1. What is your reaction to Meursault's approach to life? How is your own approach to life similar to and/or different from his? What advice would you offer to him? Do you personally know any Meursault types?
Meursault’s approach to life remained consistent throughout the novel. The word that came to my mind to describe his approach to life is indifference. He had a nonchalant and superficial view about his relationships with people and life circumstances. Meursault’s view of society is that it owed him nothing, therefore he owed nothing to anyone. He viewed people as interchangeable parts, one being easily adaptable and replaceable by another. An example of this is when he indicated to Marie that he would marry any other woman who might have been in her situation at the time.
As I was reading the novel, I was anxiously awaiting the stranger character to enter the story. The character never did. Halfway through the book, I realized that the title refers to Meursault’s own estrangement from society. He was the stranger I was looking for. The title also refers to the stranger that he killed. It is evident the Arab was a stranger to …show more content…
Taking someone’s life can never be justified. Ironically, Meursault blamed this heinous killing on the hot glaring sun, as it beat down on his face and the sudden glared of the sun in the knife. It was an independent act, which had no bearing on the fight that occurred with Raymond and the Arab prior. He showed no sign of premeditation and at the end, no remorse. He knew the last four shots were not necessary, but he realized that the extra bullets would not make any difference since his life would change drastically anyway from that point on. Meursault knew that he was in his right mind as he was committing the murder, and that he would be paying the consequences either