"The Stranger" is a novel by Albert Camus that describes the life of a man who is very different from the rest of the world. The novel takes place in French Algeria in the 1940s. The passage was chosen because it creates a tension between Meursault 's feelings and the feelings of the reader. Camus uses a wide variety of literary features such as visual imagery and metaphors to portray the tensions. This passage occurs in Part 1, when Meursault and Raymond have dinner together at Raymond 's apartment. Raymond requests for Meursault to write a letter to his mistress asking her to come back. Meursault fulfills Raymond 's request and this creates a bond between Meursault and Raymond. This passage begins being very passive with an absent of tension
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When Meursault says "He remarked how quickly the time passed, and in a way it was true", this tells the reader that even though Meursault claims he agrees with Raymond, there is still some skepticism about what he thinks, and is not sure if he totally agrees. Another literary feature that Camus uses is visual imagery when Meursault "must have looked tired" (33). Even though Meursault is tired, he does not realize it because his mind is on something else (Raymond). At the end of the passage, Meursault leaves the room and just stands there in the dark. Even though Meursault makes a new friend, he does not seem very happy because he describes his surroundings as "dank" (33). This metaphor is relating the air around Meursault to a creepy feeling that he received after making a new friend. This proves that Meursault is not totally comfortable with the fact that he now is bound to Raymond because of the letter he wrote. Meursault also could only "hear the blood pounding in my ears" (33). This compares the blood in his body to violent, physical, and rough actions. This shows that Meursault 's blood pressure is high which can lead us to infer that Meursault is feeling different. High blood pressure is a result of being nervous, scared, or having stress which demonstrates the feelings Meursault has towards Raymond. Camus characterizes Meursault as a dead body when Meursault "stood there motionless" (33). This is because of Raymond and the dinner they had together. The
When Meursault says "He remarked how quickly the time passed, and in a way it was true", this tells the reader that even though Meursault claims he agrees with Raymond, there is still some skepticism about what he thinks, and is not sure if he totally agrees. Another literary feature that Camus uses is visual imagery when Meursault "must have looked tired" (33). Even though Meursault is tired, he does not realize it because his mind is on something else (Raymond). At the end of the passage, Meursault leaves the room and just stands there in the dark. Even though Meursault makes a new friend, he does not seem very happy because he describes his surroundings as "dank" (33). This metaphor is relating the air around Meursault to a creepy feeling that he received after making a new friend. This proves that Meursault is not totally comfortable with the fact that he now is bound to Raymond because of the letter he wrote. Meursault also could only "hear the blood pounding in my ears" (33). This compares the blood in his body to violent, physical, and rough actions. This shows that Meursault 's blood pressure is high which can lead us to infer that Meursault is feeling different. High blood pressure is a result of being nervous, scared, or having stress which demonstrates the feelings Meursault has towards Raymond. Camus characterizes Meursault as a dead body when Meursault "stood there motionless" (33). This is because of Raymond and the dinner they had together. The