The Stranger, by Albert Camus (5)

from the back cover: “A terrifying picture of a man victimized by life itself”

wow. apparently the reviewer/publisher missed the point of the book. ???

the French philosopher (and great writer, btw) Albert Camus gives us a main character, the narrator, who feels no attachment to the world, no real emotions to speak of at all. he is a man that lives entirely in the present, with hardly any thought to the future, and no real thought to the past. he is very “in the moment”, or rather, caught up in the physical sensations of the moment, and, even though he is an educated, intelligent, hard working man- he does not reflect on his world or his actions or his own self.

and because of this, his life takes what at first seems to be a dramatic turn, leading to his ultimate undoing. looking back, however, it was hardly inevitable after all.

Camus is making a point. it is not enough to live “in the moment”. the moment is connected to the past and future; the moment exists in a greater context with all of time and with all other people in the moment. and emotions play a great role in this; they are our connections to the world.

Meursault (Mer-soh) _{(Camus= ca-moo)} is, from the start, a very odd fellow because of his disconnection from life, even as he is immersed in the sensations of the moment. what he is disconnected from, ultimately, is any kind of purpose whatsoever. he makes choices passively, not kenning moral issues or what most of us would call basic humanity. but he is not a victim. Meursault makes choices, and he faces the consequences of his choices and his actions. to think of him as a victim is to misunderstand as much of Meursault’s life as Meursault did himself.

this is a very thought-provoking piece; if it interests you, you might read also The Fall by Camus (wherein the main character reflects too much and is thus out of balance with his life ina different way). or look up existentialism in general :D

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