The Stranger Essay Intro Paragraph

In The Stranger, Camus effectively illustrates Meursault through simplified language to make him appear much less complicated than he actually is. While from a narrator or exterior viewpoint Meursault exemplifies an uninterested and unaware person, ultimately Meursault's ability to analyze distinct situations and people around him convey his complicated nature. It appears that as Meursault's story progresses, ultimately he fails to even understand his own self and his actions; he is constantly analyzing everything around him that he can not even contemplate himself. Camus most effectively reveals Meursault as a complicated character through the way he handles his mother's death and also through his actions during his trial. While most people would mourn during their mother's passing, Meursault oppositely acts rather normal and appears extremely detached from his mother completely. Although this scene from a narrator's viewpoint would make Meursault's actions convey a much more simplified character, rather this illustrates his inability to understand himself and moreso his complicated life. Furthermore, during the trial scene, Meursault's inability to pay attention while his life was on the line attention while his life is being decided conveys his unexplained actions. Although Meursault may seem simple through an outward view because of his actions, he is contrarily rather complicated as seen through the way he handles his mother's death and his prison case.