Stranger 1st paragraph

A persons' expression of his/her feelings is distinct from everyone else's; however, Meursaults' portrayal of feelings is almost non existent or is it? When the book begins, Meursault unusually doesn't show any emotion at his mother's funeral. A normal human would show grief and sorrow at an event like this; however, Meursault showed more interest in looking at the scenery rather than mourning for his mother's passing: "It was going to be a beautiful day. It had been a long time since I’d been out in the country, and I could feel how much I’d enjoy going for a walk if it hadn’t been for Maman" (Camus 21). In this diction, Camus foreshadows the corruption of Meursault's mind and how detached he his from his feelings. However, if one looks deeper into this text, there might be another explanation of Meursaults feelings: "But today, with the sun bearing down, making the whole landscape shimmer with heat, it was inhuman and oppressive" (Camus 24).

The Stranger Intro

The ability a person has to change his/her perception of the world is truly insurmountable. The great thing about the individual mind is its aptitude to view the world in any way one wants. In Albert Camus' The Stranger, Meursault detaches himself from his feelings. In a simple first glance at understanding Meursault, one might believe he doesn't show any care for the world and doesn't have genuine human feelings. However, in a deeper view, one might see the complexity of his caricature. In The Stranger, Camus shares a story of an intricate man who shows no human feelings while also subtly showing humane parts of his life.

The Stranger Outline

1st paragraph:

-talk about how the environment is a way for Camus to project meursaults feelings.

  -while he is detached from his mothers funeral, the sun is really hot (he feels uncomfortable with expressing his feelings)

   -when he kills the Arab, it is hot outside

  -discomfort/displacement

2nd paragraph:

-his feelings

-the trial: he doesn't feel guilty about killing a man

-doesn't feel sad about his moms death

-only emotion he shows is lust, is that even an emotion?

3rd paragraph:

-The prison blocks him from seeing the sun or any natural surrounding so he has to deal with himself

-he refuses to believe in god, shows his uniqueness, drifting away from the norm

-doesn't care much of the trial, no feelings toward what he did

Essay topic

My essay topic will be somewhere on the lines of how Meursault detached feelings turn into something deeper.
-how the environment (sun mostly) closely relates to his feelings and how he puts his surrounding and the beauty of it in priority over other things (such as his mother's funeral)
-he kills a man and even though doesn't really feel guilt, he is a very honest man and won't lie about his feelings or intentions
-he is honest to other people but lies to himself
-very unique qualities about him
-maybe talk about the trial
-talk about the way he feels about his mother's passing
    -'I probably love her'
    - 'the scenery is so nice, mothers funeral ruins it'

The complexity of Meursault

"But Raymond told me he didn’t think he could write the kind of letter it would take and that he’d thought of asking me to write it for him. Since I didn’t say anything, he asked if I’d mind doing it right then and I said no... When he told me the woman’s name I realized she was Moorish. I wrote the letter. I did it just as it came to me, but I tried my best to please Raymond because I didn’t have any reason not to please him" (41).  Camus effectively expresses the confusion of what Mersault's motives are through this passage. When Raymond first tells Meursault of his dilemma, Mersault seems indifferent and doesn't care too much about it as he was unwilling to write the letter for Raymond. However, he then suddenly wanted to write it and attempted to impress Raymond without any reason to. Camus does a good job of making simple text with a complex meaning. What is Mersault's motives? Does he want to write it because she is Moorish? Or just out of boredom? Camus allows the readers to open their mind to different possibilities and decide for themselves why Meursault actually wants to write the letter. For me I first believed when reading the text that Mersault was prejudiced towards Moorish people. However after thinking it over, I feel as though it could be perceived differently. Maybe after drinking Mersault just decided to 'screw it! I'll write it!' However there is no right answer, it's for the readers to decide for themselves.

Camus Blog

In Camus' "The Stranger", Camus effectively employs his writing style to express Meursault's feelings. With his mom having passed away, Meursault becomes very detached and acts very unusual for a kid whose mom just died. "It had been a long time since I’d been out in the country, and I could feel how much I’d enjoy going for a walk if it hadn’t been for Mama." (21). Meursault uses his mom's death as an excuse for not being able to enjoy the scenery. Camus shows through this quote how Meursault thinks and how his feelings have been somewhat corrupted.