human behavior.
". . . One life was as good as another and I wasn’t dissatisfied with my life here at all.”
Symbol: Life
Life symbolizes a random, arbitrary sequence of events. Meursault views one life as no better or worse than another, reflecting his belief in the fundamental absurdity and meaninglessness of existence.
Significance: Life, which is traditionally regarded as unique and valuable, becomes a symbol of absurdism. Meursault’s indifference to the quality or nature of life emphasizes the belief that life has no inherent purpose, and thus one experience is as valid as any other.
“The sea carried up a thick fiery breath. It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire.”
Motif: Nature’s Indifference
Nature is frequently portrayed as a force that is neither benevolent nor hostile. It simply exists, indifferent to human suffering.
Significance: This motif reinforces the idea of absurdism, which suggests that the universe is indifferent to human life. The chaotic imagery of the sea and sky reflects Meursault’s internal conflict, but also the overarching theme that nature functions independently of human concerns or moral structures.
“For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.”
Symbol: Society & Hate
The crowd symbolizes society, and the hatred represents society’s judgment of Meursault’s nonconformity. His desire for their hatred reflects his acceptance of his role as an outsider.
Significance: The crowd and their hatred serve as a final affirmation of Meursault’s alienation and rejection of societal norms. Rather than desiring forgiveness or sympathy, he embraces the hostility, fully accepting the absurdity of life and society’s expectations, thus achieving a form of existential freedom.