Connection #7 (The Stranger)

In the novel, The Stanger, Albert Camus describes the monotonous life of a man named Meursault. The novel opens with Meursault learning of his mother’s recent passing away. Meursault is to attend the funeral at-once, although he knows not when his mother actually died. This small detail, as well as others throughout the novel, is constantly on his mind. At the funeral, Meursault felt no grief, contrary to the other aged people who lived with his mother in the nursing home. Meursault felt it a burden to have to walk through the hot Algerian sun for miles to the cemetery. Once the procession was over, Meursault quickly moved on with his life, going swimming, watching a movie, and even "becoming one" with his girlfriend. Meursault did not have much of a personal life, choosing to sit in his apartment alone and watch the bystanders rather then engage with other people. He doesn’t really get along with the two other men that live in the apartments next to him. One day his neighbor Raymond asked him for some help, however. Raymond had been having some trouble with his ex-girlfriend, and he wanted to get back at her by writing her a letter. As a favor, Raymond asked Meursault if he would be so kind as to write the letter for him. Meursault agrees and does so. After this new friendship was formed over a couple of hours and a letter, Raymond invites Meursault down to his friend’s beach house for the weekend. Meursault agrees and brings his girlfriend Marie. At the beach house, Marie and Meursault enjoy swimming and being together. Raymond, his friend, and Meursault take a walk down the beach after lunch. On their journey, they come across a group of Arabs, one of which is Raymond’s ex-girlfriend’s brother. The two groups stare at each other for a long time, but nothing happens, even though weapons are drawn. The three men walk back to the beach house, but Meursault has the urge to keep walking. He goes back to the spring that he saw on their initial walk, still with the gun in his pocket that Raymond gave him for protection. As he approaches the spring, Meursault notices that one of the Arabs is still there. The Arab quickly shows Meursault his knife, blinding him with it. Out of reflex, Meursault grabs his gun and kills the Arab, shooting him five times. Meursault is later arrested and goes to trial. The prosecutor charges Meursault with murdering the Arab, but his evidence and reasoning has nothing to do with the act of shooting at all. The prosecutor brings in the fact that Meursault was not sad on the day of his mother’s death and that he quickly moved on with his life, deeming him a bad person for it. Meursault is awarded the death penalty, but it is this time in prison when he truly finds meaning in his life. He discovers that he is content with how he lived his life and the choices that he made. The connection to the culminating question……