The worldview held by Meursault in Albert Caumus’ The Stranger is aptly one of the strangest ways of life that I have read all semester – quite the feat when one of my novels, The Road, describes the lives of a father and son traveling through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Early in the novel, Meursault appears to view and react to life apathetically, making no real decisions and having no real emotions, even over the death of his own mother. This path defines Meursault for nearly the first half of the novel, and even the climax of the story, Meursault’s murder of the Arab, appears an empty and meaningless act, undertaken almost nonchalantly – and certainly without remorse.
But as Meursault is tried for his crimes in the second half of the novel, Camus begins to reveal an entirely different side of Meursault. To say a change comes over Meursault I think would be false; instead, the second half of the novel provides some insight into the motivations and the inner workings. No longer does Meursault appear the careless perpetrator of a murderer, but a helpless man – controlled by a social machine and pushed to his destruction by a harsh universe. Meursault does nothing because he has no power to do anything else; he is a spectator to an absurd game that determines his fate. This change in depiction, at least for me, although far from making me like Meursault or his actions, led me to feel a sense of pity for his condition, and somewhat distraught over the apparent injustice of the situation.
Despite this change of opinion, Meursault’s fate is sealed; Meursault’s acceptance of this fact in the final chapter provides some of the most powerful moments of the novel. One line that particularly stuck out to me was when, remarking on his imminent execution, Meursault states, “Deep down, I knew perfectly well that it doesn’t matter whether you die at thirty or seventy – whether it was now or twenty years from now, I would still be the one dying.” Although there are doctrines of existentialism and thoughts that Camus relates that I strongly disagree with, this quote resonates with me. A sense of carpe diem gives this dismal section a somewhat hopeful air, and Meursault’s acceptance of this grim reality gives him a freedom that cannot be conquered even in death.
I think that this is where the power of The Stranger lies. Although I don’t necessarily agree with existentialism, this book is interesting and compelling, and makes a fascinating argument for the existentialist world view.
