Death

As I started reflecting back upon The Stranger, I noticed an overarching theme that kept showing up throughout the book: death. Almost all parts of the book have to deal with different attitudes towards death and coping with the inevitable decay of life. Salamano and his dog are both in failing health (in other words, in the process of dying) and they love each other. While Salamano is incredibly cruel to his dog, he genuinely loves it and helps ease its pain as it inevitably grows older. This contrasts Meursault’s treatment of Maman; he leaves her in a home to die.

Also, Meursault’s view of death as an absolute end to life, where one’s body decays in the ground and the soul does not travel on, comes into conflict with the views of others. His indifferent attitude applies to human death; he regards it as an inevitable fact of life. He argues vehemently with the chaplain, who preaches the idea of a necessary afterlife. His views seem to be an extension of his matter-of-fact opinions of the world. His own impending death makes him evaluate his firm views, and he realizes that he does not want to die. This makes him reflect upon something he never gave thought to earlier. When his mother died, he did not think about it. When he shot the Arab, he did not think about it. When he first went on trial, and a death sentence was possible, he did not think about what that would mean to him or to others, such as Marie. Camus uses Meursault’s looming death as a vehicle for him to finally think, to finally evaluate himself and his life. After sitting in prison for days without thinking about much of anything, he finally breaks out of his indifference and starts caring.