Essay On Meursault In The Stranger

Meursault, in The Stranger, as the protagonist, is shown to lack a sense of morality from the inception of the novel. He performs many acts that are frowned upon and is depicted to have very few, if any, ethical guidelines to bind him by his actions. In short, he is free of any of the rules and guidelines society has set until it comes back to eventually bite him in the form of a jail sentence. This moral ambiguity and lack of guidance causes Meursault to be castigated by society and deemed as a threat, if not .

From the beginning of the novel, the reader is presented with the fact that Meursault’s mother has just died. Meursault, who has just been told this, proceeds to tell his irritated employer and then asks for a leave in order to arrive to his mother’s final resting place. Upon arrival, however, all Meursault does is fall asleep. He lacks the empathy to even cry tears and is seemingly unfazed by the situation as a whole. When a person himself is unable to feel the pain that arrives with losing his or her kin, let alone his or her closest family member, one must wonder if the person is truly sane or even contains the notion

When Raymond, whom Meursault seems to not be close with, asks for Meursault’s assistance in the assault of his girlfriend since she has just had an affair, Meursault obliges without a qualm. He fails to question if beating a woman (or anyone, for that matter) is a justifiable punishment for cheating. He does not question what could happen if he assists in a case of battery. Instead, Meursault simply sees it as a companion requesting for assistance. Raymond and Meursault continue this with Meursault’s murder of the Arab, which would have ceased to occur if not for the existence of Raymond. With the disappearance of Raymond and the Sun blinding his eyes, Meursault shoots the Arab man. He yet again fails to see what he could face due to his actions and simply performs