I would suggest that L'Etranger is widely studied because it raises (albeit crudely) interesting perspectives on the relation of the individual to society. There are few books where we experience the world through the eyes of a near-completely objective narrator, and in this respect Camus' novel can alert us to the conventions we are instinctively attuned to, and react against when ignored: such as not showing grief at a relative's funeral, even if they meant little to us, or showing indifference to a marriage proposal. Yet while the outsider is an interesting model in principle, his dispassionate attitude to the events in his life robs the narrative of all pace; ultimately one feels at the end of the novel that if being an individual entails such a lack of zest for life, it might be preferable to be a suppressed cog in the wheel.


Life as the Other   July 6, 2002
 4 out of 12 found this review helpful

This is a moving account of one mans quest for an ultimate truth, not one borne of religious ideology, philosophy or rational reasoning, but one found through passionate contact with everything one comes into contact with.

Life lived completely.


Can you handle the truth?   April 29, 2002
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This is a short and poignant look at someone very much like many of us, who is struggling to come to terms with his own identity - and attempting to escape the clutches of the 'machine'.

The machine is the conformity and 'normality' which surrounds us, how we should behave within our society. The Outsider - Meursault, rejects this idea. Why should he show false emotions which he does not feel, simply because he is expected to?
At first this is shown when he does not cry or want to look at his Mother after her death. Because he does not feel sadness he is ultimatly condemned by people who believe he should have.
At first Meursault may seem like a very cold and calculating character on the surface, but underneath this image you begin to see that Camus has created a man not devoid of emotions, but actually someone who has accepted the harsh reality of the 'human struggle'. Through his actions he comes to terms with what the majority of people will not accept. I can understand why someone reading this would think otherwise and say how can anyone suggest a cold-blooded killer has possibly reached this 'higher' state of mind? I would say they are missing the point the author is trying to make, although it is a credit to Camus that you will struggle with this idea and at times throughout the novel change your opinion of the central character.

This is a great book for any existential thinkers, it touches upon many social and religious issues without being too heavy and also examines human and 'divine' justice. It will ultimatly leave you pondering for many days about your own existance, almost in a disturbing way. I think Camus intended this, but I think he also hoped it would leave the reader with a sense of clarification over certain issues.