In the Mind of an Absurdist

 

    I have never met anyone quite like Meursault. I have been getting to know him through reading The Stranger by Albert Camus (he’s the protagonist in the novel), and I have discovered that his way of life is unique and interesting. He seems to live completely in the present, and his mind is completely consumed by the practical while being perplexed by the abstract. It is his perspective that gives The Stranger its meaning and backbone as an absurdist novel. This point of view also serves as a lens through which absurdism can be analyzed in the context of the novel.

Since The Stranger is written in 1st person subjective point of view, we as the readers can hear Meaurault’s thoughts as he leads us through the story’s events. For example, while at the funeral, we hear him observing that “the countryside had been buzzing with the sound of insects and the crackling of grass.” By knowing Meursult’s thoughts and by experiencing events through his point of view, we see how little thought and importance is given to abstract concepts and how much value is given to the concrete. We also see that Meursault cannot really understand social relationships, and he accepts death without much emotion. Meursault’s perceptions reinforce absurdism's policy of relying on the concrete to navigate life and recognizing the illogical nature of the abstract and the inevitability of death. Since we rely on Meursault to guide us through the story, we cannot help but also see his world in this way.

Meursault uses both indirect and direct discourse in his narrations. When he tells about his discussions with Marie about getting married, he uses indirect discourse, merely summarizing his dialogue, “I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to.” However, he uses direct discourse when saying “no” to Marie’s question of whether or not marriage is serious. Depending on how a line of dialogue is inserted in his narration, the absurdist Meursault shows how important the meaning of the line is, with paraphrased lines being unimportant and direct quotes being important. In this example, the choice of whether or not to marry is deemed unimportant, whereas the lack of sincerity in marriage is seen as important. Mearsault’s opinions on what is important and unimportant mirror the opinions of absurdism, which sees choice as futile and believes that everything abstract, including marriage, is meaningless. Even the mix of indirect and direct discourse in the novel illustrates the disorder and illogicalness in the world that absurdism supports. 

With Meursault as our guide, we can venture into the realm of absurdism that dominates The Stranger and embark on an enlightening adventure.