The Stranger 247Existentialism is often seen as going together with
absurdism, but Camus held that The Stranger was
not an existentialist novel; he was investigating
what he called “the nakedness of man faced with
the absurd.”
The Stranger is told in two parts. In the first
part, Meursault describes the death of his mother,
his relationships, and the events that result in him
murdering an Arab man on the beach. In the second
part, Meursault is in prison, where he meets with
attorneys and, later, a chaplain. The trial takes place
in part 2, and after the verdict is read, Meursault
reflects on his life and awaits the day he will be
executed.
Chris Lessick
deatH in The Stranger
Albert Camus’s The Stranger highlights the theme of
death in a unique way. Meursault first deals with the
death of his mother, followed by his murdering an
Arab man, and finally his own impending death by
the guillotine. Near the end of the novel, he states,
“Since we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when
and how don’t matter,” which clearly illustrates that
he recognizes death as nothing more than what
happens at the end of life, a perspective that differs
greatly from the common response and reaction to
death.
Upon receiving the news of his mother’s death,
Meursault’s thoughts indicate that it’s more of a
hassle than a tragedy, as he must ask for time off
from work to attend the funeral. When he tells his
boss, “It’s not my fault,” it is easily seen how his
response to death is different from most people’s.
Later, he wants to have a cigarette, but he says, “I
hesitated, because I didn’t know if I could do it with
Maman right there. I thought about it; it didn’t mat-
ter.” Obviously, Meursault does not seem to think
anything substantial about death, as he decides that
it does not matter if he smokes while holding vigil
over his mother’s dead body.
The rest of the vigil goes much the same way,
with Meursault unappreciative of death’s signifi-
cance. As a woman who claimed his mother was
her only friend finally stops crying, his words are,
“Then she finally shut up,” which clearly illustrates
his insensitivity. Even during the funeral service the
next morning, the only thing that has any impact at
all on Meursault is the heat he continually mentions,
but nothing about burying his mother. As chapter 2
ends, he simply says, “It occurred to me that anyway
one more Sunday was over, that Maman was bur-
ied now... and that, really, nothing had changed,”
showing that he hardly recognizes any meaning or
importance in death.
At the climax of the story, Meursault expresses
his indifference to death again as he takes the life of
an Arab. Though he is detached from any emotion
toward death, it does not excuse his action, and he
later blames the sun for why he does it. As he states
that “it was like knocking four quick times on the
door of unhappiness,” he seems to understand the
implications of what he has done. Yet at the same
time, firing four more shots indicates a total lack of
feeling.
Part 2 of the book revolves around the trial,
and much of it illustrates Meursault’s perspective
on death, in that only at brief moments does he
understand or appreciate the fact that he is the one
on trial. When he is first arrested, he does not even
understand the intimidation he exercises when he
is put into a cell with Arabs who laugh at him and
ask what he is in for: “I said I’d killed an Arab and
they were all silent.” Again, even here, death seems
to matter so little to him that he is able to admit to
other Arabs that he killed one. Right before the trial,
a policeman asks if he has “jitters,” and he responds
“that, in a way, [he] was interested in seeing a trial,”
which underscores the fact that he has still made no
meaningful connection between the murder that he
has committed and his own life.
Not until the very end of the novel does Meur-
sault finally come to a generally acceptable conclu-
sion regarding death. Once he is certain that he will
die by the guillotine, he considers that “Since we’re
all going to die... I had to accept the rejection of
my appeal.” Here he is finally able to relate his true
thoughts about death—its inevitability and there-
fore the futility of sorrow. In the novel’s final pages,
he understands that when his mother was nearing
death, she was “ready to live it all again,” and that
he, too, “felt ready to live it all again.” The Meursault
who may be set beneath the guillotine’s blade the
very next morning has perhaps come to fear death,