Albert Camus - The Stranger

I recently finished reading The Stranger by Albert Camus and it was very — odd. I don't enjoy books that do not have a definite ending and this one fell right into that category. The book itself was very complex, not the writing itself but the character, Meursalt. There were so many reasons for why Meursalt was the way he was but none of those felt just right.  The language at the beginning is surely indicative to the kind of character Meursalt is, but by the end we see a drastic change. From using extremely basic language to somewhat advanced syntax was notable. I came to the conclusion about Meursalt that maybe what was so peculiar about him that maybe there wasn't anything peculiar about him. He had not ambition or desire like the other characters. There are moments when he is, quite literally, doing nothing. On the other hand, the other characters each seem to have something to do or want. Raymond want's to hurt the girl that betrayed him and Marie wants to marry Meursalt, but Meursalt clearly has no desire to do anything but go on with his life. Although, by the end when he faces death we see the most "human" Meursalt has been throughout the book. He spewed a dramatic stream of emotion and anger that was shocking because he hadn't displayed this kind of emotion when his mother died or even when he shot the Arab. In the end, Meursalt is definitely a dynamic character and it's extremely unfortunate he was ordered to be beheaded in front of everyone just when he seemed to discover a new side of emotion. I write this to you 30 minutes from my biology exam because I know what I know and I don't know what I don't know, bye :).

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