Literary Analysis: The Stranger

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From the very first chapter, Meursault was extremely dismissive about his mother’s death and was quick to clear himself the blame from his boss. Directly, he comes into contact with the director of the elderly home. Meursault’s sentences are concise and spoken in a manner that is almost unconscious. His reaction to the present world is one that is muffled and suppressed.

After talking with the caretaker, Meursault emerges from the mortuary. The caretaker had asked him if he was hungry, by which Meursault answered: “But I wasn’t hungry,” and “I drank the coffee.” These sentences are simple sentences with no hanging participles or phrases. Reading about his condition, readers are seeing a slide-show (fragmented) more than a scene (fluid motion). When the elderly women (Maman’s friends) greeted Meursault, Meursault had a great sense of drowsiness and pain. Meursault’s senses are concentrated on his miseries and agitations: “I didn’t feel drowsy anymore, but I was tired and my back was hurting me.”

Meursault has a great distaste for curious people and especially when he would have to talk to them and answer their questions.

Meursault had been nonchalant toward his mother, and he does not even know her age. At the end of chapter 2, Marie had left him and his mother had also left the world. Meursault does not experience any sentiments toward loss or grief nor great happiness from his mother and Marie, respectively. Because Meursault had been an independent agent from the very beginning, the passing of time and friends have miniscule effect on him.

Such is a cry from an existentialist. 

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