Stranger by Albert Camus. Specifically

¶ … Stranger" by Albert Camus. Specifically it will discuss a theme in the book using imagery and symbolism. Camus' work has been called a work of absurdist fiction, in that Camus is attempting to illustrate the absurdity of life with his work. Ultimately, the theme of his work is that human life has no meaning, and that all of us will live, die, and the world will continue on without us. His dark and brooding character, Meursault, is the epitome of this meaningless existence, because Meursault is a cold, infinitely unlikable character with little to make him sympathetic or endearing.

The book opens with Meursault traveling to attend his mother's funeral, where he shows no emotion, which sets the theme for the novel. Meursault is utterly selfish and cares only about himself, leading the reader to find him unsympathetic and annoying. He feels no remorse or sadness at her passing, and instead, notices inconsequential details about her friends who mourn for hers, such as their "big paunches" (Camus 10) and the details of their dress and manner. In fact, he does not even know how old his own mother is at the time of her death (Camus 19), which only adds to his disassociation and unsympathetic character. His life is made up only of his own observations and desires, which makes him extremely undesirable to everyone else. The author creates him this way to indicate just how useless he is, and how he is meaningless and inconsequential to those around him, because of his callous disregard for anyone but himself. This theme continues throughout the novel, following Meursault through equally meaningless relationships and situations, until the culmination of the work.

From the beginning, it is clear that Meursault is not like most "normal" people. His only thought at the end of his mother's funeral, a time that would be emotional and heart wrenching for most people is "I pictured myself going straight to bed and sleeping twelve hours at a stretch" (Camus 22). He does not feel sorry for himself in losing a parent, or sorry for his mother or her friends, he only thinks of his own comfort and pleasure, another hint that he is callous and unfeeling. It is the same when the underlying current of meaninglessness in this novel revolves around religion and Meursault's rejection of it. That symbol comes early in the book, first with his rejection of his mother's funeral, and later after he sleep with Marie. He thinks to himself, "I remembered it was a Sunday, and that put me off; I've never cared for Sundays" (Camus 25). Immediately the reader understands there is something very different about his man, who shows little emotion, rejects religion, and seems to have no deep feelings about anything or anyone. He is a stranger to the reader, for it is difficult to see if anything means anything to him, and he is a stranger as well, because his life throughout the book seems to be so empty and meaningless, which the underlying theme of the novel is of course.

Meursault is also a great window on society of the time, because he is a great witness to what is happening around him. He spends an entire Sunday sitting at his window and watching the world pass by, another clue to the meaninglessness of his own life. He does not participate with the others in their activities; he simply sits and watches, noticing as many details as he can. He watches society from the outside, another indication he is a stranger in society, and he is quite detailed in his assumptions about those he watches. Again, he gives the people no emotion or feeling, he simply watches dispassionately from the sidelines, always a voyeur but never a participant. Many of society's "normal" people would probably dismiss him as odd or different somehow, but the emotion is deeper than that. Meursault simply does not care about any other human, because he sees their lives as futile and unimportant, just as he sees his own. Nothing matters, and so nothing moves this stranger to react or participate in his own life, or in a meaningful way in anyone else's life, either.

As the reader comes to know Meursault, it is clear that nothing matters to him, not his girl, his "friends," or anything else. When his employer offers him a job in Paris he says, "I told him I was quite prepared to go; but really I didn't care much one way or the other" (Camus 52). That is the problem with looking at life as meaningless. Nothing really matters, and so, there is no passion in life, no joy, and no interest in what happens now or in the future. It is a dismal outlook at best, and the fact that Meursault's life turns so ugly and pointless symbolizes this. He sees no meaning in life, and so his life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because he sees life as meaning nothing, his life amounts to nothing. If he had approached his life differently, he might have had a very different experience, and he might have found that he actually enjoyed life. Of course, that is not the theme of the novel, and so, Meursault's life will amount to nothing, because that is what Camus believes is the truth about everyone's life, not just his character in this novel.

The symbolism of the book all points to life as meaningless, as well. For example, the courtroom, where much of the second half of the novel takes place, represents society in general. Meursault is a threat to society with his anti-social beliefs, lack of belief in God, and his selfish tendencies, so the judge and jury can do nothing else but find him guilty - he is a threat to society with his meaningless existence. He also frightens society, because they see that Meursault's beliefs could actually be the truth, and that threatens everything that society stands for, from culture and beliefs to what creates a model citizen and what does not.

However, there is more to the courtroom scene than just symbolizing society that does not believe in the meaninglessness of life. If the reader pays attention, just about every character that appears in the courtroom scene has had some kind of prior contact with Meursault and returns to sit in judgment over him and his actions. As they appear on the witness stand, they indicate that society has been watching Meursault, and society does not approve of his unique view of life. In fact, he is doomed when he sets foot inside the courtroom, because it symbolizes that one cannot compete with society's ideals and become successful in society. Meursault is an outsider - a "stranger" in a society that does not accept alternative ideals or lifestyles, and so, they sit in judgment of this anti-hero and his lack of feeling, emotion, and depth of character.

The mangy dog and his master also symbolize the meaninglessness of life, and how society continues down its ultimate path, no matter what happens. The dog and its master hate each other, but stay together because of some unspoken rule or bond. The rest of society regrets how the master treats the dog, but does nothing to stop it. So many situations in life run the same path, where people disapprove of a person or event, but really do nothing to stop it or end the situation. Finally, the man rages against the dog every day, but when the dog disappears, the man is distraught and full of grief. Society is the same way, and so are relationships. People endure unhappy and meaningless relationships for countless years, and yet, when they are suddenly set free due to death or divorce, they grieve and mourn their loss. Camus seems to be saying that life must be meaningless, because so much of life seems unhappy and fraught with regret, rather than passion and love.

The man and his dog represent relationships, as well, something that Meursault does not engage in with any real meaning. He cannot be a real friend to another because he does not see them as meaningful or important, just as he does not see himself as meaningful or important. In Camus' view, everyone in this novel simply passes through it, and will leave no mark, and that is what he thinks of society. The theme is alive in every page of this book, just as Camus meant it to be.