Analysis Of Albert Camus's 'The Stranger'

In Albert Camus’s “The Stranger,” Camus presents his existentialistic absurdist views in multiple ways throughout the novel; however, in one instance Camus uses imagery dealing with the sun and sky to articulate his philosophy further. Moreover, if such detail were left out, the reader would be faced with a seemingly incomplete philosophy and a futile understanding of Camus’s thinking, thus, leaving “The Stranger,” thematically flat. As an absurdist, Camus believed that intrinsic meaning in life is impossible. Seemingly depressing; however, Camus would argue that suicide or implementation of say religion is a fallacy. Rather, Camus would contend that rebellion against such idea is the true meaning of life. In other words, accept that you have no purpose in life, and then strive to make one; be a Sisyphus. Throughout “The Stranger,” Camus builds on this idea in a multitude of ways. One way, in particular, is through imagery pertaining to the sun and sky. For example, “All I could feel were the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead and, indistinctly, the dazzling spear flying up from the knife in front of me…That’s when everything began to reel. The sea carried up a thick, fiery breath. It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire,” (The Stranger 56). With such imagery, Camus aims to claim that nature; furthermore, nature and human decision is in of itself absurd. In order to understand or appreciate this use of imagery as