Topic > Meursault as the Outsider in The Outsider by Albert Camus

Index IntroductionThe Outsider by Albert Camus: summary and analysisConclusionIntroductionAlbert Camus was an Algerian-French absurdist author, who wrote novels such as The Outsider and The Plague. In The Outsider tells the story of an emotionless and immoral character, Meursault, and how he deals with the norms of society and the people around him. The story is set in Algiers, where Meursault receives a telegram informing him that his mother has fainted and that he was supposed to attend the funeral, in which he showed no emotion. Later, as the character evolves, he kills a man for no specific reason and is prosecuted in court for his actions. With the supporting evidence from the novel, it can be argued that Meursault is an outsider to society, himself, and his environment, only to a certain extent. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Outsider by Albert Camus: summary and analysisIn the eyes of society Meursault is an outsider, a peculiar and detached man, who does not seem to understand how everything around him should work. Meursault does not understand why events, such as marriage or the death of a loved one, usually have sentimental value for people and this is what makes him appear insensitive and disconnected from them. When Meursault is first introduced in the novel, he must attend his mother's funeral in Marengo. While talking about the funeral he seems almost indifferent to the fact that his mother has died, in fact he said: "it's still a bit as if mother hadn't died". One can understand the apathy he felt when faced with his mother's death, since she had been living in a retirement home for years, Meursault was disconnected from her, he was used to her absence, so his reaction could be justified. However, in the eyes of society, this type of behavior is considered bizarre and the fact that he did not show any kind of emotion at his mother's funeral contributes to creating this strange image of Meursault. Later, Meursault finds himself in a puzzling situation where he kills an Arab on the beach, for no clear reason. During the interview, Meursault tries to convince his lawyer that he did not know the man he had killed and that he had shot him for no reason. The lawyer is a representative of the company, a “normal” man and does not seem to understand Meursault's way of thinking. Furthermore, when the judge questioned him, he kept asking him why he shot the Arab 5 times, since he died from the first shot but Meursault didn't know what to tell him, because he didn't know why he did it. When the judge got irritated, he brought up religion and God, but Meursault did not give importance to religion, this was illogical and impossible in the eyes of the judge, who was also a representation of society. In general, Meursault is seen as an outsider to society, as he fails to understand the consequences of his actions and does not follow any of the norms. In contrast to the previous paragraph, it can be argued that Meursault is not a stranger to his natural environment. , because he knows it so well, that it influences his decision making. As Meursault went to the beach and stepped out into the sun, he said, "it was like a slap in the face." You can see how much it affected him, since Meursault recognizes the physical world better than the emotional one. When he arrives at the beach, Meursault is relieved to finally see “clear water.” The enormous contrast between the water and the scorching sun seems to calm him and as soon as he enters the water he appears happier and more comforted. Subsequently the protagonist is so affected by the heat of the sun that he kills the Arab without thinking twice. Camus uses words like "burned alive" or.