APIB English Literature and Composition
Major Works Data Sheet
Works Cited
Title: THE STRANGER
Author: Albert Camus
Date of Publication: 1942
Genre: Absurdist Fiction
"The Stranger." Schmoop. Schmoop University, Inc., 2011.
Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://www.shmoop.com/thestranger/>.
"The Stranger." SparkNotes. SparkNotes LLC, 2011. Web.
26 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/stranger/>.
Historical information about the period of publication:
(If not significant, explain why in detail.)
Albert Camus was born in French colonial Algiers.
His father was killed in WWI, and he, his brother, mother,
grandmother, and paralyzed uncle all shared a two bedroom
apartment. Despite his impoverished upbringing, he attended
the University of Algiers, but was forced to drop out due to
tuberculosis. In addition to other journalistic and literary
pursuits, he edited the underground newspaper Combat.
During wartime in Paris, he developed his philosophy of
absurdism. In the same year as the publication of The
Stranger, he also published his best known essay, also dealing
with the Absurd, The Myth of Sisyphus.
Characteristics of the genre:
Often, literature of the absurd will contain elements that
make no rational sense, such as meaningless dialogue, mundane
repetition, circular or pointless plots, situations that are confusing
and purposeless, and characters, plots, or any other element that
lacks logical order or reason.
Plot summary: Save opening and closing scenes for sections below.
The protagonist is a young man named Meursault. Right before the beginning of the book, he receives a
telegram informing him that his mother has died. He gets on a bus and goes to her funeral. After the funeral, he returns to
Algiers. He meanders around for a while, and meets an attractive ex-co-worker named Marie. They go to see a movie
together, and then she comes home with him. In the morning he awakes to find her gone. In one of his frequent spells of
apathy, he sits in his room all day and watches people out his window in the evening. The next day, he returns to work.
Afterwards, he comes home and meets Salamano, a man who is always abusing his wretch of a dog. A man named
Raymond (who is rumored to be a pimp) invites him over to dinner and asks Meursault to write a threatening letter to a
woman of his who left him and disrespected him. Later, Marie visits him. She asks whether Meursault loves her or not.
He replies that it didn’t mean anything, but “probably not.” They hear a commotion, and they look down the hall to see
Raymond being dragged out of his apartment for beating his woman. Raymond asks Meursault to be a witness for him in
court, and Meursault agrees. That same night, Salamano informs him that his dog has run away. Next time they meet,
Marie asks Meursault if he wants to marry her. He says he doesn’t care, but that they can get married if she wants, so
they get engaged. Next week, they go to visit a friend named Masson who lives on the beach. They swim, and they are
made slightly nervous by a couple of Arabs they see. After lunch, Meursault and Masson go walking on the beach, and
Meursault kills two Arabs in cold blood. He is arrested and put in prison. Everyone who meets him seems disgusted by
his apathy and lack of remorse. The magistrate who examines him urges him to put his faith in Christ, but Meursault
refuses, saying that he doesn’t believe in God. The former refuses to accept his lack of belief, and dubs him “Monsieur
Antichrist.” Meursault goes into withdrawal from women, cigarettes, and nature, but soon adjusts and stops noticing their
absence. In his trial, the conversation shifts from his actions to a general discussion of his character, particularly whether
he cried at his mother’s funeral. He is found guilty and is sentenced to death by beheading. As he awaits the execution of
his sentence, he comes to terms with the absurdity of the world when he is visited by a chaplain against his wishes. The
chaplain, like the magistrate, is unable to accept that Meursault doesn’t want to be saved. Meursault is stirred into a great
anger, and declares that he believes only in a meaningless, physical world. He accepts that there is no hope or meaning,
and is moved by “the gentle indifference of the world.” Then, he achieves happiness.
Major Works Data Sheet
Page 2
Describe the author’s style, incl narrator/point of view,
metaphors/similes:
Examples that demonstrate the style (you need
more than one example):
Camus’ writing is not wasteful; it is to the point
and simple. However, his descriptions are very precise and
sometimes long-winded. The dialogue tends to be short,
but that doesn’t keep the text from achieving moments of
profundity and expressiveness.
“Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a
telegram from the home: "Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow.
Faithfully yours." That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was
yesterday.”
“There was the same dazzling red glare. The sea gasped for air with
each shallow, stifled little wave that broke on the sand. I was walking
slowly toward the rocks and I could feel my forehead swelling under
the sun. All that heat was pressing down on me and making it hard for
me to go on. And every time I felt a blast of its hot breath strike my
face, I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists in my trouser pockets, and
strained every nerve in order to overcome the sun and the thick
drunkenness it was spilling over me. With every blade of light that
flashed off the sand, from a bleached shell or a piece of broken glass,
my jaws tightened.”
Memorable Quotes 5
Quote
Significance
That evening Marie came by to see me
and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I
said it didn’t make any difference to me
and that we could if she wanted to. Then
she wanted to know if I loved her. I
answered the same way I had the last
time, that it didn’t mean anything but
that I probably didn’t love her. "So why
marry me, then?" she said. I explained to
her that it didn’t really matter and that if
she wanted to, we could get married.
[…] Then she pointed out that marriage
was a serious thing. I said, "No."
This quote demonstrates Meursault’s feelings of isolation
and apathy. He is so far lost in his own little world that even a
marriage proposal from a beautiful woman doesn’t interest him.
Indeed, it doesn’t mean anything at all to him. He is perfectly
content to just let the world wash over him like a wave on a beach,
letting his life fade in and out…
It occurred to me that anyway one more
Sunday was over that Maman was
buried now, that I was going back to
work, and that, really, nothing had
changed.
Meursault demonstrates his remorseless side. It is quite
remarkable how apathetic he is. He almost defends his lack of
grief: nothing has changed, what is there to feel sad about?
I couldn’t understand why they had
taken [the cigarettes] away when they
didn’t hurt anybody. Later on I realized
that that too was part of the punishment.
But by then I had gotten used to not
smoking and it wasn’t a punishment
anymore.
It is very difficult to reprimand someone like Meursault.
He is stubborn (though in a passive way) and is content to be just
about anywhere. He gets used to anything, and since he comes to
peace with the world and his death, his execution is not really a
punishment either.
She said, "If you go slowly, you risk
getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast,
you work up a sweat and then catch a
chill inside the church." She was right.
There was no way out.
I tried my best to please Raymond
because I didn’t have any reason not to
please him.
This statement is symbolic of the human condition. Just
like the sun, death is inescapable. The only way out (of the
possible misery the thought brings) is to accept it.
A commentary on Meursault’s apathy. “Why not?” seems
to be the answer to every other question life sends his way.
Major Works Data Sheet of Significant Characters
Name
Role in the story
Characters
Significance
Page 3
Adjectives
Meursault
Protagonist
He is Camus’ champion of absurdity.
Over the course of the book, he
realizes that the world is absurd, and
there’s nothing he can do but accept
it.
Indifferent; Apathetic;
Introspective;
Deliberate, yet not so.
Marie Cardona
Supporting Character
She is a contrast and a foil to
Meursault’s character, a light and
virtually carefree individual.
Simple;
Undemanding; Sexual;
Guileless.
Salamano
(and his dog)
Minor Characters
Salamano and his dog are the only
characters that are in a genuine
relationship. Furthermore, they
serve to remind us of death.
Wretched; Cranky;
Miserable; Old.
Raymond Sintes
Supporting Character
Raymond serves to create much of
the action that occurs in The
Stranger. He asks Meursault to write
a letter to his girlfriend for him,
hands him the gun the former uses to
shoot the Arabs, and finally, on the
witness stand, blurts out that
Meursault is innocent.
Dirty; Sneaky;
Chauvinistic; Violent;
Insecure; Tough Guy.
The Chaplain
Minor Character
The Chaplain’s role is to prod
Meursault until he bursts out in his
declaration of enlightenment about
the world.
Insistent; WellMeaning.
Major Works Data Sheet
Page 4
Setting
Significance of the opening scene
The Stranger takes place in 1940s Algiers, part of
the French colony of Algeria. The colony was made up of
both Frenchmen and Arabs, though the French were
considered superior citizens. Meursault works as a
shipping clerk for a company there. Most of the action
takes place in the city, but he does leave to go see his
mother’s funeral in a town about an hour away.
The opening scene shows several striking
examples of Meursault’s apathy. He smokes at his
mother’s funeral and refuses to shed a tear. Most of
the time is passed in dull, thoughtless, reverie. The
very next day, he meets a girl, hits on her, and goes
to a comedy flick.
Significance of the ending/closing scene
Symbols
The Sun/Weather: These forces represent Meursault’s
nature, and his behavior tends to be dictated by physical
needs and desires.
Color: Green seems to symbolize happiness, as it is in
scenes where Meursault is content. Red seems to be
equated with violence and/or sex.
The Courtroom: The courtroom represents society’s
attempts to rationalize an irrational and meaningless
world, and the forced morality thereof.
Laughter and Swimming: These elements remind us that
Meursault is human. He is strangely attracted to laughter,
and loves to swim. These thoroughly mundane pursuits
keep him on an understandable plane.
On what is presumably the day before his
execution, Meursault wakes up and “smells the
taffy.” He realizes that he reckon with his
impending death, and empties himself of all
expectation and hope. In doing this, he frees himself
of worry and accepts his death with gentle peace.
Possible Themes – Support is optional.
Passivity/The Absurd/Mortality/Isolation
1. Mortality- “She said, "If you go slowly, you risk getting sunstroke. But if you go too fast, you work up a
sweat and then catch a chill inside the church." She was right. There was no way out.” (Camus, 16)
2.
Isolation- “On their way out, and much to my surprise, they all shook my hand – as if that night during
which we hadn’t exchanged as much as a single word had somehow brought us closer together.” (Camus,
11)
3.
Sadness-I told her Maman had died. She wanted to know how long ago, so I said, "Yesterday." She gave a
little start but didn’t say anything. I felt like telling her it wasn’t my fault, but I stopped myself because I
remembered that I’d already said that to my boss. It didn’t mean anything. Besides, you always feel a little
guilty. (Camus, 19)