Apathy in "the Stranger"

Albert Camus' The Stranger revolves around Meursault, a completely apathetic

French man trapped in the meaningless of life. Meursault carries on through life

seemingly without any purpose or motivation, and he is immediately characterized by

his insensitivity and indifference towards everything around him. The literary devices

that Camus applies to The Stranger heavily contribute to the novel's disturbing nature

and its lasting influence.

Camus devises extremely detailed descriptions in The Stranger, yet refrains

from implementing complex vocabulary at the same time. Although Meursault's

observations often become lengthy, the language never becomes flowery. For example,

when Meursault thinks, "From where I was I had glimpses of the soft curve of her

breasts, and her underlip had the little pout that always fascinated me." Directly

afterwards, he says, "She appeared very nervous." Unless he is talking about physical

appearances, Meursault seems to put in minimal effort to describe anything around him.

Short, simple sentences flood The Stranger. For instance, Meursault says, "I drank the

coffee, and then I wanted a cigarette....I offered the keeper, a cigarette, and we both

smoked." (pg. 11) The sentences lack any flowery vocabulary and make sure to stay

directly to the point. These staccato lines seem to represent Meursault's indifference

towards himself and others

Symbolism comes into play quite often in The Stranger. For instance,

Meursault observes the sun frequently throughout the novel. It initially annoys

Meursault at the funeral of his mother, and he calls its presence "inhuman"

and "discouraging" (page 11). During the funeral, the undertaker's man asks Meursault

conversationally, "Sun's pretty bad today, ain't it?" to which he answers, "Yes.' The

sun seems to correlate