The Stranger

I picked it up, and only paused my reading to sleep, upon reaching Part Two. Each line, each character, each description felt incredibly deliberate. The book's prose beckoned me to ingest and digest its meaning, interwoven within the thoughts of one of many interpretations of the Absurd Man. Here, he is Mersault, who, instead of grappling with events like his mother's passing, is more concerned with annoyance (at least during Part One). Where his absurdity lies is in his lack of truth. This is hinted at by his lawyer, who references his case as one where everything and nothing is true. He lacks values. He lacks feelings. His life is ruled by whatever seems more convenient, and, therefore, lacks agency or conviction. Living things are all the same to him- dog and man, violent criminal and honest proletariat. This being his nature confounds those around him, and bemuses the reader. Ironically, the guy is annoying in his avoidance of annoyance. However, that is the point. We accompany him as he notices this about himself, as the people in the courtroom react to his appearance, words, and actions. He realizes he is hated. Finally, after a revealing tangent verbally clawed out by a narrow-minded priest, he takes solace in being hated.

This is a very interesting tale, one I may have to pick up again to fully grasp. I enjoyed it.