Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The Stranger, Journal 3

All titles of the book The Stranger, The Foreigner, and The Outsider to me represent someone who has not adapted to the norms of society. Basically they are different, so they are being called an "outsider", a "foreigner" or even a "stranger". These titles of the book can be connected to two different characters. One connection I made was to Mersault. Mersault knows what the social normalities are in society and he knows that he should follow them, but he still completely disregards them. In a sense, Mersault is a stranger and an outsider to the world. He does not fit in. Also, Mersault is technically a foreigner. Mersault is of French descent and he lives in Algeria, an Arab nation occupied by the French. Mersault is a foreigner who has taken over Arab land and is part of the white race that dominates Algeria.
I also viewed the "Arab" as the stranger, the outsider, or the foreigner. Camus never identities who this Arab is and he never even gives him a name. I found this odd because this Arab plays such a vital role in the novel, yet he is a complete stranger to us. We have no idea who he is and what he is even doing at the beach, yet Camus is able to create this Arab out to be a criminal. During the 1940s, all Arab Algerians were looked upon as outsiders by the higher class, which mainly consisted of the French. Arabs were outsiders and foreigners of society, even though Algeria was their native land.
In my opinion, I think the title of the book connects with the nameless Arab more than Mersault, but several connections can be made for both.

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