The Stranger by Albert Camus - Analysis

I recently read this novel by Albert Camus, a Nobel laureate for Literature. The novel tells the story of a young man named Meursault, a queer fellow whose detachment from the outside world paves the way for his undoing. The story narrated in the first person by Meursault gives the readers the complete picture of his psyche of which others are ignorant. Yet we are still unsure about his rationale behind the shooting the Arab against whom he doesn't have any personal enmity. Another bewildering fact is his shooting him four times. We don't know if this cruel act is done unintentionally due to the extreme heat of the day. These questions still remain.

His indifference or we can say pragmatism, especially in dealing with the events after her mother's demise carves his destiny later. Before her death, she lived in an Old Age Home. Although Meursault had a job and enough space to keep her with him but as he is a young man, it is difficult to hold a conversation with her. It is revealed that they barely had any conversations, moreover, it is also mentioned that he can't afford to keep her. This doesn't make any sense to me because he wasn't spending his life in penury as he had quite a good time with his girlfriend, Marie. They regularly went to the beach and movies. Anyways, this was one of the reason.

Before her funeral, he showed no interest in seeing his mother's face for the last time. It was quite odd with the people around when they noticed it, they took it for his heartlessness but we know that he loved her but it doesn't make sense to him to watch his mother face. Perhaps, he didn't want to see it because it might make him emotional and break him from inside. It could be a reason but we are not sure. But the society notes these details and this fact worked as an evidence against his conviction as the Public Prosecutor brings Jury's attention to his, again and again, to make his "indecent" character to demand a harsh punishment in which he became successful. His ignorance of his mother's age upon her death is also taken as a point against him

This novel as it is famous for dealing with the philosophy of Existentialism which, in a sentence, "emphasizes that the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will." In the novel too, Meursault remains detached and his passive nature to life. But it is worth noting that he doesn't want to die and still wishes the support of others as when Celeste speaks in the court in Meursault's favour and his words really touch him and he thinks:

"I didn't say anything, or make any movement, but for the first time in my life I wanted to kiss a man."

He doesn't take the marriage proposal of Marie seriously, in fact, it doesn't mean anything to him. He leaves this thing to her. He says:

"I explained that it had no importance really, but if it would give her pleasure, we could get married right away."

Another thing to note is his reluctance to show, let alone a false display of regret or penance, his official record too holds no regret. In spite of doing an inhuman deed, he himself said it "I had to own that he was right; I didn't feel much regret for what I'd done". But in the subsequent lines he says:

"I’d have liked to have a chance of explaining to him, in a quite friendly, almost affectionate way, that I have never been able really to regret anything in all my life. I’ve always been far too much absorbed in the present moment, or the immediate future, to think back. Of course, in the position into which I had been forced, there was no question of my speaking to anyone in that tone. I hadn’t the right to show any friendly feeling or possess good intentions. And I tried to follow what came next, as the Prosecutor was now considering what he called my 'soul.'"

The above lines sum up the explanation for his oddities which are used by others to declare him ruthless. Like it is said to live in the present and he is doing the same thing yet he is being accused to not live in the past! He cares nothing in life except Marie. But while in prison, he remains content in his thoughts and imagination. Before his execution, he certainly lost hope for being with Marie and wonders if it would not matter if Marie is with another man.

His indifference and reluctance to meet the Chaplain before his looming execution evokes the Priest interest and he comes to meet him. The priest's attempt to "convert" him to Theism failed but it arouses Meursault's outburst and he channelizes his suppressed anger onto him. This relieves him and he begins to ponder about start over. He recalls his mother's intimate friendship with an old man at Home. This gives rise to hopefulness in spite of his evident death. But in the end, he feels positive and cheerful.