- 03 Apr, 2021
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The Stranger
In his novel The Stranger
1
, Albert Camus gives expression to his philosophy
of the absurd. The novel is a first-person account of the life of M. Meursault from
the time of his mother’s death up to a time evidently just before his execution for
the murder of an Arab. The central theme is that the significance of human life is
understood only in light of mortality, or the fact of death; and in showing
Meursault’s consciousness change through the course of events, Camus shows how
facing the possibility of death does have an effect on one’s perception of life.
The novel begins with the death of Meursault’s mother. Although he attends
the funeral, he does not request to see the body, though he finds it interesting to
think about the effects of heat and humidity on the rate of a body’s decay (8). It is
evident that he is almost totally unaffected by his mother’s death – nothing changes
in his life. In other words, her death has little or no real significance for him. When
he hears Salamano, a neighbor, weeping over his lost dog (which has evidently
died), Meursault thinks of his mother – but he is unaware of the association his
mind has made. In fact, he chooses not to dwell on the matter but goes to sleep
instead (50)