Essay About Albert Camus And Meursault Carries

Apathy in “the Stranger”
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Albert Camus The Stranger revolves around Meursault, a completely apathetic
French man trapped in the meaningless of life. Meursault carries on through life
seemingly without any purpose or motivation, and he is immediately characterized by
his insensitivity and indifference towards everything around him. The literary devices
that Camus applies to The Stranger heavily contribute to the novels disturbing nature
and its lasting influence.
Camus devises extremely detailed descriptions in The Stranger, yet refrains
from implementing complex vocabulary at the same time. Although Meursaults
observations often become lengthy, the language never becomes flowery. For example,
when Meursault thinks, “From where I was I had glimpses of the soft curve of her
breasts, and her underlip had the little pout that always fascinated me.” Directly
afterwards, he says, “She appeared very nervous.” Unless he is talking about physical
appearances, Meursault seems to put in minimal effort to describe anything around him.
Short, simple sentences flood The Stranger. For instance, Meursault says, “I drank the
coffee, and then I wanted a cigarette.I offered the keeper, a cigarette, and we both
smoked.” (pg. 11) The sentences lack any flowery vocabulary and make sure to stay
directly to the point. These staccato lines seem to represent Meursaults indifference
towards himself and others
Symbolism comes into play quite often in The Stranger. For instance,
Meursault observes the sun frequently throughout the novel. It initially annoys
Meursault at the funeral of his mother, and he calls its presence “inhuman”
and “discouraging” (page 11). During the funeral, the undertakers man asks Meursault
conversationally, “Suns pretty bad today, aint it?” to which he answers, “Yes. The
sun seems to correlate