Southfield Public Library
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Discussion questions used at SPL -- May 2012
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To go deeper in this book than the story, you have to know about Camus’ philosophy of
Absurdism. . .That life has no rational or redeeming purpose. Was Mersault a good example of
that?
Many in France and Europe as a whole, like Camus, like Mersault, did not believe in God or a
higher power. . . did you see that come through the book? Social Scientists feel that a wave of
atheism came due to the events of World War I and especially WWII and the Holocaust.
Who is the stranger and why is he called that? In earlier translations, it is called The Outsider.
Which title makes more sense to you?
While Camus was an atheist, he was a humanist. . . a person who could see good in man and
saw reasons to behave morally. Was that a trait of Mersault?
Why do you think Mersault slept so much?
Did it seem as though he adjusted very quickly to prison life? Why do you think that was?
Were you surprised that after being sentenced to death, he dreamt of an appeal or an escape?
What made him finally accept his fate?
Why was Marie attracted to him? Did the author make that attraction credible? Is Mersault
capable of love?
What were some of Mersault’s good attributes? His bad ones?
What did you think of his reaction to his mother’s death? That first sentence of the book is the
topic of many a research paper. . . what did it tell you about the man? The book? Camus?
Why didn’t he want to see his mother in her coffin?
Was he tried for the murder of the Arab or for his treatment of his mother?
Nature played a big role in Mersault’s life. . . Why was he drawn to the sea as he was? And why
was he tortured /affected by the sun so much. . .on the walk to bury his mother, the day he
killed the Arab, as he lay in his cell.
As we look at him with our 21st century eyes, would you say Mersault could have had some sort
of mental illness? Would he be medicated today?
In critiques of this book, many feel that Mersault is a man who makes no choices. Did you see
that through the novel? Did he ever make a choice?
Did he ever feel any guilt? About the treatment of his mother, his arrangement with Raymond,
his treatment of Marie, his murder of the Arab, his treatment of the priest in the jail?
Were the two parts of the book different to you? How so?
Southfield Public Library
General Discussion Questions
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For the person who chose the book – What made you want to read it? What made you pick it
for the book club? Did it live up to your expectations?
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How is the book structured? First person? Third person? Flashbacks? Narrative devices? Do you
think the author did a good job with it?
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How would you describe the author’s writing style? Concise? Flowery? How is language used in
this book? Read aloud a passage that really struck you. How does that passage relate to the
book as a whole?
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How effective is the author’s use of plot twists? Were you able to predict certain things before
they happened? Did the author keep you guessing until the end?
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Did the book hold your interest?
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How important is the setting to the story? Did you feel like you were somewhere else? Did the
time setting make a difference in the story? Did the author provide enough background
information for you to understand the setting and time placement?
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Which is stronger in the book – the characters or the plots?
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Would you recommend this book to someone else? Why? And to whom?
Southfield Public Library
The Stranger
Some interesting sites with more questions….
http://classicsreadinggroup.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/the-stranger-discussion-questions/
http://www.shmoop.com/the-stranger/questions.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/stranger/study.html