The Stranger

“As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” (pg: 123)

The Stranger, by Albert Camus

This quote is not only the most powerful quote in the novel; it’s also the only quote that truly establishes the theme of Camus’s work and the true nature of his character, Meursalt. Throughout the novel, Camus describes the life of the protagonist, Meursalt, who views himself has a rebel of modern society. The novel opens with the death of Meursalt’s mother; the tone he uses in the opening paragraph is of negligence because he doesn’t care about the death of his mother. This is the sort of personality Meursalt displays throughout the novel. The climax of the novel is when Meursalt shoots an Arab man for no reason and thus, he is convicted for it. After this scene, Meursalt is sentenced to death and send to prison, where he begins to realize that society is not rational and the world is indifferent of human existence. He is a man who is stoically unconcerned about anyone’s feelings or affections; he didn’t even care about the death of his own mother or the love of his girlfriend Maria. He believes that the world lacks rational order and purpose. He comes to this conclusion when he realizes that there is no avoiding death. He finds that it’s futile to have false hopes and chances of escape because he can’t avoid death. However, he discovers a new type of freedom in this; he believes that it is easier to live life without worrying about hopes and emotions, which are burdensome. This is ironic because at this point, whether he lives an easier or difficult life, doesn’t really matter due to the fact he is going to be put to death either way. This passage is influenced by the setting of the novel; his experiences in the prison led him to believe that there is no hope in survival and that he is doomed to death. He claims that “I had been happy and that I was happy again” because he no longer has to worry about emotions such as love, hope and regret in prison because he is about to die and these emotions will only waste the little time he has left. The isolation in prison brought him to the realization that he no longer has hope and that he should just live life with the little time he has, as free of emotions as he can. The prison also impacts his character in some ways because until he was send to prison he was careless about everyone’s feelings, including his own. He was confused about life and didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. Also, he believed that he was like an outsider in society, a prisoner who didn’t fit in because he did not follow the ways of society. He was a rebel because he did not like the way society was functioning, and that is why he was known as an outsider or the “stranger”. However, towards the end of the book when he was in prison, he felt more happy and free than ever before because he didn’t have to worry about emotions. Yet it’s ironic how when he wasn’t in prison he felt like a prisoner and when he was in prison, he felt free. Also he began to feel less alone; he realized that the world he was in was unconcerned about the people in it; it still kept spinning and growing, just like him who didn’t care about anyone else. Therefore, he calls the world his “brother” because both are similar in their indifference of people, “I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother”. He also stated,” For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.” This further supports the fact that he was indifferent about what people thought of him just like the world was indifferent about the creatures that lived on it. He wanted there to be spectators that greeted him with cries of hate so he wouldn’t be lonely. Overall, this passage defined the true nature of Meursalt’s character, illustrated the impact of the setting on the character and revealed the theme of indifference in this novel.
The reason I choose this passage is because it intrigued me due to several reasons. One of the reasons was that it reminded me of Howard Roark from Any Rand’s novel, Fountainhead. Roark and Meursalt have so much in common regarding their selfish beliefs; neither characters are concerned about the feeling and affection of others and both do what they believe is right. Another aspect I liked about the passage is that Meursalt was forceful in his assertion at the end; he had claimed that he no longer worried about emotions, yet this passage is filled with his emotions. It revealed the true emotions that were inside of him that he had never before exposed. In the beginning of the passage he mentions that he got rid of all his “hope”, yet at the end he was “hoping” that there be a large crowd of spectators to greet him with cries of hate. He also claims that he was “happier” than he was ever before because he was free now, thus indicating his emotions at work. It revealed the human nature that was truly inside of him that he tried to deny all throughout the novel. An ordinary prisoner sentenced to death would hope or wish for survival somehow; but Meursalt, on the other hand, accepted this inevitable fate and proceeded on with pride and confidence as if he was going to live an happier life than he has lived all this time. The passage illustrates the true nature of Meursalt’s character and it also contains the overall theme that was present in this novel.