Can you think of something you care about or something you can't live without? Whether it’s a family member, a friend, or a pet, everyone has something that they are scared to lose.  However this does not apply to Meursault, the protagonist of Albert Camus’s novel The Stranger. This young man seems to be so unattached to everything that humans can possibly attach to that it might seem scary for normal people like us. Meursault shows his inhumane side and indifference in various events throughout Camus's masterpiece. 

The Stranger first appears to have a storyline consisting of a series of chance encounters in the life of Meursault. The events of the novella, however, point to a grim and oppressive interpretation: in an illogical universe that is unaffected by human pain, people strive valiantly—and frequently fail—to rationally explain reality. Sometimes, they give up on trying to comprehend things completely. Meursault is the embodiment of this reaction to a ridiculous life. He believes he has no control over important occurrences in his life and is unaffected by them. He fails in his quest to become an existential hero.

Firstly, the book starts off with the death of Meursault’s mother, who to most people in the world, is the most important person. Surprisingly, Meursault showed zero emotions and grief and doesn’t even bother to open his mother’s coffin to look at her for one last time. Moreover, after getting home from the funeral, the protagonist decides to go on a date with a girl and watch a comedy. While this might seem ironic at first, it’s quite scary that people can be so unattached and emotionless. It feels like nothing in this world can hurt them. This is what makes the novel disturbing because the reader reads from Meursault’s first-person perspective who is a psychopath and has no emotions whatsoever. This is also where the book gets its title from. Meursault is a stranger to everybody and to everything, just like everybody seems to be a stranger to him. 

However, such behavior is not only pushed by the character in the book. Meursault is like a puppet and Camus is the real person standing behind the plot. When the tension rises in tandem with the rising heat, the plot reaches its climax—the Arab's senseless murder. Camus employs metaphorical language to depict the unbearable heat on the beach, with Meursault experiencing the “blinding light falling from the sky.” His reaction, giving himself the option to leave or remain at the beach, shows that he feels powerless. As far as he is concerned, there is no point in taking any action because it "came too much the same." Once more, Camus highlights the pointlessness of human existence. 

Even in the resolution of the novel, Meursault is still careless, even about his life. As he faces the death penalty, he shows zero signs of fear or regret in committing murder. He concedes that death—whether from natural causes or execution—is inevitable and gives up on the possibility of a reprieve. Because Meursault lacks morality and the trial and punishment are ineffective, he does not feel regret. Ultimately, he experiences a sense of liberation as a result of his perception of the world's "gentle indifference" toward humankind. Through Meursault, Camus asserts that the only path to happiness and freedom is to view the world honestly and come to terms with the fact that it lacks both reason and order.

In conclusion, The Stranger by Albert Camus is an extremely disturbing novel that simultaneously sticks to your hands and doesn’t let you go until you squeeze all the juices out. While reading, you will almost want to peek to the next page just to find out what happens next. However, at the same time, nothing on the next page will make sense until you go through every word on the previous one. That’s when you know that you are holding a masterpiece.