Translator's Note

In the passage on p.44 ‘A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so. She looked sad.’ it is evident that Camus's short sentences make it appear that Mearsault does not truly care that he has saddened Marie who is essentially his lover at this moment of the story. Rather than expressing emotion and care towards Marie, Mearsault first tries to defend himself by saying that it did not mean anything, and then only subtly states that she looked sad. However, while it appears that Mearsault does not truly care about the situation, Matthew Ward would argue that Camus is attempting to make a complex man look much more simple. If Mearsault really was such a simple man, he probably would have told Marie that he loved her, whether it was true or not. Instead he hid his inner feelings which appear to be at a tangle. I am not entirely sure that at this moment even Mearsault understands how he feels and while he appears to be a simple man, he is truly conflicted on the inside and is not revealing is true emotions.