The Stranger

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Summary: A foreigner in his own life
Review: I don't believe Albert Camus had any that idea that his novel 'The Stranger' would be so popular and timeless when he wrote that book in 1946. It is not a fluke, but he didn't seem to have many aspirations and pretensions when writing this short, but amazing, book.

In a nutshell, 'The Strange' is the story of an Algerian, Mr. Meursault, who loses the strings of his life, and leads a flow of events decide his fate. The narrative begins of the death of his mothers. He is forced to go to the retirement house where she used to live and attend the funeral. In doing so, he feels strange, and doesn't seem to have any tender feeling toward his dead mother-- to the surprise of the local people. Later on he starts dating Marie --but notice he doesn't love her. It is just that it is easier to be with her, than being alone. He ends getting involved with Raymond --who seems to be not very honest. And in an unfortunate event he kills an Arab. That's when his life falls apart. Well, it would, if he was a normal person but he is not.

Camus has created a vivid --albeit lacking in energy and chutzpah -- character to be the protagonist of his novel. Meursault is not a normal person, however he is just the French average Joe of the mid 40s. He doesn't have many aspirations for his life; he lets the flow of events drive his life. The book is so well written that after a couple of pages you really feel upset with him. Is he incapable of showing feelings, or doesn't he have any feelings? These are questions raised throughout the novel, but it seems that the writer never came up with a plain answer to that, because it is not easy.

Like it is stated in the novel 'Everything is true and nothing is true.' Like in life, it is nothing is really one thing. It all depends on a referential to what is true and what is not. Meursault seems to not have this referential. He simply doesn't care about being alive and governing his life. With this Camus shows all that generation angst. They seem to lack strong feelings, or even any kind of feelings.

'The Stranger' is one of the 20th Century classics, one of those books destined to be discussed forever-- because it generates so many different interpretations. More than book, it became a cultural event. It is a novel that deserves multiple readings.

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Summary: a book for the young
Review: I see why this book gets assigned to high school and college kids. Our relatively fancy sapien brain lets us imagine a perfect world of meaning, purpose, and coherence, but young adult life smacks us up against the real world and our own rational, emotional and social limitations. So we get these thoughtful under 40 (Camus was 33 when this was published) writers who often explore a similar set possible reactions: suicide, rejection of an 'absurd' world, black pessimism.

Nonetheless, of all of the examples of this sort of book or story I've read, Camus has written the most puzzling, thought-provoking piece. Read it. Watch your reactions to Meursault in part one, and then in part two, consider if and why they change. Consider if his reasons for what he does or does not do are not in fact similar to ones you've had, even if you do not think yourself so disassociated as he. Consider if his punishment was really so unjust, given his crime and its motivation. Does it matter that the jury's motives were irrelevant? Why? Were they really?

I am not suggesting particular answers, these are the questions that bug me at the moment, having read it. And I LIKE books that leave me thinking long after, thus he gets 4 stars even from somebody who mostly prefers books that do not end hopelessly.

And gee, what would he have written if he had lived longer than 47 years?

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Summary: THE STRANGER IS ALL OF US!!!
Review: The last time I read this book was in undergraduate school--too young at age 17 (I was a univeristy student of English Literature.). At the time, it made very little sense to me; I simply did not have the necessary life experience to appreciate it. I think I understood, on some level, that Nothing/Death/Emptiness/the possibility of Fate was the basic gist of it all, but now I see a whole lot more here.
Now I think that Albert Camus' THE STRANGER is a book more about anonymity, destiny and the absurdity of human life. (Scary)

Now I do understand. (I think.) I fancy myself an Existentialist, but this is difficult reading despite the straight-forward langage, plot and character-development.

I do recommend this book, but probably to people in atleast their late teens--someone who is not afraid to think about the nothingness that may lie beyond death.

I will not be reading this book again. It reminds me too much THE UNDERGROUND MAN (DISTURBING AND ALL ALONE!)

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Summary: Existentialism Embodied in Fiction
Review: The Stranger, or L'Etranger, has indeed been a staple of high school literature classes in the West for a very long time, and for good reason. Its main character, Meursault, is a young man with quite a blasé attitude toward the trivial things in life and is generally disinterested with the contrived conformities that society imposes on people. Even-keeled and even affable, Meursault enjoys interaction with people a great deal; in fact, he thrives on it. But since he sees all things as mere absurdities, he bores with the things of this life very easily. This is a guy who's truly detached from his emotions; as such, he has difficulty feeling, expressing, or even identifying the existence of emotion within himself. Seen through his eyes, there is no grand purpose in life. There is just existence and the experiencing of that existence. He has passion for nothing and lacks convictions of any kind. Regardless of what occurs in his life, "It's all the same to me" he says. In today's Western culture, Meursault would almost certainly be categorized as having been afflicted with Dysthymia, a condition whose effects are known all too well by many young people.

The Stranger begins as Meursault hears word of his mother's death. He makes plans to go to the home for senior citizens where she had lived for a few years to fulfill the duty of attending her burial. Meursault is noticeably lacking any feeling one way or another about his mother's death, and he is generally disinterested with the whole affair, more or less pressing through it begrudgingly. Unbeknownst to him, this lack of sympathy will actually come back to haunt him and ends up contributing to his demise. When Meursault returns home from the funeral procession, he continues to live moment-to-moment as he always has. The choices he makes from here on out have a spontaneous vigor, but they only serve to worsen his fortunes even more. There are unplanned consequences for Meursault's actions in the near future.

As the story moves on, Camus further demonstrates that Meursault isn't really a misfit, as some readers have come to mistakenly believe. Nor is he the product of an indifferent society; rather, he is an original thinker, a free spirit, and an individual who deliberately marches to the beat of his own drum. He doesn't consciously make a choice to be an outcast from society, nor is he rejected by society. He is merely a regular guy who accepts whatever the moment brings, goes about his life unconcerned with trivialities, and doesn't allow the uncontrollable circumstances of life to move him one way or another. He's at ease with that which is, and will continue to be, unknown. Meursault has faith in nothing except that which he experiences and senses. To him, the beauty of life is its absurdity; the illogical events of life and the lack of explanations behind them are embraced without fear or wonder.

From the opening gates, The Stranger champions existential themes, and Camus is very effective in delivering this philosophy with poignant virtuosity. Among the advocates of Existentialism, Camus (along with Sartre) was one of the most important existential authors and thinkers of the 20th century. Well-known for his spirited, concise, and austere style, Camus was soon recognized among erudite circles around the world as a major literary figure. His belief that life's/mankind's condition is absurd clearly identified him with the Existentialists. He was a proponent of the idea that life, in-and-of itself, is meaningless; thus, life's meaning is solely dependant on whatever meaning we attach to it. Camus' writings are chock full of classic representations of Existentialism, which are embodied in the fictional personas or characters he writes about. The Stranger is no exception, as it plainly represents classic Existential themes.

In fact, Meursault himself IS Existentialism manifested to its core. Camus takes great effort to focus on Meursault's uniqueness, indifference, and isolation in a hostile environment. Meursault is unconcerned with notions of morality. For him, the issue of right and wrong is quite relative to each individual's perspective on the matter; but more to the point, Meursault doesn't see things in the context of being moral nor immoral. In fact, he has no use for morality really; consequently he is decidedly amoral. There are no particular categorization, limitations, or boxing-in of possibilities. Indeed, for him, one man's horror is simply another man's delight and vice versa, nothing more, nothing less. Furthermore, because of the fact that Meursault sees the world in these terms, he is absolved from feelings of guilt or remorse. He's able to exist in almost any situation with the same nonchalant, careless manner and laissez-faire point of view on life. His modus operandi represents freedom of choice, regardless of societal principles or views of those choices, with an acceptance of accountability for their consequences.

Though I enjoyed Camus' writing and lucid style, I did find much of the story to be pointless; which is precisely the point actually. Yet, I personally don't find much pleasure in delving into the type of premise that Camus chooses to explore with his philosophy on life; but that doesn't diminish the book itself. It's certainly an important read and much can be learned from it; in particular its themes are deeper understood once you've begun reflecting on it. If you're new to the Existential perspective, The Stranger is a good place to start getting acquainted with it. Even if you don't agree with the philosophy of Existentialism, you'll learn to understand it better and see things from a different perspective. As I see it, having a broad understanding of many things is key to developing an astute intellect and sound discernment.

Take the time to enjoy this book for what it is. Just don't expect a fairy-tale ending. Once you've finished The Stranger, it almost certainly will provoke you to reflect further, but it will not lift your spirits and is as anti-climactic as life itself.

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Summary: Existential Angst
Review: The Stranger (translated from Camus' l'Etranger) is the story of Monsieur Meursault, a Frenchman living in Algeria. He is a normal working-class clerk who enjoys the normal pleasures of life. However, the reader notes his strangely impassive attitude from the opening of the book, where we see his inexplicably detached demeanour in light of news of the death of his mother.

In fact, Meursault is too indifferent to judge any of the events or people that surround him. Accordingly, he does not expect others to judge him either, and the fact that the story focuses on his trial where others examine his life is very ironic.

The trial centres on the events surrounding one of Meursault's trip to the beach at Algiers. Camus has chosen the name Meursault with purpose, with the French for the sun and sea (mer and soleil) which come together here just as they do at the beach where the crucial episode of the story takes place.

Underneath the simple plot, there are many abstract ideas brought forth on prejudice and societal conventions. The most important of these themes is the existentialist philosophy of Camus that is realized by Meursault in the final chapter of the book.

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Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: To the people who gave this book 1 star, I must say that none of you have the faintest idea of the true meaning of the book. Most people claimed it was depressing and lacked emotion. Well news flash, a book isn't good just because it makes you feel happy, and the converse is true as well. The main character lacks emotion for a reason, that is the key to Camus' theme. In his final moments of life, Mersault realizes why his mother became engaged in the twilight of her years. It's because she realizes that she cannot be phased by death. It is predestined that life will come to an end for every human being, and we must learn to shed the false hope that we will live forever. Only than can we truly be free.

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Summary: "L'étranger", quite good as achool-reading!
Review: Meursault, a frenchman living in Algeria (poor guy) lives a normal life. His mother died (does it mather?), he started dating Marie (don't speak of love) and he helped his "friend" Raymond when some Arabs wanted to attack him. He is a complete stranger to others, you don't know what he feels. All you know: he hates hot and sunny places and doesn't understand what he can't smell, touch or eat. Then he kills and is sent to prison. There he finally understands lifes meaning, the absurdity, what it all ment. Is it too late?
I was agreably surprised when I read this book. Usually, what we read in French Litterature is horrible (like Zola, Maupassant, ...) but this was quite nice, perhaps a little boring at times. The story is short and you read it very fast. The characters are quite sympatic, even if Meursault is a little strange.
It's really easy to analyse after you've understood how it works. I got the best marks when I analysed it at school. It's funny to read it after you've analysed it, because the story is much more deeper. It's a fine base for a philosophical debate on the absurdity of life and Camus has got some interessing ideas.
You should really read it in French like I did, it's a lot better and the traslation is sometimes weird.
If you're a teacher and want your class to read something more enjoyable than Zola, choose this book. Some can enjoy it (not me).

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Summary: The Stranger: A Tale for all Time
Review: In the forward to the Mathew Ward edition of this book there is a comment by Camus in which he says that in writing The Stranger he was attempting to write an American book. By that comment, Camus meant that he wanted to write a novel that was easy to read, fast paced, but at the same time full of meaning along the same lines as most of Hemingway's novels. Well, he was definitely successful in accomplishing these goals with The Stranger. Through his character Meresault, Camus is able to make the reader truly see the absurdity of our existence, and he gets us to thinking that maybe, just possibly, we live finite lives. The Stranger though is much more than just a work of existential philosophy, it contains one of the most gripping court trials in literature, putting it on a par for suspense with most present day legal thrillers. Camus is not an author who is going to make you happy to be alive, but he will definitely make you think more about why you're here.

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Summary: Camus' prose
Review: In "The Stranger", Camus develops moves further away from earlier works, in which he himself was too involved in the story. His newfound literary "distance" moves his writing towards the level of his later works, though still mired in a "nihilistic" indolence that characterized his earlier philosophy. The book is written without reference to cognitive states, thoughts, but speaks through its prime symbols, the sea, the sun, and death. In Camus' "A Happy Death", the main character is named "Mersault"-- reminiscient of the sea, like Marie's hair, and where many of the important events in "The Stranger" take place. However, Camus decided not to publish "A Happy Death" and changed his characters name to "Meursault"--'meurs' being the imperative of the french 'mourir'-- 'to die'. Death itself becomes a central and recurrent theme, the book beginning with one of the most famous lines in modern literature: "Mother died today". The Algerian sun plays counterpoint to the human absurdities that continue unabated beneath it: funeral processions, murders. Meursault's only defence is of the sort that 'it was hot outside', thereby tightening the circle of absurdity and the feeling of utter pointlessness which pervades so much of the novel. Camus moved on to other and more poignant themes, such as human solidarity, in his later works, but "The Stranger" stands as the expression of an entire country's sense of helplessness during and after the anti-climax of the second World War, and further, as an authentic and original expression of an author's convictions through the medium of literature as can be found anywhere.

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Summary: Case study or story?
Review: This novel came highly recommended by a friend. I bought it at a used book store, fearing the worst and then regretting paying full price for a work of trash.

Boy, was I wrong! The Stranger is one of the best books I've ever devoured. Albeit, it could have gone into more detail, given the story and the characters more 'meat', however, I can't complain about it's poignant quality.

Mersault: Idiot? Victim? Extraordinary? This is left up to the reader to decide, which I loved. Mersault's actions made me think of the isolation that comes with being different and indifferent. Mersault did not CHOOSE to be indifferent, he was naturally. Or so I assume, because there never was an explanation for his decidedly rotten behavior toward the people close to him.

I think this book's length was a factor in letting the reader make their own judgements regarding Mersault and his place in the theories of nihilism and existentialism. I STILL, after having read the book months ago, haven't made a definite decision. Hopefully, the conclusion won't come any time soon. I'm enjoying mulling the story over in my mind and talking about it with my book-loving friends.

I recommend this book to anyone who is beyond the idle fluff of such writers as Dean Koontz and Jackie Collins. Feed your brain some oxygen. You'll never think the same way about life again. ...