The Stranger

I think Albert Camus had many purposes in writing The Stranger. Not only did he expose his feelings towards the meaninglessness of life, the emphasis on the physical world, and the lack of rationality in the universe, but he managed to create a main character so strange and so distant from the reader that allowed for a certain vulnerability and newfound openness. He successfully revealed how quick we are to judge, and the danger of conforming to society's norms. While it is still debatable whether Meursault is a true hero, it is certain that the reader finishes The Stranger with an odd but sympathetic relationship with Meursault, and a greater understanding of the universe.

What is unclear to me about The Stranger, is whether any element of sacrifice is included at all. While Meursault is very easygoing and tends to go along with any plans his friends have, by no means is he selfless. He does things that other's tell him to simply because he has no reason not to. He doesn't help Raymond because he firmly believes in their friendship or in order to save him - he is even somewhat annoyed when Raymond calls him "pal." He helps Raymond with an attitude of "Why Not?" This attitude carries throughout the novel, coming off as apathetic and indifferent. Meursault does not sacrifice anything for anyone- evident in the fact that he is peeved by how long the journey is to his own mother's funeral. Because this novel is written in first person limited, we are restricted to only Meursault's thoughts, making it very difficult to understand the human nature of other characters in this novel such as Marie, Raymond, and Salamano.

Perhaps the absence of any sign of altruism is Camus' way of expressing that he thinks sacrifice, especially religiously speaking, is not necessary to the functioning of society. (this is also seen in the way Camus' portrays the Chaplin as over the top, narrow minded & judgmental.)

While Camus' uncovered many universal truths and exposed the judgmental aspect of human nature, he did not even address the theme of sacrifice. So, in relation to my big question, I began to wonder, can there be a world without the existence of sacrifice?