REVIEW

Upon first impression, Monsieur Meursault seems to have the emotional intelligence of a brute. To the ‘social’ and ‘normal’ man, the events Monsieur experiences would spark feelings or sentiments; however, these visceral abstractions appear lost to him due to his shortsighted nature. Most humans, on a molecular and sometimes supernatural level, believe that events and feelings are directly proportional. To negate this theory, Camus uses this novel to challenge social norms and the rationality of the universe as we, the majority, know it. Between each page of The Stranger lingers a simple and superficial state of being in this first-person narrative that presents Monsieur as lackluster, flat, and illusory to his audience.  

“My mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.”

Camus has a very strategic and artful way of thoroughly portraying nihilism through Monsieur by creating a character that, over time, suggests living in the present moment; no before, no after, just now. The seemingly unaware and disengaged young man suddenly goes into profound monologues about the sunset, a woman, the water, the heat. His observations are purely physical and so detailed that it’s as if the experience were your own. Marriage? Friendship? Relationships? Life? Death? Decisions? These ideas are meaningless to him, and his ignorance creates a unique bliss that one can only experience as an individual. Why do any of these things matter if the only thing promised in life is death? 

“But everybody knows life isn’t worth living. Deep down I knew perfectly well that it doesn’t much matter whether you die at thirty or at seventy, since in either case other men and women will naturally go on living—and for thousands of years. In fact, nothing could be clearer. Whether it was now or twenty years from now, I would still be the one dying. ”

Absurdism: a philosophy based on the belief that the universe is irrational and meaningless and that the search for order brings the individual into conflict with the universe (Source) 

Most human beings define the quality of their life by the choices they make. This is a basic statement of philosophical reason and one that Monsieur doesn’t live by. The day that he currently occupies is the only day that matters. This leads him to make irrational, chaotic choices that readers can’t help but look for reasoning because that creates order among our species. What if it all meant nothing? 

Unorthodox and intriguing, Camus explores relationships and events under the scope of absurdism. His attempt at storytelling is deemed triumphant and truly leaves the reader with a clear and shiny mirror!

★★★★

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