The Stranger

“What’s in a name?” goes the saying. Well, The Stranger is basically the story of Meursault. This French name means: “meurt + sot” or “meurt + sol”. Here, in this name lies the true message the novel conveys. Indeed, “meurt sot” literally means “dies stupidly” and “meurt sol” signifies “dies because of the sun”.

Secondly, the title “The Stranger” aptly qualifies Meursault. Indeed, Meursault is a strange character. He is a nonconformist and reacts to situations and events in the most unusual way. He is more an “alien” than a “stranger”. Essentially, he is disconcertingly indifferent and totally devoid of human emotions. During his trial, the prosecutor calls him a “soul-less and heartless personage”. An egocentric, he is eminently sensual and indulges in whatever provides him with pleasure. Either he is excessively naïve or he simply ignores — and hence flouts — society’s sacrosanct rules. Whatever the case, society will exact retribution.

Right at the outset, Meursault learns about his mother’s death in an old people’s home. Neither does he know the exact day she passed away nor does he recall her age! His mother’s death and the ensuing funeral ceremony seem to cause an undesirable disruption in his daily and eventless routine. He wishes everything was over so he could resume his office worker’s routine. During the vigil, he refuses to take a last look at the corpse, shares a cigarette with the caretaker, helps himself to a cup of coffee with milk and plunges into a sweet slumber. He doesn’t shed a single tear while an old inmate, Thomas Perez, is profoundly moved, drags himself behind the bier and nearly collapses during the funeral.

On the next day, Meursault haphazardly meets Marie Cardona on the beach. Marie was once a colleague of his whom he had desired. Renewing their relationship, they take an erotic bath in the warm water, go to the movies to watch a comedy , then have sex at Meursault’s place!

A “character” whose role is determining is the Fatum. With the coming of Marie on the scene, Fate’s invisible hand has begun to actively lead Meursault to his end.

Another person Fate places on his way is Raymond Sintes, a dangerous individual involved in immoral and illegal activities. He invites Meursault to share a meal, then asks him to write a letter for him. Another character trait of Meursault is his passivity. His leitmotif is “I don’t care”. He, therefore, accepts to write the letter addressed to an Arab woman, Raymond’s former mistress. Because of her infidelity, Raymond invites her to make love, then he will spit into her face and send her away with blows. Such a letter is bound to get Raymond into trouble. And Meursault stupidly embarks on that project!

Once the sadistic scheme has been carried out, the woman’s brother and a group of Arabs are on the lookout for Raymond. Quite naturally, Meursault finds himself in the middle of the turbulence. Invited by one Masson, Raymond, Marie and Meursault are hounded by the Arabs. To prevent Raymond from using his revolver, Meursault takes it and keeps it safely in his own pocket. Or so he thinks.

After lunch, Meursault goes for a lonely walk on the beach. Another “character” worth mentioning in the novel is the sun! Indeed, the sun is omnipresent. As the critical moment draws near, the heat rises to a climax. Meursault encounters one of the Arabs just when the sun is at its zenith. The Arab walks towards him, brandishing a knife. Remembering the revolver in his pocket, Meursault draws it out to scare away the Arab. Now occurs a strange combination of circumstances: the heat, the glare, sweat blinding him and the reflection of the sun rays on the knife all contribute to send Merursault into a daze: a bullet goes off and the Arab drops dead. Then, contrary to all expectations, Meursault fires four more bullets into the corpse!

Arrested, Meursault is questioned about his relationship with his late mother, his behaviour at the vigil and during the funeral, his relationship with Marie and Raymond. Little did he know that all that was going to weigh heavily in the balance of Justice! In fact, his interrogation centres more around his reprehensible behaviour following his mother’s death than around the murder. When the defence counsel points out this malpractice, the witty prosecutor retorts: “Your honour, I accuse this man of having buried his mother with a criminal’s heart”.

The Stranger is also a denunciation of the inhumane conditions prevailing in jails. Cells are narrow and ill-ventilated. But worse are the monotony and boredom that sap one’s state of mind.

Meursault’s trial also exposes the many flaws in the judiciary system. It is biased: the defence counsel is no match for the prosecutor and the witnesses have been so handpicked as to have Meursault framed. The few ones who intend to testify in his favour are not given proper time and freedom to speak.

Meursault being an atheist, two persons try desperately to save his soul by persuading him to repent: the examining magistrate and the prison chaplain. But Meursault explodes and throws the poor chaplain out. For him, none of the chaplain’s religious convictions is worth a single strand of woman’s hair!

Endowed with such a character, manifesting such a behaviour and upholding such beliefs, Meursault becomes an apt candidate for execution.