This is not a new book; however, anyone who wants a story that is more off the beaten path, give The Stranger a go.
Written by Albert Camus and originally published in 1942, The Stranger tells the story of Meursault, an Algerian who is more than a little disconnected with life. We begin at his mother's funeral. For most of us, this is a somber moment that will often lead to reflection (at the very least). Meursault on the other hand doesn't care. Not even a bit. His actions are more aligned with a sociopathic egotist than a grieving son. He refuses to see the body and decides to smoke and have a cup of coffee right in front of the coffin. Why not, right? It's only your mom's funeral.
To boot, he runs into Marie, an old friend and former co-worker and he decides to leave and well...have some fun. Turns out he really doesn't care about her much either! So at this point we can paint Meursault with an apathetic brush- he's listless at best and has little to no sense of altruistic behavior. AAANNNDDD it only gets worse...
His buddy Raymond wants revenge. Meursault helps him. Meursault's lady friend wants love. He doesn't reciprocate. His moral compass isn't pointed north or south, but I doubt its existence at all. This leads to the watershed moment- a murder. Meursault kills a character, "The Arab" who is trailing Raymond and plotting his own revenge for what Raymond did to his sister. The Arab's run in with Meursault is tragic for both characters. Meursault shoots him and although the first bullet would have been enough, he fires again and again.
This, of course, lands him in jail and although his lawyer assures him of a quick and easy trial. The judge finds Meursault as a cold, lifeless, emotionless human who shows no regard for the sanctity of human life. He is sentenced to death....
Throughout his conversations with the priest that visits him, we see Meursault descend deeper into the nihilistic vision he has perpetuated throughout the novel. Here's the thing, we're all Meursault. At some point we encounter a hardship that makes us want to just sip coffee in front of a coffin...ok bad analogy, but it's true. The great part about Camus' writing is he takes us into a world that we might not recognized ourselves as inhabiting until we see Meursault's actions and live through his antics. Not that we take it as far as he did, but Meursault's assault on God and the paradox of the meaningless universe at the very least makes us think (even if we disagree).
The Stranger can be depressing to some and absurd to others. There's nothing wrong with either so long as the you attempt to expand the character's purpose.
His buddy Raymond wants revenge. Meursault helps him. Meursault's lady friend wants love. He doesn't reciprocate. His moral compass isn't pointed north or south, but I doubt its existence at all. This leads to the watershed moment- a murder. Meursault kills a character, "The Arab" who is trailing Raymond and plotting his own revenge for what Raymond did to his sister. The Arab's run in with Meursault is tragic for both characters. Meursault shoots him and although the first bullet would have been enough, he fires again and again.
This, of course, lands him in jail and although his lawyer assures him of a quick and easy trial. The judge finds Meursault as a cold, lifeless, emotionless human who shows no regard for the sanctity of human life. He is sentenced to death....
Throughout his conversations with the priest that visits him, we see Meursault descend deeper into the nihilistic vision he has perpetuated throughout the novel. Here's the thing, we're all Meursault. At some point we encounter a hardship that makes us want to just sip coffee in front of a coffin...ok bad analogy, but it's true. The great part about Camus' writing is he takes us into a world that we might not recognized ourselves as inhabiting until we see Meursault's actions and live through his antics. Not that we take it as far as he did, but Meursault's assault on God and the paradox of the meaningless universe at the very least makes us think (even if we disagree).
The Stranger can be depressing to some and absurd to others. There's nothing wrong with either so long as the you attempt to expand the character's purpose.
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