The Stranger By Albert Camus: Literary Analysis

Some men have gone insane trying to comprehend the universe and their own existence. The Stranger by profound author Albert Camus follows a man detached from existence, just going through the motions of life. Camus wanted to share his take on life through a piece of literature, he accomplished this through this book.. Written in 1942, The Stranger is an odd tale that puts life in a different perspective, and invokes thought.. The Stranger by Albert Camus illustrates the journey of a man named Meursault who ultimately learns that life is all there is and that religion is false hope. When Meursault receives a telegram that says his mother has passed and the funeral is tomorrow, he simply tries to figure out what day the telegram was sent (Camus 1). As Meursault thinks of returning to work the following day, he thinks that “nothing has changed,” regardless of losing his mother (Camus 17). He does not think human life is equivalent or meaningful, Meursault is without empathy. When Meursault is talking about his neighbor’s dog, he compares it to his neighbor’s wife by saying

Meursault quickly moves on from her passing but this conflict is essential to the start of the novel. Meursault also faces the internal battle of facing his own death. After days of waiting and trying to escape, Meursault finally accepts his death, in fact he is excited (Camus 75). He actually makes the decision to yell at the chaplain, “with cries of anger and cries of joy” (Camus 74). Meursault widely changes from cut off and alone to wanting a “large crowd of spectators” for his execution. Externally however, Meursault fights the arabs physically; and Meursault fights with nature. The nurse mentions to Meursault that “‘If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a sweat and then catch a chill inside the church.’” The sun ultimately brings the fall of Meursault for being warm enough that he commits