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Analysis Of Meursault In The Stranger

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In Camus’s The Stranger, Meursault is a detached man who shows the reader from his own perspective his experiences of living outside of society’s expectations. Although Meursault finds comfort in living with his own standards, he finds that it is impossible for him to be treated fairly by those who live in accordance with society’s expectations. Thus, Meursault suffers from society's judgment and eventually loses his life.
During Meursault’s trial for the killing of an Arab, the reader can see how Meursault’s indifferent attitude and moral ambiguity is at odds with society's behavior expectations after the prosecutor and witnesses describe Meursault's behavior during his mother's waking and funeral as “calm.” (85). The courtroom itself is a symbol of society’s judgement on those who do not follow society's behavioral expectations and this is why the prosecutor is able to successfully paint Meursault as cold-hearted in the eyes of the jury who are judging based on society's standards and not Meursault’s philosophy. To society, a normal personal is to outwardly love and cherish their mother and the death of one's mother should bring noticeable pain and anguish and anything lesser than this is viewed as heartless. When the prosecutor made it known that Meursault put his mother in a home, this was meant to be the first evidence used to prove that Meursault was so cold blooded that he did not even care about his mother's elderly condition. The prosecutor brought the Director of

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