France controlled Algeria from 1830 to 1962 and in 1954, Algerians revolted for freedom. The Stranger takes place about ten years before the Algerian War during the time period where tensions between the French immigrants and native Algerians were at an all time high. Camus portrays this tension through Meursault and Raymond's discriminatory behavior towards the Arabs. An example of this is when Meursault says "When he told me the woman's name I realized she was Moorish" (32). I did some extra research and discovered that in European culture, especially French and Portuguese, calling a Muslim a Moor has become an offensive term in the past 100 years. Meursault calls the woman a "moor" so casually, almost without a thought, which shows how the French immigrants were raised/taught to use derogatory terms towards Arabs. Camus illustrates how the Arabs were viewed as second-class citizens.
Camus also spotlights this discrimination through Meursault's interpretation of the Arabs. The Arabs are often described as standing affair, not doing anything, yet Meursault sees them as a threat. A prime example of this is "I saw a group of Arabs leaning against the front of the tobacconist's shop. They were staring at us in silence, but in that way of theirs, as if we were nothing but stones or dead trees" (48). When Meursault says "in that way of theirs", Meursault is stereotyping Arabs as all behaving the same. Meursault speaks of the Arabs as if they were criminals, just for staring or looking at something. Camus creates this racism to show the reader how the French immigrants were raised to perceive Arabs as less than themselves.
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