How Does Meursault Get Sympathy From The Audience

Various characters may appear malicious based on the actions that they have committed, but through admirable writing any sinful character can acquire sympathy from the audience. The Stanger by Albert Camus centers around Monsieur Meursault, whose mother recently died. He then acquires a new friend, Raymond, who leads him down a dark path. Later, Meursault ends up committing murder for Raymond, and he eventually gets the death penalty for the crime he has committed. In Albert Camus’ The Stranger the main character, Monsieur Meursault, may seem immoral on the surface, but through insightful inner monologues, character development, and relationships between characters Meursault attracts sympathy from the audience.

A key point in understanding a
Monsieur Meursault’s character development profoundly influences how the audience perceives him. In the beginning Monsieur goes to his mother’s funeral; when there, he does not exhibit much empathy towards the situation. “Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know” (Camus 3). Reacting to his mother’s death in a cold nonchalant way gives the audience the impression that Meursault is emotionally aloof. Then, towards the end of the novel he begins to have more emotive sentiments. When a priest comes to Meursault’s jail cell to talk about religion, Meursault has an impassioned response. “Then… something inside me snapped. I started yelling at the top of my lungs, and I insulted him” (Camus 120). Compared to his casual response earlier, this passionate response shows the audience how he has progressed. Meursault’s major character development throughout the story helps the audience sympathize with him because everybody grows and develops in life. This character development is majorly influenced by the relationships that Monsieur Meursault