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The Stranger3

In The Stranger, Meursaults murder of the Arab is caused not only by the weather, but also by coincidence, the same way in which Meursault lives his life. The defining events in The Stranger are set in motion by Meursault's murder of the Arab on a bright and sunny day. While going to get a drink of water, the foreign Arab uses a knife to shine the sunlight in Meursault's face. This forces Meursault to fire and kill the Arab with a revolver. Throughout this scene the sun and light play crucial roles, but it is not the first time the sun appears during The Stranger. Throughout the play, the sun is a symbol for the feelings and emotions, which Meursault cannot deal with. The sun becomes a distraction from Meursault's everyday life and he cannot handle it. The sun first presents a problem to Meursault at his mother's funeral procession. Even before the procession embarks, Meursault remarks of the sun, calling it "inhuman and oppressive." Meursault has shown no emotion towards his mother's death and instead he directs his bottled-up anxiety at the sun. Later, at the beach with Raymond, the sun provokes Meursault to commit the crime. Throughout the novel, coincidence also plays a part in Meursaults murder of the Arab. His encounter with the Arab shows how the presence of other people in his life makes absolutely no impression on him. His entire life is shaped by happenstance. Taking the Arabs life was something he did as a natural reaction; he pulled the trigger thinking it was justified. For Meursault it was as simple as asking the Arab to stop, but instead, Meursault kills him, without remorse. Albert Camus portrays Meursault, as aloof, detached, and unemotional. He does not think much about events or their consequences, nor does he express much feeling in relationships or during emotional times. His satisfaction comes above everything else in his life and controls everything he does. Anything that occurs without being a direct plan of Me...

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