The Stranger Theme Analysis

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Recommended: Analysis Camus's The Stranger

Themes appear in almost every form of literature. In Albert Camus’s The Stranger there are multiple different themes that could be interpreted. The theme that installs itself right when the book starts and stays relevant until the last page is isolation.

A scholarly recourse taken from Journal of Health and Social Behavior explains the indicators of social isolation including “living alone, having a small social network, infrequent participation in social activities, and feelings of loneliness” All of these except the last one are traits of Meursault. He lives alone, only has a few friends, and does not attend social activities.

Camus shows this theme very early. He establishes Meursault as an outsider in the first few pages of the book. …show more content…

When Raymond asks him if he wanted to be friends, Meursault accepts. This shows that when friendship is the easiest path, then he will follow it instead of the path of isolation.

Meursault is even isolated from the one woman in his life. This is proven by the way he answers to Marie when she asks him if he loves her and if he would like to get married to her. He replies to her with brutally honest answers. “she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so. (pg. 35)” and “Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to. (pg. 41)” prove this. Since his answer to getting married was a form of yes, you may think he has some attachment toward Marie, some type of emotion toward her. Later into their conversation he proves that thesis wrong. “She just wanted to know is I would have accepted the same proposal form another woman, with whom I was involved with the same way. I said, “sure.”” (pg. 42). From that we now understand that he would marry any girl that would want to marry him, probably because that would be the easiest …show more content…

As their conversation carried on, the magistrate started to become interested in Meursault, then offering to help him. He then started talking about Christianity. “He cut me off and urged me one last time, drawing himself up to his full height and asking me if I believed in God. I said no.” (pg. 69) This shows that Meursault isolates himself from God himself. This could be because being atheist is easier than being a Christian.

“He gave the policeman a warm handshake. I noticed then that everyone was waving and exchanging greetings and talking, as if they were in a club where people are glad to find themselves among others from the same world. That is how I explained to myself the strange impression I had of being odd man out, a kind of intruder.”(pg. 84). After reading that passage you now know that Meursault is less aware of his own isolation than the reader is.

When Meursault is in the court room, at one point he finally realizes how distant he actually is from normal society and how much they judged him it. “for the first time in years I had this stupid urge to cry, because I could feel how much all these people hated me.”(pg. 89-90). He starts to feel the force of condemnation against him, this starts to make him break down and feel an

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