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Analysis Of Meursault In The Stranger

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In the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, we see the protagonist Meursault as an outcast and someone who does not fit with societies standards. He is someone who is rejected by society because of his philosophy and his way of life. Meursault is a man with a very straight and blunt personality, and is not afraid to say what is on his mind. With such a strong and independent mindset, he does not allow anyone to change his view or opinion on the world. His meaning of life is much different than the rest, he is a man with no care in the world and believes that the world has no meaning or purpose. He believes that life’s inevitability is death and that one day we are all going to die, which means that all our lives are equally meaningless. With …show more content…

In similar fashion, we see Meursault 's friend, Raymond, getting himself into trouble with his mistress for abusing her. After hearing about this, a police officer comes to stop the conflict and slaps Raymond across the face for not cooperating. Eventually, the mistress’s brother, who Meursault refers to as “the Arab” comes to get revenge on Raymond for beating up his sister by slashing Raymond 's arm and mouth with a knife. After getting wrapped up and with bandages, they go back to the beach where the Arab last was, but this time Meursault gets into the fight and shoots the Arab five times until he was motionless. Meursault 's explanation to this was that, “My eyes were blinded behind the curtain of tears and salt...my whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver. The trigger gave.” (Camus 59). Although we assume that he had killed the Arab after the first shot, Meursault shoots him another four times after because he does not think it matters. He uses the sound and feel of the gun firing those shots to give him a brief break from the heat and pressure of the day. With this perspective on life, Meursault understands that not only does he not care about the situation, but the world does not care either. There was no difference to him whether he shot the

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