The Stranger Albert Camus 1942

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The StrangerAlbert Camus1942

• English 12

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Setting

• Time Period Modern
• Locations Meursaults home in Alger, Algeria
  The old folks home in Marengo The Beach Jail
  cell.
• Social context Middle class.
• Takes place over a period of several years.

• Significance The setting plays an important role
  in Meursaults environment because the world
  around him affects his actions. He is very
  descriptive when speaking about his surroundings.
  

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Speaker

• The Speaker is Meursault
• The diction is very informal because the story is
  told from Meursaults point of view. The reader
  is exposed to Meursaults thoughts and feelings,
  and the fact that Meursault himself isnt very
  well spoken contributes to this effect.
• Camus uses Meursault to achieve his desired
  effect with Meursaults great attention to detail
  and the significance of physical influences. Also
  Meursaults indifference and lack of motivation.

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Repetition and Tone

• Repetition A repeated idea in the novel is the
  significance of heat and light
• Example When he shoots the Arab the sun is
  burning and shining intensely upon him, affecting
  his thoughts and judgment.

• Tone Through Meursaults character, Camus is
  making a statement about the ideas of
  existentialism and absurdism.
• As a result, the tone of the novel is very
  passive but also complex.

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Genre

• The genre of The Stranger is realistic fiction
  and also drama.
• It is realistic fiction because although it is
  not based on true events, the situations could
  logically occur.
• It is a dramatic piece of literature because
  there are aspects of suspense and confliction.

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Period

• It was written in the 1940s.
• During this time WWII was affecting Europe.
• In 1940, France surrendered to Nazi Germany, and
  Germany occupied 3/5 of Frances territory.
• Literary trends of the time included
  existentialism and personal freedom.

• As a result of the fight for power and shifts in
  government existentialism became a prevalent
  belief during Frances troubled times.

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Meursault can be compared to a dog in the fact
that he reacts mainly to physical influences and
rarely to emotional ones. He does not judge
strangers in the way that most humans would if a
stranger is kind to him, he is open to them.
But, if they pose a threat, his animal-like
instincts tell him to be cautious.
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Albert Camus

• He was born November 7, 1913 in Mondovi, Algeria.
• He experienced a poor childhood and suffered from
  tuberculosis.
• He was a member of the French Communist Party.
• In 1940 he married Francine Faure and had two
  children, Catherine and Jean.
• He didnt like the idea of marriage, but he loved
  his wife. He had several affairs.
• He supported the philosophy of Absurdism.
• The public often associated him with the idea of
  existentialism, but he rejected the label.
• He was a pacifist he disagreed with the idea of
  capital punishment.
• In 1949 he formed a Revolutionary Union Movement.
• In 1957, he received the Nobel Peace Prize in
  Literature.
• Albert Camus died January 4, 1960 in a car
  accident.

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Plot

• Meursaults mother dies, he attends her funeral
• He reunites with Marie
• He encounters Salamano and his mangy dog
• Meursault dines with Raymond and writes Raymonds
  letter
• Meursault and Marie witness Raymond abusing his
  girlfriend
• Meursault, Marie and Raymond go to the Massons
  beach house
• Conflict with the Arabs Meursault kills the
  Arabic man
• Meursault is arrested for murdering the Arab
• Meursault goes to jail
• Meursault meets with the magistrate and speak
  about religion
• Meursault is tried for his crime he is sentenced
  to death
• Meursault is visited by the chaplain, and
  proceeds to attack him
• In his final moments, Meursault accepts the fact
  that he must die and finally ponders his
  existence

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Literary Elements

• Characterization Because the readers are exposed
  to all of Meursaults thoughts, feelings and
  actions, his character is one of the most
  important aspects of the novel. That evening
  Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted
  to marry her. I said it didnt make any
  difference to me and that we could if she wanted
  to. Then she wanted to know if I loved her. I
  answered the same way I had the last time, that
  it didnt mean anything but that I probably
  didnt love her, (Camus 41). This excerpt
  reveals the indifference that characterizes
  Meursaults entire life, in all of his endeavors.
• Diction The fact that the novel is written as a
  constant stream of consciousness provides a very
  informal diction. Because we experience only
  what Meursault experiences limits our knowledge,
  creating a complex and puzzling effect. Maman
  died today. Or yesterday maybe, I dont know. I
  got a telegram from the home Mother deceased.
  Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours. That
  doesnt mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday,
  (Camus 3).
• Symbolism This novel is riddled with symbolism.
  An example of this symbolism is the nurse without
  a nose at the old peoples home I looked over
  at the nurse and saw that she had a bandage
  wrapped around her head just below the eyes.
  Where her nose should have been, the bandage was
  flat. All you could see of her face was the
  whiteness of the bandage, (Camus 7). This nurse
  represents the importance of emotional senses,
  while Meursault is the epitome of physical
  senses. In this way, the nurse is a foil to
  Meursault.

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Characters

• Meursault
• Maman
• Raymond
• Celeste
• The Director
• Caretaker
• Marie
• Arabs
• Masson
• Salamano

• Significant Relationships
• Meursault and Maries relationship is puzzling to
  the readers, for they enjoy each other's company,
  but their love is questionable. Marie is in love
  with Meursault, but Meursault doesnt express
  those types of feelings.
• Meursault and Raymonds relationship is somewhat
  superficial. They are friends, but there is no
  deep connection or understanding between them.
  Meursault simply conforms to what Raymond does
  and thinks, emphasizing Meursualts lack of
  conviction.
• Raymonds negative relationship with the Arabs
  leads to the conflicts faced by Meursault. Their
  issues cause the encounter between Meursault and
  the Arab at the beach, as well as the subsequent
  murder.

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Theme

• The overall theme of The Stranger relates to
  the ideas of Absurdism and Existentialism
  through Meursaults character Camus confronts the
  definition of existence and how life has no
  immediate purpose.