The Stranger: First Body Paragraph

Unconsciously mysterious and bland, Meursault keeps his personal life and sentiments a mystery to the reader for the majority of the book. By having an untrustworthy and dull “protagonist” to base an analysis on, the reader can make misjudged or misperceived conclusions and or statements about the book's context or the motives of its characters. I believe that if the readers were given a more engaged and captivating narrator to follow their perceptions and connections with the text would be drastically altered. They would be more insightful and understanding due to the depth and details one usually receives from a dynamic and involved protagonist. The sole glimpse of personal life we ever see is in the first half of the book when Maman suddenly dies. Initially surprising to the readers, Meursault seemed absolutely unaffected by the death of his mother. He was even seen dozing off during her vigil, which I personally find very disturbing. He never went through stages of denial or regret, things most people think comes naturally to anyone in morning, but then again he displayed nothing close to morning. Unbeknownst to us, Maman and Meursault had what some would consider an intimate and tight knit relationship. How can we assume he does not love his mother or care about her passing without sufficient anecdotes or personal insight of the matter?

Stranger Intro

A man of few words and many emotional detachments, Meursault, remains a stranger to the reader for much of the novel. After much analysis of Meursault's morality and decision making, I have come to the conclusion that we the readers are deprived from a truly informing experience due to Meursault's emotional and moral absence. We lack the essential inner knowledge of the protagonist, something most readers find as common place within a novel. By not knowing his motives, desires or perspective throughout much of the book we become the strangers to Meursault's strange and seemingly intricate life.

Essay Outline

Intro: A man of few words and many emotional detachments, Meursault, remains a stranger to the reader for much of the novel. After much analysis of Meursault's morality and decision making, I have come to the conclusion that we the readers are deprived from a truly informing experience due to Meursault's emotional and moral absence.

Paragraph one: Not even when faced with the death of his dear mother does Meursault demonstrate any form of sadness or denial. By not allowing the reader to see an emotional attachment, Meursault opens doors to misinformed judgment and criticism.

Paragraph two: The beach scene

The Stranger essay

After having seen Meursault in various situations most people would consider frighteningly immoral I have come to the conclusion that his lack of emotion and engagement with his surrounding peers has made his perception of the world a bit distorted and deprived of what actual human engagement and reality is. As the readers, we are left with missing pieces that should purposely make us find our own path to take when reading The Stranger. My question is "If Meursault were more engaging and emotionally captivated by his surroundings, would the story be told differently?"

Thesis: Meursault's lack of emotional and interest driven presence prevents the reader from truly experiencing everything that occurs to him in his life.

Translator's Note

                    As read in the Translator's note, the absence or lack of emotions, motives and even morality that Meursault demonstrates in The Stranger is more significant than it may appear to the reader. It is through this lack of presence and natural human tendencies that Camus invites us to put ourselves in Meursault's inner being and imagine what is is that makes him tick. By putting ourselves in the depths  of Meursault's conscious we are one step closer to getting to know the seemingly dry and absent Meursault for who he truly is. I personally have yet to have said discovery but I a staying optimistic. The closest thing I've seen to a moral compass was when Meursault was invited by Raymond to joking him at the whorehouse and refused. He had seemed so adamant about his friendship with Raymond that for a while it seemed impossible to have him say no.

The Stranger

                   Every author has his or her own writing style which portrays the story or concept they are trying to translate to the reader. While both Kafka and Conrad go into depth when describing the inner most feelings and sentiments of their protagonists, Camus seems to barely scratch the emotional surface that the complex Monsieur Meursault seems to hide from the world. After further analyzing, one can see can this style of disengagement and reservation as a reflection on Camus himself. Is he himself a man of few words and no real sentimental connections to anyone, not even his own mother? I see this as a complete polar opposite to Kafkah's writing style in Metamorphosis. In Metamorphosis,  the lack of attention and acknowledgement the main character receives from his family after his transformation is deeply affecting him. One can read the emotional thirst the poor Gregor feels through Kafkah's explicit use of a style full of want and longing.