Analyzing Albert Camus 'The Stranger'

The Stranger - Journal Topic Six

A human life is made up of patterns. More often than not, the events of a day fit into an established schedule for any given person. Reoccurences are the commonality- much more unusual would be the life which was composed solely of originality. It is much the same in books, after all, most intend to reflect some aspect of reality. However, patterns in books tend to have more significance to them than patterns of a real life, since the author has painstakingly considered the exact ingredients to add to their work, and in what quantities. Nothing is added without a purpose, so if something reoccurs in a book, beyond the mundane circumstances, chances are, there is a weighty purpose. In Albert Camus’ The Stranger
there are many instances of death, setting the mood for the book as well as reminding the reader of the normalcy of it, as it is the one inevitable for all things living. The Stranger is not a book to shy away from death, or write around it.
The first sentence of the novel is, “Maman died today,” written directly as a straight fact, undiluted by emotion. This first sentence lets a reader know that they have not picked up a light book. After all, if one does not want a book stained with death, one chooses a book that at least waits for the second sentence before killing off characters that have not yet been introduced. This first death is the most impactful out of the entire book, because Meursault’s reaction, or rather, lack of reaction to it will become increasingly important when readers reach the end of the
book. The second instance of death is less explicit, however, between the animal’s poor health and its disappearance it can be assumed that Salamano’s dog has died. This is a significant jump, from an elderly mother, to a sickly, old dog, now made equals in death. With the loss of this dog, we also learn that he himself had only been gained, as a pup, when Salamano’s wife died, because even though Salamano’s marriage wasn’t a happy one, without the companionship of his wife, he was lonely. The dog managed to fill this same hole, giving Salamano a companion until the animals assumed death. Since we don’t actually know what has happened to the dog, we cannot even say whether the dog passed on due to natural causes or was killed by a car or something similar. The unknown elements to the death and the fact that Salamano will now be alone at the end of his life contributes to the bleak and realistic mood set by Meursault’s mother’s death. People and animals die all the time, it is simply something that has to happen to everyone, be it one way or another. Both Meursault’s mother and Salamano’s dog make it to an old age, even if it is possible the dog did not die naturally. However, not everyone is given the chance for a life so fulfilled. For example, the brother of Raymond’s girlfriend, never named, also just called an arab, is murdered by Meursault at the end of part one. Prior to this, the deaths could have been written off as having happened in a timely manner. Meursault's mother died at the end of a longer life, with friends to mourn her passing. Salamano’s dog died, old and sickly, incredibly different from the days of its youth. It could be said that it was simply time for these two characters to end, but not many could argue that it was the true time for the arab man to die. It was not the brother’s natural time to die, his time was likely cut much shorter than it would have been in other circumstances, but this novel doesn’t show that death comes to the deserving, it shows that death is a part of daily life. Should this man have died? Probably not, after all, it was certainly reasonable for the man to be angry with Raymond after what he had done to his sister. However, the man did die. It doesn’t matter that Meursault hadn’t really meant to kill him, or that if there had been so slight a change as an increased cloud cover so the sun was not in Meursault’s eyes the man would not have died. It is unimportant, because the circumstances were not any different. The situation was exactly what it was and what happened happened. When it comes down to it, it just shows that death is a part of life. It can come along unexpectedly, but it is never really a truly surprising thing, because what is there more natural for one to do than to die?
It could be argued that the death of the arab man is the most impactful on the story’s events, since it is what forces the transition into the second part where Meursault goes to prison, has his trial, and eventually is given his death sentence, however, it could just as easily be argued another way.
After all, the prosecutor builds his case nearly exclusively on the unfeeling response of Meursault to his mother’s death. In the end, it isn’t really the fact that Meursault has killed a man that gets him executed, as much as it is that Meursault was emotionally unattached to his mother. Regardless, though, of which death is believed to be the most important, there is just one more that a reader is still waiting on at the novel’s
end.
The death of the protagonist is to be by decapitation, sure to work, and preferably quickly. Readers do not see Meursault’s death, but the book leaves off with him hoping that when it happens it will be witnessed by large, hateful masses of people.