The Stranger Response
Joseph Biassi
AP English Literature & Composition
Summer 2014
The Stranger Essay Meursault is often very unemotional and does not express regular feelings toward relationships. Coping with death is usually a difficult task for almost anyone, but for Meursault he does not shed one tear after the passing of his mother. His reactions to life and the world around him truly do not describe the typical person as he distances himself away from almost all people, which relates to the book’s title, The Stranger. He can be accurately described in one word as nothing more than a ‘stranger’ – one in which who protects himself from the pains of life by being gravely unfeeling. Meursault acts in such a manner because he is secretly scared of the world around him. However, his character as a somewhat unusual, unemotional person often attracts some people to him because of his nonjudgmental nature. Meursault continuously accepts everyone regardless of their doings in life, no matter how they may seem to the majority of people. This demonstrates his true …show more content…
understanding of justice and fairness.
His indifference is fascinating to many, such as his girlfriend, Marie.
She is attracted to his different personality as it makes him more of an interesting individual to get to know and learn about. People like Meursault are often defined as outcasts in society because of strange behavior or unlike appearance but because of their emotionless character and open minds, they tend to be more approachable to others.
Meursault also stresses the importance of the physical world, explaining that it is much more important when compared to that of social or emotional aspects. He continually throughout the novel focuses on his body, the physical relationship with his girlfriend, Marie, and the nature and doings of the world around him. Meursault when questioned about emotional topics like relationships is very vague but when asked about topics such as the weather, he opens up more, as he is more interested in worldly
doings.
In the second half of the novel, we see how Meursault transforms as a person. When the story begins, he cannot understand all the happenings in the world, so he shuts out all emotional aspects. As the story progresses, he realizes all the absurdities in society and begins to accept the real meaning of human life. Unfortunately, he lets the feeling of rage and anger overtake his mind as he kills the Arab. As he lets this extreme nature get the best of him, he is locked away from the one aspect he most enjoyed – the natural beauty of the world. During this time, he feels what seems to be real emotion for the first time ever – the reality of inner rage which defines who we are as humans in society.
The lesson we now learn is to appreciate the time in the present and to live life without any regrets. Through Meursault’s court case, we are given the reality of the world and realize that the problems we may encounter or commit are sometimes to great for us to handle as ordinary people. We must understand, as a complex society, that life is sometimes unexplainable but also too trivial, as Meursault stresses throughout the story. Regardless of his past actions, we cannot help but to feel sorry for his life.
AP English Literature & Composition
Summer 2014
The Stranger Essay Meursault is often very unemotional and does not express regular feelings toward relationships. Coping with death is usually a difficult task for almost anyone, but for Meursault he does not shed one tear after the passing of his mother. His reactions to life and the world around him truly do not describe the typical person as he distances himself away from almost all people, which relates to the book’s title, The Stranger. He can be accurately described in one word as nothing more than a ‘stranger’ – one in which who protects himself from the pains of life by being gravely unfeeling. Meursault acts in such a manner because he is secretly scared of the world around him. However, his character as a somewhat unusual, unemotional person often attracts some people to him because of his nonjudgmental nature. Meursault continuously accepts everyone regardless of their doings in life, no matter how they may seem to the majority of people. This demonstrates his true …show more content…
understanding of justice and fairness.
His indifference is fascinating to many, such as his girlfriend, Marie.
She is attracted to his different personality as it makes him more of an interesting individual to get to know and learn about. People like Meursault are often defined as outcasts in society because of strange behavior or unlike appearance but because of their emotionless character and open minds, they tend to be more approachable to others.
Meursault also stresses the importance of the physical world, explaining that it is much more important when compared to that of social or emotional aspects. He continually throughout the novel focuses on his body, the physical relationship with his girlfriend, Marie, and the nature and doings of the world around him. Meursault when questioned about emotional topics like relationships is very vague but when asked about topics such as the weather, he opens up more, as he is more interested in worldly
doings.
In the second half of the novel, we see how Meursault transforms as a person. When the story begins, he cannot understand all the happenings in the world, so he shuts out all emotional aspects. As the story progresses, he realizes all the absurdities in society and begins to accept the real meaning of human life. Unfortunately, he lets the feeling of rage and anger overtake his mind as he kills the Arab. As he lets this extreme nature get the best of him, he is locked away from the one aspect he most enjoyed – the natural beauty of the world. During this time, he feels what seems to be real emotion for the first time ever – the reality of inner rage which defines who we are as humans in society.
The lesson we now learn is to appreciate the time in the present and to live life without any regrets. Through Meursault’s court case, we are given the reality of the world and realize that the problems we may encounter or commit are sometimes to great for us to handle as ordinary people. We must understand, as a complex society, that life is sometimes unexplainable but also too trivial, as Meursault stresses throughout the story. Regardless of his past actions, we cannot help but to feel sorry for his life.