The Stranger By John Camus - 1262 Words

Death, as an integral part of life, should be accepted and respected. However, in The Stranger, Meursault views death almost joyously, going through life without care or consideration, as death to him is nothing but inevitable. His opinion on death creates his identity, his own personality mirroring the carefree opinion of death that he holds. Throughout The Stranger, Camus employs symbolism of Meursault’s surroundings to convey the absurdity of life that is central to Meursault’s identity, causing his actions against society’s strict moral code, until his eventual realization when finally faced with death himself. Starting at the beginning of the novel, a harsh contrast between light and dark surrounds Maman’s death, symbolizing†¦show more content†¦As Meursault initially approaches the man, he comes to the realization that â€Å"The sun was the same as it had been the day [he’d] buried Maman, and like then, [his] forehead especially was hurting [him], all the veins in it throbbing under the skin† (Camus 58-59). The connection between the sun on the day of his mother’s death to the day he killed the man supplements the symbol of death, as the two events become increasingly intertwined, making the presence of the sun undeniably significant. For instance, following his mother’s death, while Meursault attends the vigil, he notes that the room is too bright and too loud. Later in the book, his discomfort with the sun is again repeated and amplified, as Meursault is driven to a point of near delusion as he walks towards the man on the beach through tortu rous heat, â€Å"pressing down on [him] and making it hard for [him] to go on. And every time [he] felt a blast of its hot breath strike [his] face, [he] gritted [his] teeth, clenched [his] fists in [his] trouser pockets, and strained every nerve in order to overcome the sun and the thick drunkenness it was spilling over [him]† (Camus 57). In both instances, the surroundings are filled with a heavy feeling of suspense and heat, the sun inflicting horrible pain on Meursault, making him practically incapable of rational thought until he ultimately actsShow MoreRelatedThe Pathetic Fallacy in Camus’ the Stranger and Yoshimoto’s Kitchen1624 Words   |  7 PagesThe Pathetic Fallacy in Camus’ The Stranger and Yoshimoto’s Kitchen English A1 – Higher Level World Literature Paper 1 Ojiugo Nneoma UCHE Candidate Number: 1415-068 1480 Words May 2010 In Camus’ The Stranger, and Yoshimoto’s Kitchen, both authors use the literary technique of pathetic fallacy – a branch of personification – which gives to the weather and physical world, human attributes. 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