Question 3

In literature, themes are oftentimes intertwined, with one complementing the other or brining out more of it. The most important characteristics of a theme can be brought out or expounded by the presence of another, either dominating or more subtle subtheme. Death plays such a vital role. Mortality, dying, and death give meaning to a character’s life, augment other themes, and provide fictional encounters to generate emotions, plot twists, mysteries, and suspense. Death is among the most central themes that ultimately give way to other dominant observations ranging from grief, to celebration of life, justice, and rites of passage. Authors in literature use death as a dominating factor and theme to elicit emotional responses in the audience. In The Stranger, the role of death is basically to augment the major themes that include French colonialism, alienation, and absurdity. Set in Algiers in the 1940s, The Stranger features the life of a young man, Meursault, living an empty and dull life. It is obvious that Meursault takes little to no pleasure in living.

In The Stranger, the entire setting is based on a foundation of death, starting with the death of the protagonist’s mother. Through the death of Meursault’s mother, the book sets a somewhat somber and dark mood and casts a gloomy spell on the audience. The visualization of Meursault from the narration and his character traits emerge as those of a very gloomy and dark young man. Through the death of the mother, the expectation is that Meursault would show emotions and perhaps expose his character to the reader. However, he grows more reserved, quite, prefers solitude, and does not display much passion for life. It is noted that Meursault, immediately after his mother’s burial, goes swimming in a public beach. He comes out as very lazy, not a serious thinker, and one who generally has a very neutral lifestyle in regard to qualities of life. He is very indifferent when it comes to matters of human importance. His social life, economic, and cultural livelihoods seem to mean nothing to him. For example, he agrees to almost anything he is told by those known to him. Starting from his mother’s death, it is clear that he had no relationship with his mother. He agrees for a non-family member to attend her burial, later agrees to testify in court on behalf of another person, and casually agrees to marry Marie despite being unaware of whether or not he loves her.

Through the events of the book, Meursault’s character becomes more complex. He is very hard to understand. The theme of death is ever looming, even as he shoots and kills a person for no apparent reason. He is not remorseful and seems to take on the same emotional deficiency that was witnessed through the death and burial of his mother. He did not show any signs of grief. Death, to Meursault, seems like a welcome idea. He is named “monsieur Antichrist” due to his refusal to accept the existence of God. He seems to adapt well to prison life, the isolation from the rest of the world is a relief for him. He sleeps very well and has adjusted accordingly to life without other elements present in normal life. The concept of death and murder continue to linger even though Meursault seems oblivious to the fact that he shot and killed another person.

It is important to note that death is an important element in understanding who Meursault is in terms of his character and what he holds dear. He did not grief after the death of his mother. Also, he was not remorseful after he shot and killed a person who had not wronged him. He fits the profile of an emotionally absent person. Death is used in The Stranger to bring out the character of Meursault as a monster. It is also a great way to reveal societal expectations on grief and its position on conflict. Therefore, death expounds on and reinforces other themes in the book, including societal positions on various matters, relationships, and human interactions. The absurdity of Meursault’s life and his life choices are also further developed by the presence of death. As a result, Meursault is found guilty of a gruesome murder, lack of remorse, and is termed a general threat to society. He is sentenced to death, a sentence performed through beheading, chosen to make a point regarding the position of the society.

In summary, death highlights Meursault’s detached, plain, subtly ironic, and sober tone. Through death, his point of view and that of society seem to be in conflict. He is adamant that the world should only be seen in the physical full of events that define an action and a response. This explains why he does not see a big deal in death or even taking another life. The society sees the world differently. It sees life beyond the physical to include the mental, emotional, and spiritual. It has rational explanations and expectations on life. Overall, death is used to better define the themes and motifs including human life and its meaninglessness, irrationality of positions held in life, importance of living in the moment, and relationships and conflicting points of view. Without death, all of the major themes mentioned herein would not be as apparent as they come out. Death helps in augmenting them and reinforcing the use of said themes to influence the position of the reader.

Reference

Camus, A., & McCarthy, P. (2004). The stranger. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.