Written Assignment
Prompt: Explore the impact the setting has on the development of the text.
The novel takes place in a village in French Algeria, which happened to be where the author, Camus was born. Throughout the whole novel, there are overall three settings, French Algeria, Meursault’s apartment, and the beach. The setting has a great impact on the development of the text for many reasons. The setting gives us an understanding of the characters as well.
In the 1830s, the French began to invade Algeria and eventually conquered the country. The Stranger takes place around the 1940s, by this time Algeria has now become French Algeria and is colonized. The Arabs at this point in time where treated very poorly, they were segregated in …show more content…
The sun and the heat play a big role in the novel. When Meursault and the others are at the beach, and Meursault is relaxed, drinking and smoking a cigarette but then the sun comes and he seems to hate it. Meursault describes his hatred toward the sun in chapter 6 when he says, “ I felt a blast of its hot breath strike my face. I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists in my trouser pockets, and strained every nerve in order to overcome the sun” (p57). Meursault or Camus at these times in the text tends to become very specific and detailed. Meursault continues to constantly reference the sun at this point and makes a reference to Maman funeral as well. He says that the sun the day he killed the Arabs was the same as the day Maman was buried. The sun was so overwhelming that it ultimately drove Meursault to commit murder. “ The light shot off the steel and it was like a long flashing blade cutting at my forehead[...] all I could feel were the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead”(p57). Even during the trial when the magistrate asked why he paused he paused between the first and second shot he has a flashback to where “once again I could see the red sand and feel the burning of the sun on my forehead”(p67). If the novel had been anywhere else there would be no story, nor …show more content…
How Camus chose Raymond and Salamano as Meursault’s. Raymond is a troublemaker but is important because Meursault becomes friends with him and that is what leads him to go to the beach. Raymond is also the reason the Arab is dead, being that he started the whole conflict with the group of Arabs and their sister. Raymond drags Meursault in his life immediately once he asked Meursault to write the letter to his Arab mistress and Meursault agreed. He was also the one who wanted revenge and had the gun, Meursault took it from Raymond so he did not kill the Arab, ironic. Salmon was in the novel as another neighbor because he, in a way was some Meursault could talk to and relate to after the death of his mother. When Salamano lost his dog Meursault sat and helped him through it, “I noticed old Salamano standing on the doorstep [...] I asked him where his dog was. He snapped at me and said he was gone [...] For some reason I thought of Maman.”(p39) This conversation between Meursault and Salamano is one of the first times we see Meursault’s mood change and see the Meursault can be sincere and show
Prompt: Explore the impact the setting has on the development of the text.
The novel takes place in a village in French Algeria, which happened to be where the author, Camus was born. Throughout the whole novel, there are overall three settings, French Algeria, Meursault’s apartment, and the beach. The setting has a great impact on the development of the text for many reasons. The setting gives us an understanding of the characters as well.
In the 1830s, the French began to invade Algeria and eventually conquered the country. The Stranger takes place around the 1940s, by this time Algeria has now become French Algeria and is colonized. The Arabs at this point in time where treated very poorly, they were segregated in …show more content…
The sun and the heat play a big role in the novel. When Meursault and the others are at the beach, and Meursault is relaxed, drinking and smoking a cigarette but then the sun comes and he seems to hate it. Meursault describes his hatred toward the sun in chapter 6 when he says, “ I felt a blast of its hot breath strike my face. I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists in my trouser pockets, and strained every nerve in order to overcome the sun” (p57). Meursault or Camus at these times in the text tends to become very specific and detailed. Meursault continues to constantly reference the sun at this point and makes a reference to Maman funeral as well. He says that the sun the day he killed the Arabs was the same as the day Maman was buried. The sun was so overwhelming that it ultimately drove Meursault to commit murder. “ The light shot off the steel and it was like a long flashing blade cutting at my forehead[...] all I could feel were the cymbals of sunlight crashing on my forehead”(p57). Even during the trial when the magistrate asked why he paused he paused between the first and second shot he has a flashback to where “once again I could see the red sand and feel the burning of the sun on my forehead”(p67). If the novel had been anywhere else there would be no story, nor …show more content…
How Camus chose Raymond and Salamano as Meursault’s. Raymond is a troublemaker but is important because Meursault becomes friends with him and that is what leads him to go to the beach. Raymond is also the reason the Arab is dead, being that he started the whole conflict with the group of Arabs and their sister. Raymond drags Meursault in his life immediately once he asked Meursault to write the letter to his Arab mistress and Meursault agreed. He was also the one who wanted revenge and had the gun, Meursault took it from Raymond so he did not kill the Arab, ironic. Salmon was in the novel as another neighbor because he, in a way was some Meursault could talk to and relate to after the death of his mother. When Salamano lost his dog Meursault sat and helped him through it, “I noticed old Salamano standing on the doorstep [...] I asked him where his dog was. He snapped at me and said he was gone [...] For some reason I thought of Maman.”(p39) This conversation between Meursault and Salamano is one of the first times we see Meursault’s mood change and see the Meursault can be sincere and show