The Stranger by Albert Camus (fiction)

This month we will be reading a rather short fiction (123p):
The Stranger by Albert Camus

Main Theme: The absurdity of human existence, the indifference of the universe to human struggles, and attaining a paradoxical freedom by accepting life’s meaninglessness.

Plot Overview

1. Part 1:

• Meursault, a detached and apathetic French Algerian, learns of his mother’s death but shows no grief. He attends her funeral with indifference.
• He begins a relationship with Marie and befriends his neighbor Raymond, a violent pimp.
• During a trip to the beach, Meursault kills an Arab man in a moment of existential confusion, triggered by the blazing sun and disorientation.

2. Part 2:

• Meursault is arrested and put on trial. The prosecution focuses not on the murder itself but on his emotional detachment (e.g., not crying at his mother’s funeral) as evidence of his moral guilt.
• He is sentenced to death. In prison, he confronts the meaninglessness of life and embraces the absurd, finding peace in the indifference of the universe.

Key Themes

1. Absurdism:

• Life has no inherent meaning, and human attempts to find logic or purpose are futile. Meursault’s actions (and lack of remorse) reflect the absurdity of existence.
• “Nothing, nothing mattered, and I knew why. […] Throughout the whole absurd life I’d lived, a dark wind had been rising toward me.”

2. Existential Authenticity:

• Meursault refuses to conform to societal expectations of grief, love, or remorse. His honesty about his indifference makes him an “outsider” (the original French title).
• Society condemns him not for murder but for rejecting its moral theater.

3. Indifference of Nature:

• The sun, heat, and sea symbolize the universe’s apathy. The murder occurs not from malice but from sensory overwhelm.

4. Freedom Through Absurdity:

• By accepting life’s meaninglessness, Meursault attains a paradoxical freedom. He dies content, having rejected illusions of hope or redemption.

Relevancy to book club

• Philosophical Impact: A cornerstone of absurdist literature, challenging readers to confront life’s lack of inherent meaning.
• Modern Resonance: Explores alienation in a bureaucratic, judgmental society—themes that echo in modern discussions of mental health and social conformity.
• Contrasts: Unlike Nietzsche’s Übermensch or Sartre’s radical freedom, Camus’ hero finds liberation in surrender, not mastery.

Discussion Questions

1. Is Meursault a sociopath or an existential hero? Does his honesty make him immoral?
2. How does Camus use nature (sun, heat, sea) to symbolize the universe’s indifference?
3. Can we reconcile Meursault’s peace at the end with the horror of his crime?
4. How does the trial critique society’s performative morality?
5. Does The Stranger offer a path to happiness, or is it purely nihilistic?