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The Stranger


            Meursault is a man who will not lie to himself. In Albert Camus" The Stranger, his actions and reactions display him as an immoral man, expressing apathy towards society's formulas for convention. He will not feign emotion, nor use religion as a vehicle to give his life meaning. Meursault has a passion for the truth, which opens the revelation for all humanity: life is absurd; it is man's mortal responsibility to be committed to himself, for death is definitive. .
             At his trial for murdering an Arab, Meursault's inability to relate to the conventions of society puts him at a disadvantage. When discovering that the court will appoint a lawyer for him, Meursault thinks that it is "very convenient that the court should take care of those details" (63). He does not see the necessity in finding, consulting, and paying an attorney to defend him in court. Meursault knows that he has killed an Arab and having a defense seems needless. Confronted with the court's legal mechanics, Meursault is a stranger to the judicial world, thus disabling him. .
             Meursault is also a stranger to social custom. His "pal" Raymond invites Meursault to his apartment to have blood sausage and wine, then proceeds to tell Meursault about his Arab girlfriend and how he beat her because she was cheating on him. He wants to punish this girl even though he still has sexual feelings for her. Raymond asks Meursault what he thinks about the whole thing and Meursault says he doesn't "think anything but that it was interesting" (32). Meursault lacks morals. He has no need for them. Values for him do not enter his life for they do not have an impact on him. Meursault continues to please Raymond with his indifferent attitude to Raymond's social relations by writing a nasty letter to his Arab girlfriend. Meursault does not consider the consequences in writing a mean or slanderous letter to a woman he has never met, nor the impact it could have on her life.


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