Symbolism In Albert Camus A Stranger

Symbolism helps the author create a message that gives actions and objects a deeper meaning. One action and object can change the way a reader sees the story because they can have more than one meaning. But, the reader can have a different viewpoint to both. Meursault categorizes his feelings with actions and objects of his daily life. After his mother’s funeral he wanted to go for a swim, he explained, “I had a hard time getting up, because I was tired from the day before. While I was shaving, I wondered what i was going to do and I decided to go for a swim,” (Camus pg 19). This quote shows that Meursault is somewhat human after all because humans associate activities with pleasure and enjoyment and Meursault enjoys going for a swim. While …show more content…
Instead, he sees one of the Arabs from earlier in the day. “It occurred to me that all I had to do was turn around and that would be the end of it. But the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, was pressing on my back,” Meursault clarified (Camus pg 58). This shows that the sun was in control of Meursault’s actions. When Meursault is under the beating rays of the sun, he physically needs to cool off. So, he kept on going until he could not take the sun on his back anymore. He grabbed the gun and pulled the trigger, as the heat disappeared from his back. Meursault’s actions work symbolically to highlight his lack of control with his emotions and carelessness of his life. Theme controls every aspect of a story told. But the thing that really controls the production of it is the author, he or she try to find a different meaning behind everything that goes on in their book. If one connects to a reader, they will remember the moral to the story and live from it. Albert Camus chooses the idea behind absurdism to be his major theme. Meursault believes in Absurdism, but does not simply say it. On his way to his mother’s funeral, he fell asleep on the train and awoke explaining, “And when I woke up, I was slumped against