AP Essay "The Stranger" by Albert Camus--Blog Post #6

Use a character from The Stranger by Albert Camus to respond to the AP prompt below: 

Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might - on the basis of the character's actions alone - be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.
Meursault, the protagonist of The Stranger by Albert Camus, is a very controversial character developed throughout the whole work. Meursault is a very peculiar character, and while Camus presents him as likable, his actions take away a lot from that likeability. While Meursault actions certainly make him look evil or immoral, we perceive him more sympathetically because he is the narrator of the story and views the world from a unique indifferent perspective, and sometimes he doesn’t understand the gravity of his actions in the society he lives in.

When reading The Stranger the readers feel closer to Meursault, and therefore like him more, because he is the narrator of the story and we see the development of the plot from his perspective. Seeing the plot and his actions from his own indifferent perspective allows us to comprehend his reasoning and why he does what he does. Sometimes his actions aren’t pertinent, or correct, but his reasoning and way of thinking make them looks as fair, pragmatic ones.

Meursault’s indifference leads to his inability, or he just doesn’t care, to understand other’s perceptions of him and his actions. For example, when he shoots the Arab on the beach it is not because he was being threatened, but rather because the heat was making him tired, and a reflection of the sun was blinding him, so he just shot him, as it was the more pragmatic solution. Meursault doesn’t see this action as something grave, but rather as unimportant, and doesn’t understand why he is put on jail. Another example, which is probably clearer, is when he doesn’t cry at his mother’s funeral. Everyone who attended expected him to cry, but he didn’t, he was just there because it was what was ‘right’ to do. He didn’t even want to go to his mother’s funeral in the first place, as the journey from his home was ‘tiring’. Both examples illustrate Meursault’s indifference towards society, and his inability for empathy, which lead to other’s labeling him as suffering from some kind of psychological condition, and eventually leads to his imprisonment.

Meursault’s actions in The Stranger are indisputably out of the norm, and label him as evil or immoral. However by showing the readers Meursault’s perspective and indifference, Camus creates a feeling of sympathy towards Meursault in the readers.