The Stranger Epilogue

The following is an epilogue to Albert Camus’s The Stranger, an existentialist novel where the main character, Meursault, comes face to face with the reality of the Absurd. Being sentenced to death, not because of the murder he committed but because of his radical worldview, Meursault remains true to his belief that there is no God, no meaning, and no hope to the life he lives. Meursault, at the end of the novel, shares his last wish; that at his death, he would have one last bit of companionship, even if that companionship is in people greeting him with shouts of execration. I hope, in this piece, to allude to the crucifixion of Jesus, and to the two others on the cross of either side of Jesus. And I come to pose the questions: is this the end for Meursault, does he truly reject Love and the Gospel to the end, or will he finally break down, …show more content…
It was in this pause that I realized who the man was: Jesus. He was suffering and climbing the endless hill. For what? For who? It seemed absurd. What had he done? In his eyes I saw no imperfection, no flaw. I only saw pure Love: Love so grand it felt like my insides would shatter. As he turned back to his journey up Calvary, I heard the cries of hate from the crown around us. It seemed the crowd had multiplied immensely. I had never felt so alone. Turning back, I saw the thief who had rode with me. His face was hardened. He looked throughout the crowd, nodding as they spat Jesus and cursed him.
Reaching the top, exhaustion flooded over me. My cries of pain from the practice of the crucifixion mixed with those of the thief and Jesus. I had never felt to much pain. In this moment, I longed for my mother. I wanted to feel the security of her arms, the safe calm wash over me. I wanted to feel a love like she did when she was so close to death. Tears sprung to my eyes and I grieved my mother. I grieved her loss and I grieved my apathy. My body felt crushed and I could barely