The Stranger: Tone

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The Stranger: Tone In Albert Camus’ novel, The Stranger, various rhetorical strategies are employed to more effectively enhance the novel. The main attitude the novel emits, the tone, dictates the way the piece is perceived by readers. The apathetic attitude radiating from the protagonist of the novel, Meursault, derives from the existentialist philosophy. This philosophy heavily focuses on indifference, detachment, and the irrationality of the universe. A sense of detachment is detected immediately at the start of the novel, when Meursault first hears word of his mother’s death. Instead of expressing any emotion or concern whatsoever, Meursault remains nonchalant and indifferent. “Mother died today. Or yesterday, maybe, I don’t know,” (1) Meursault states. It’s obvious that Meursault is not heavily affected by his mother’s death. Instead of grieving, he is expressionless and impassive. In displaying this indifference, Meursault challenges the moral standards of society, which dictate that one should grieve over death. The phlegmatic tone of the novel is represented again between the interactions of Meursault and his friend, Marie. Marie desperately craves a relationship of substance with Meursault, and proposes the idea of marriage. Meursault is again indifferent, claiming that “it didn’t really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married” (41). Meursault is also expressionless regarding the concept of love. When responding to Marie’s inquiry, he claims that “it doesn’t mean anything but that I don’t think so” (41). He answers the question bluntly and without expression. In his assertion that love “doesn’t mean anything,” Meursault exhibits one of the central themes of the piece, the meaningless of human life. Meursault again exhibits an impassive tone while in prison. He feels no regret or guilt whatsoever while incarcerated, and only longs
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