"Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure." -- The opening words of the novel. Camus sets the detached tone from the very start. Meursault, a young French Algier hears his mother's death with no emotions and does not show any grief during the vigil and funeral. His friendship with Raymond, a pimp in his neighborhood leads him to commit a murder. He commits the murder by shooting five times, but actually the intention with which he took Raymond's revolver was to prevent Raymond from rash act. Thus ends the first half. Camus portrays a man who has no emotions, with no ambition in life, but completely honest (speaks his mind) - a total stranger in our society.
The next half of the novel deals with his imprisonment, trial and judgment. He does not want to plead and gets adapted to the prison life. At first he was sure of becoming free and going back to his previous life, but as the trial proceeds his hope wanes. His judgment comes out and he is to be decapitated in the public. He clings on to some hope and believes he might escape the guillotine. As he refuses to see the Chaplain, before the day of execution, Chaplain comes unannounced to his cell. After bearing the Chaplain for sometime, Meursault vents out his anger and the chaplain goes out. Meursault then sleeps and when he wakes up he feels the tender indifference of the world and is ready for his execution.
"It was as if that great rush of anger had washed me clean, emptied me of hope, and gazing up at the dark sky spangled with its signs and stars, for the first time, I laid my heart open to the benign indifference of the universe. To feel it so like myself, indeed, so brotherly, made me realize that I'd been happy, and that I was happy still."
I enjoyed the book. The simple, lucid and elegant writing hooked me up. This is my first book by Camus and I look forward to read more of his works.
The stranger left me pondering!!!
