Is Meursault like everyone else? “One of the family?

No, he is not like everyone else. He does not conform to society’s norms and morals and he
behaves differently from the other characters in the novel. In the trial, he is described as a
monster, since he is a danger and threat to society because of his different behavior. He is
indifferent and does not care about life, since he knows that whatever happens, he cannot avoid
death.

How does Meursault react when he is taken to jail? Is he aware that he is a criminal?

For the most part, Meursault reacts to his confinement in prison with characteristic indifference.
Most important, his imprisonment does not incite any guilt or regret over what he has done. He
focuses on his practical details in the jail, rather than the emotional elements from this
experience. I believe that he is now aware that he is a criminal since he does not understand why
he was so seriously taken after he commited the crime.

What evidence does the court gather regarding Meursault’s case?

Over the period when he waits for his trial in jail, the court gathers evidence from the people in
the home where his mother was put. They testify against Meursault’s lack of remorse and
emotions on the day when his mother died. The undertaker’s assistant says that he did not even
know how old his mother was and the director of the home argued that Madame meursault was
not happy with her son’s decision to put her in a home, and he also says that he was particularly
calm during her funeral and did not cry once. Meursault's reaction to this is that these people in
the courthouse must hate him. His trial is basically about his lack of emotion and indifference
during his mother’s funeral.

In what way is Meursault the stranger in Part II?

In my opinion, he is the stranger in part II because of ​th​ e prosecutor’s last comment on

Meursault’s behavior which is that Meursault’s obvious intelligence and lack of remorse are
evidence of premeditated murder and that the prosecutor alleges that Meursault’s lack of grief
over his mother’s death threatens the moral basis of society. In a moral sense, the prosecutor
argues, Meursault is just as guilty as the man who killed his own father. This makes Meursault
different that most people in society and he gets the death penalty, showing that he is a stranger
to society, who must not continue living and endangering other people’s lifes.

Identify at least five examples of irony.

There are four types of irony in the novel: verbal, dramatic, situational and structural irony.
Verbal irony in the novel is seen in the beginning of the novel when the caretaker tells Meursault
that she will leave, however, she does not. Dramatic irony occurs when the caretaker is trying to
explain the woman’s grief to Meursault. However, we are inside Meursault’s thoughts and know
that he feels no need for the explanation because he is annoyed by the woman instead of
concerned for her. Structural irony occurs when Meursault’s feelings of guilt and paranoia make
him feel judged. However, we know Meursault has an unreliable perception of others’ feelings
and views, so this idea of him being judged is most likely false. Situational irony occurs when
Meursault helps Raymond and becomes his friend. We see many examples of Meursault
behaving as an isolationist, but he is still capable of making a friend. This act is contrary to his
other behaviors. The last example of irony is when salamano beats and swears at his dog, but he
cries and is truly sad when he loses the dog, which is ironic because he seemed not to care for
him, when in fact, he did.

Identify at least five examples of absurdity.

Meursault’s response to his mother’s death, his defense for killing the Arab and shooting 5 times,
the killing itself, no meaning for life (his relationship with Marie who loves him and he does not
even love her), his lack of emotions and reactions in important situations (how he acts when he is
given the opportunity to be promoted).

Identify the central themes of the novel.

The irrationality of the Universe, the meaninglessness of human life, and the importance of the
physical world, as well as the absurdity that prevails in the novel.

How does Meursault justify his not crying for Maman’s death?

The lawyer asks if Meursault was sad at his mother’s burial, and Meursault responds that he does
not usually analyze himself. He says that though he probably did love his mother, “that didn’t
mean anything.” Also, he says that​ h​ e loved her as much as anyone.

Discuss the role of memory.

Meursault discovers that the more he remembers, the more he is able to remember and concludes
that even after a single day's experience in the outside world, if a man were imprisoned for the
rest of his life, if he could recall, in the minutest detail, everything about that day, he could fill all
his time with memory and not be defeated by boredom.

"…the more I thought about it, the more I dug out of my memory things I had overlooked or
forgotten. I realized then that a man who had lived only one day could easily live for a hundred
years in prison. He would have enough memories to keep him from being bored."

The role of memory is to help the character reflect on what he did, however he uses memory to
describe his old apartment and show what he focuses on (detalts, instead of important things).

How does the trial proceed?

There are many people in the courtroom and he is surprised to see some of them. People who
knew his mother from the home take the stand and testify against meursault. Then his friends
testify and in his closing argument, the prosecutor cites Meursault’s obvious intelligence and
lack of remorse as evidence of premeditated murder. The judge asks him to clarify the
motivation for killing the Arab and he answers that it was because of the sun. In the end,
Meursault is found guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced to death by guillotine.

Paradoxically, is Meursault the absurd tragic hero?

He does have some characteristics of a tragic hero, as in the jail he has a revelation about life and
he is sentenced to be killed, however, it can be argued if he would be considered as a tragic hero,
since he does not regret killing the Arab, however, even before he commits the crime, he suffers
by knowing that life is meaningless and that he could not avoid that, but at the same time he does
not have any emotions regarding this. He is also not a hero, because he can be considered an
antagonist in the novel to some, and his death does not have an impact on the audience, despite
the message he portrays.

Is Meursault a “moral monster,” the way the prosecutor describes him?

To an extent. He is a monster because of his actions and behavior but he is​ neither ​moral​ nor
immoral. Rather, he ​is​ amoral, he simply ​does​ not make the distinction between good and bad in
his own mind. ... When ​Meursault accepts​ “the gentle indifference of the world,” he finds peace
with himself and with the society around him, and his development as a character ​is​ complete.

The crowd in the courtroom exclaims that this type of human cannot be real.

They can’t believe his indifference because it is so different for how everyone behaves.

Should Meursault be allowed to speak for himself? (Eventually, he is the one to hang.)

Yes, the judge should hear his explanations and also his view and opinion on what happened. He
may have a different explanation for everything that he did, which may eventually alter his
punishment. He still had friends who cared for him, which tells us that he was not completely not
stable, even though he was probably a sociopath. In any way, he should be allowed to speak for
himself, as everyone should.

What is your reaction to Meursault’s verdict?

I was surprised by his verdict simply because he was prosecuted upon his emotions and
indifference during his mother's funeral, rather than the fact that he killed a person because of an
apparent reason. I also believe that a long prison sentence would have been more appropriate, or
maybe he may have been sent to a mental institution because it can be argued that he was not
mentally stable. However, as a person who does not fight for his life, a death penalty might have
been the best option, because probably, he would have not appreciated the last days of his life if
that did not happen.
According to the prosecutor, Meursault is not allowed to have acted without intent if he is
intelligent. Is Meursault intelligent?

The prosecutor tells the jury that Meursault is an intelligent and literate man. On these grounds,
he rejects the idea that Meursault did not know what he was doing.He is intelligent. We can
conclude that he was a great worker, working his job well, by the fact that he was even offered a
promotion. Also, he was well educated, he was just odd. Maybe he was so intelligent that he
viewed the world differently because of this fact.

What are Meursault’s final thoughts as he is being led to the execution?

Should we feel sorry for him?

I don’t think that we should feel sorry for him because in the end, he knew that his death was
coming sooner or later. He did not feel sorry for himself, so I don’t think that we should feel
sorry for him. In the end, the message that he gives raises deeper philosophical questions about
life, which are valid and are asked in many absurd novels.

What does Meursault have to remember?

He has to remember that he is different from the other people, so if he wants to survive in a
world like this, he has to adapt in this world and understand that other people do have a meaning
in life. He needs to conform to society in order to survive and be accepted. He also needs to
accept the fact that he can still have a meaningful life for which he will be happy, even if he
knows that he will eventually die.

How can Meursault explain that he has never felt remorse for anything?

He can explain his philosophy about life and his reason for behaving in this way. Maybe in that
way, other people may understand him better and help him slightly change how he feels and
behaves.

What has Meursault realized by the end of the novel?

At the end of ​The Stranger​, Meursault is able to die happy because he is able to come to terms
with himself as a constituent part of existence, and so live authentically. In a night before his
execution, Meursault practically melts into the existing world he perceives, as his senses are
filled by the smell, look, and sound of the night.