The Stranger Perspective

1004 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on the novel Stranger by Albert Camus

The Stranger by Albert Camus constructs the book to a unique and new interpretive perspective. Having the story develop in first person perspective advances the story in a new way that could not be seen without the first person perspective. The stranger without the first person perspective portrays Meursault’s life in a particular view that does not show the whole story of what is surrounding Meursault throughout his life. The decisions, and plot developments would not reflect who Meursault truly is, if the first person perspective was not present in The Stranger. An illustration of applying first person perspective in Meursault’s life would present who truly Meursault is as a person. Discovering the ideas, life choices as who Meursault …show more content…

Understanding that Camus allows Meursault to express the thoughts through his mind to explain his personal belief on what is right from wrong in the book. Interpreting and understanding Meursault we can clearly see that Meursault is rather indifferent and detached from life. Using first person Meursault is clearer to read and understand as a person, taking life as it comes and not worrying about emotions, and relationships with those around Meursault. Becoming friends with Raymond and marrying Marie, we can visualize due to first person as to how little remorse Meursault has for the decisions taken in The Stranger. In first person Meursault shows how indifferent and detached he is with the decisions taken by Meursault. Meursault answers Marie very bluntly and is brutally honest when asked about love; “A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so. She looked sad.” (Camus 35). Meursault does not understand the emotional side to Marie’s question. Detached from life brings the discovery personally for Meursault of how meaningless human life truly is. Throughout the story with the first person perspective the concept of how detached Meursault truly is, is discovered and explained as Meursault evaluates life as it develops throughout the story. Examples such as marrying Marie because there is not any reason present not to exemplifies how simple …show more content…

Without the first person perspective The Stranger is a very challenging story to comprehend, and does not give key into the thoughts and ideas of Meursault. If first person was not present throughout the story, Meursault and the decisions made by him would not be comprehended, nor would be taken into consideration into why Meursault takes the actions he does and interacts the way Meursault does. First person is a vital part for story development, character introduction and development. The story would not conclude the way it does as well, and it would not end in knowing what happens next to Meursault, for the story is based from his first person perspective. Overall first person perspective is an important part to the story and how the story

Show More
Related

  • Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): Parallels Within

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    Part I of The Stranger begins with Meursault's attendance at his mother's funeral. It ends with Meursault on the beach at Algiers killing a man. Part II is concerned with Meursault's trial for that same murder, his ultimate sentencing to death and the mental anguish that he experiences as a result of this sentence. Several curious parallels emerge here, especially with regard to Meursault's perception of the world.

    Read More

  • Motif of Violence in The Stranger by Albert Camus

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    Every character that revolves around Meursault seems to be in direct contrast to him. Meursault is an amoral person who does not seem to care passionately about anything. He acts in accordance with physical desires. In other words, Meursault is a sensualist person. At this particular time in his life, his path crosses with his neighbor, Raymond, who feels as though his girlfriend is cheating on him. He decides to take revenge with minor aid form Meursault. Meursault helps him only because he thinks he has nothing to lose if he does. As things lead into one another, the first major violent act of the book is committed.

    Read More

  • The Stranger: Changes in Meursault

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...iod when Camus writes this novel. Camus obviously knew the time period and explored different ideas and philosophies about pointless of life in people which comes out in his character, Meursault. In prison Meursualt also realizes that he’s trapped, and there’s no way out as he remembers what the nurse once said to him. His growth in self reflection results in unimportance of emotional values of life and help focus what’s directly ahead of him. This significant change results him in understanding himself and his voice, and figuring out his capabilities and philosophies. Time spent in prison helps Meursault finally understands himself, the meaninglessness of life, and the unimportance of time which shows the shift in the character after sent to prison.

    Read More

  • Maman’s Funeral Characterises Meursault And the World of The Stranger

    1659 Words  | 4 Pages

    Camus starts the beginning of his novel by stating the death of the narrator’s mother through a first person point of view. Meursault, the protagonist and narrator of the novel, begins by contemplating the day of his mother’s death and is unable t...

    Read More

  • Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): The Gentle Meursault

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Albert Camus’s The Stranger, Meursault, the protagonist, could be seen as immoral if he were judged on the basis of his actions alone. However, through Camus’s use of a first person narrative, we begin to understand Meursault as not an immoral man, but simply an indifferent one. Meursault is a symbol of the universe, and so in understanding him we understand that the universe is also not evil, but instead a place of gentle indifference.

    Read More

  • The Stranger Injustice Analysis

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    Albert Camus’ The Stranger offers one man’s incite into the justice of society. Monsieur Meursault, the main protagonist in the novel, believes that morals and the concept of right and wrong possess no importance. This idea influences him to act distinctively in situations that require emotion and just decision, including feeling sadness over his mother’s death, the abuse of a woman, and his killing of an innocent man. In these situations Meursault apathetically devoids himself of all emotion and abstains from dealing with the reality in front of him. When confronted by the court over his murder, he reiterates his habitual motto on life that nothing matters anyways, so why care? His uncaring response inflames the people working within the

    Read More

  • Existentialism And Symbolism In The Stranger By Albert Camus

    1438 Words  | 3 Pages

    Albert Camus is a skillful writer noted for showing aspects of culture and society through the depiction of his characters. In The Stranger, Camus illustrates the existentialism culture and how that comes into play in the life of the protagonist Meursault. The Stranger, as suggested by the title, is a novel revolving around the protagonist, Meursault, who is a stranger to the French-Algerian society as he challenges its values. Camus vividly portrays Meursault’s journey through the use of imagery, irony, and symbolism. In The Stranger, Albert Camus uses the minor character, Raymond Sintes, to illustrate the contrasting nature of Meursault and how his friendship with Raymond leads to his downfall.

    Read More

  • The Czechoslovakian Man and Meursault in The Stranger, by Albert Camus

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    Firstly, Camus juxtaposes the stories of Meursault and the Czechoslovakian man to create a presage of the denouement of Meursault. The Czechoslovakian man undergoes major life changes, and this ultimately leads to his demise. He goes to make a better life for himself, and he returns to his village with riches in wealth and in family. Unrecognizable to them, the Czechoslovakian man returns to his mother and sister, and he decides to play a simple joke “of taking a room” and “he had shown off his money” (80). This trick ends when “during the night his mother and sister had beaten him to death…in order to rob him” (80). The Czechoslovakian man’s newfound courage results in obstinacy. Contrastingly, until Meursault commits his crime of murder, his life appears nearly painfully simple. ...

    Read More

  • The Stranger by Albert Camus

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    Albert Camus has his own toolbox of literary devices when it comes to accentuating the theme of The Stranger, one of them being his unique sense and use of secondary characters. Whether major or minor, every character in the book serves a purpose, and corroborates the theme in some form of fashion. Camus describes his secondary characters as foiling Meursault in one aspect or another, and thus, shining light on Meursault’s characteristics. Whether through close connections like familial relationships (Maman) and friendships (Salamano, Raymond, and Marie), or through bonds as distant as people he briefly converses with (Chaplain), or even so much as complete strangers (Perez and unidentified lady at the restaurant), characters that Meursault encounters foil and therefore, emphasize many aspects of his nature. Furthermore, because Meursault aptly embodies Camus’s ideology of Absurdism, emphasizing Meursault through secondary characteristics simply highlights Camus’ doctrine and theme of the book.

    Read More

  • The Stranger and The Guest

    1889 Words  | 4 Pages

    Meursault and Daru are both “strangers” because they are not able to understand the other characters, which are each indirectly associated with an aspect of society. Camus uses the actions and words of seemingly unimportant characters to allude to the shortcomings of society. In both texts the protagonists view the other characters in the story from an outsider view, allowing for a new perspective in which society and its problems can be assessed. By making the protagonists detached from society, the underlying issues within society can be explored from an objective viewpoint.

    Read More

  • Comparing Existentialist Values in The Metamorphosis and The Stranger (The Outsider)

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...immediately gives an impression of a lack of emotion towards the demise of his mother. This lack of emotion highlights the existentialist ideal that we all die, so it doesn't matter what life we have while we are alive. We simply exist, as did Meursault. It becomes apparent, as the novella unfolds, that Meursault has acquired an animal like indifference towards society. His interactions with his neighbour Raymond are an example of his indifferences. It never dawns upon Meursault that society does not condone his interactions with the pimp, avoided by his community. Meursault simply acts to fill his time. Being a single man, he has a lot of time to fill, and finds the weekends passing particularly slowly.

    Read More

  • Meursault as Sisyphus in Albert Camus',The Stranger

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    “But from the moment he knows, his tragedy begins.” Meursault is not unlike Sisyphus. In the novel, The Stranger, by Albert Camus, we watch this character change from a carefree man who loves being alive and free to a man who is imprisoned for a meaningless murder he commits but who eventually finds happiness in his fate.

    Read More

  • The Insignificance of Women in Camus’ The Stranger

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...things, the purpose of women remains purely materialistic: to serve and satisfy others and Meursault’s superficial relationships represent this. While Marie truly loved and longed to be with Meursault after their meeting, Meursault did not share the same romantic aura. While he did want a woman’s presence, Meursault did not love Marie past that, just a woman. Not only that, but Maman, while she is a cornerstone in Meursault’s life due to her passing and role during the trial as well, she herself lacks purpose, other than dying. Each one of these points lead us to Camus’ portrayal of women as ultimately unnecessary in the book and only aid in assisting as the catalysts which push the male roles and the main character Meursault, further along throughout the story.

    Read More

  • Absurdity: An Essay On The Stranger

    663 Words  | 2 Pages

    Within the Stranger, Albert Camus brought up many questions and a few answers. He created an outsider to society and showed us how he lived, Meursault.

    Read More

  • The Character of Meursault in The Stranger (The Outsider)

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    Camus writes in a simple, direct, and uncomplicated style. The choice of language serves well to convey the thoughts of Meursault. The story is told in the first person and traces the development of the narrator's attitude toward himself and the rest of the world. Through this sort of simple grammatical structure, Camus gives the reader the opportunity to become part of the awareness of Meursault. In Part I, what Meursault decides to mention are just concrete facts. He describes objects and people, but makes no attempt to analyze them. Since he makes no effort to analyze things around him, that job is given to the reader. The reader therefore creates his own meaning for Meursault's actions. When he is forced to confront his past and reflect on his experiences, he attempts to understand the reasons for existence. At first, Meursault makes references to his inability to understand what's happening around him, but often what he tells us seems the result of his own indifference or detachment. He is frequently inattentive to his surroundings. His mind wanders in the middle of conversations. Rarely does he make judgments or express opinions about what he or other characters are doing. Meursault walks through life largely unaware of the effect of his actions on others.

    Read More

More about The Stranger Perspective

Open Document