Albert Camus Quotes

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The Stranger Essay (2) In Albert Camus’s novel The Stranger, Camus draws Meursault, the protagonist, as a French absurd character that has existential acts and lives in Algeria, a French colony in the 1950s. Meursault is a type of character that cannot show feelings directly. By using this existential behavior on Meursault, readers understand that he is an absurd character, while he is not really because he shows feelings in Camus’s indirect language. Meursault’s mother dies in the beginning of the story and this is the most obvious part where he does not show feelings directly. Later in the story, again his absurdity makes Meursault a criminal, when he kills an Arab at a beach because the strong sun was striking his forehead and the sand…show more content…
When the director talked a lot to Meursault about his mother, Meursault felt that he does not want to hear anymore probably because reminding him of his mom was annoying him and this quote shows it “but I wasn’t really listening anymore” (Camus 5). In Meursault’s journey to Marengo, he dozes in the bus, Camus clarifies that it was from the gasoline smell in the ride but it should not be just the gasoline, probably dozed of from his mental and physical discomfort he is in after his mother’s death. This actually made him very sensitive, for example getting annoyed the sun or fainting because of a smell. Because of the poor situation Meursault is in, when the soldier wakes him up, he asks him if he has been for a long time there and Meursault answers “yes” (Camus 4). Eighty kilometers by bus is not that far and would not be a journey that would take a long time but when someone is not in shape or not comfortable, he feels everything is taking long time. This is another evidence that Meursault is depressed because of his mother’s death. “I wanted to see Maman right away”, this quote shows that Meursault actually cares about his mom and wants to see her as soon as possible, to see her more. These proofs are all before the start of the funeral, they are when he gets the news, his journey to Marengo and while he is in Marengo. All of these prove that Meursault is feeling sad and when the reader finds them, his view of Meursault changes a

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