Publisher: Éditions Gallimard Pages: 119 Genre: French, Classics Published: 1942-01-01 Original Language: French
Meursault will not pretend. After the death of his mother, everyone is shocked when he shows no sadness. And when he commits a random act of violence in Algiers, society is baffled. Why would this seemingly law-abiding bachelor do such a thing? And why does he show no remorse even when it could save his life? His refusal to satisfy the feelings of others only increases his guilt in the eyes of the law. Soon Meursault discovers that he is being tried not simply for his crime, but for his lack of emotion - a reaction that condemns him for being an outsider. For Meursault, this is an insult to his reason and a betrayal of his hopes; for Camus it encapsulates the absurdity of life.
Read in English Rating: 4/5 Review:
The Outsider is a book I really enjoyed reading. There was something about the sterile nature of the narration that really appealed to me, and then, and since, I’ve come to really enjoy first-person perspectives from people who it might be easy to describe as insane, but who, when reading their perspectives, might be surprisingly justified in thinking about things the way they do.
