The Stranger

The Stranger

By Albert Camus

Review by Shelby

Before you read this, you need to know that Albert Camus was an existentialist. An existentitalist does not care that they got killed in a car (Camus got killed in a car) because they are not aware that life is completely and utterly fabulous and beautiful. We read a packet thing on Albert Camus and his picture in there and I must say, he looked rather dashing and mysterious even though he seemed short.


The Stranger is about this guy named Mersault, who is unaware that his life is fabulous. His mom just died, and he doesn't care, because "everyone dies". He's in this fabulous relationship with Marie (who is obviously pretty because she wants to marry him and Mersault is hot (trust me he is) and that adds to his life being fabulous and it gives a greater disappointment that he doesn't know it). But anyway I think Marie is cool because she's a nice girl but she eventually gives up on Meursault and realizes he won't really love her. Yeah, she visits him and jail and writes him some, but then she's like, You don't even miss me? Well to 'ell with you then.

This guy's DOG runs away/dies and the guy cares more about his dog than Mersault cares about his mom.

Anyway, Mersault was walking on the sunny Algerian coast, probably looking fabulous in whatever bathing suits early-mid-1900s men wore, and because the sun gets in his eyes he shoots this Arab guy. And he's not even sorry, it just happened, it was because of the sun.

The Stranger is a book worth reading because it gives you a not-so-normal point of view. The book is told first-person, through the eyes of Mersault. So you think his life is normal, but really, if the book's narrator was a third-person omniscient one, you would see that it's Drama DORAMA all around. I love Meursault still though. Because he is fabulously nonchalant even though that makes him an unfeeling "monster".

If you ever read this and (God forbid) have to write an essay about it, two symbols in the book are the Sun and heat(DER) and groups of people judging Meursault (His mom's friend at her vigil and the jury). Also the old guy serves as a grief-foil for Meursault or something like that. That wouldn't help you, but the essay questions we actually got came straight off of SparkNotes. The internet is corrupting even the most traditional teachers!