The Stranger Essay Outline
Prompt: In Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, a portion of the prologue reads, “I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. […] It is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination — indeed, everything and anything except me” (Ellison 3). In what ways can this excerpt be an appropriate description of Meursault? What does it elucidate about Meursault’s character, and is it a perfect description for the man himself?
Thesis: The excerpt from the prologue of Invisible Man can also be a description of Meursault from The Stranger because people and society do not see Meursault for who he actually is, which is someone who values the fulfillment of his basic needs and distances himself from emotions.
- “I remembered that it was Sunday, and that bothered me: I don’t like Sundays. So I rolled over, tried to find the salty smell of Marie’s hair had left on the pillow, and slept until ten. Then I smoked a few cigarettes, still in bed, till noon. I didn't feel like having lunch at Céleste’s like I usually did because they’d be sure To ask questions and I don’t like that. I fixed myself some eggs and ate them out of the pan, without bread because I didn’t have any left and I didn’t feel like going downstairs to buy some” (21).
- Meursault is self centered, which is seen by his overuse of the word “I” and how much he focuses on himself and not others, such as Marie, who just hurriedly left, or Céleste, who is most likely worried about Meursault.
- His priorities are the basic necessities for life, such as food and sleep, and not the feelings he may or may not have for Marie.
- He avoids others as much as possible, choosing instead to stay by himself in his apartment as opposed to going out to have lunch or buy bread.
- “‘We put the cover on, but I’m supposed to unscrew the casket so you can see her.’ He was moving toward the casket when I stopped him. He said, ‘You don’t want to?’ I answered, ‘No.’ He was quiet , and I was embarrassed because I felt I shouldn’t have said that. He looked at me and then asked, ‘Why not?’ but without criticizing, as if he just wanted to know. I said, ‘I don’t know.’ He started twirling his mustache, and then without looking at me, again he said, ‘I understand’” (6).
- The caretaker of the facility Meursault’s mother lived in is confused by Meursault’s behavior. He expects Meursault to more visibly mourn his mother and perform normal tasks, such as seeing the body. However, Meursault is not mournful and views the funeral as a break from work, and his actions puzzle the caretaker, but Meursault sees no reason to cry or see the body.
- “That evening Marie came by to see me and asked if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to. Then she wanted to know if I loved her. I answered the same way I had last time, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t love her. ‘So why marry me, then?’ she said. I explained to her that it didn’t really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married” (41).
- The answer that is expected from Meursault is that he wants to marry her and that he loves her because they are in a relationship. However, he avoids emotions, especially strong ones, such as love, so he does not actually care whether or not they get married, which is not typical for most people, who, at the very least, want to be in a romantic relationship with another person.
- “Then he told me that as a matter of fact he wanted to ask my advice about the whole business, because I was a man, I knew about things, and then we’d be pals. I didn’t say anything, and he asked me again if I wanted to be pals. I said it was fine with me: he seemed pleased. He got out the blood sausage, fried it up, and set out glasses, plates, knives, and forks, and two bottles of wine” (29).
- Raymond attempts to form a connection with Meursault and ask him for advice about a relationship he is in, but Meursault does not really care about Raymond or his issues. The reason Meursault is even with Raymond is because Raymond offered him food and wine, which is Meursault’s main concern.
- “He said that he had peered into it [Meursault’s soul] and that he had found nothing, gentlemen of the jury. He said the truth was that I didn’t have a soul and that nothing human, not one of the moral principles that govern men’s hearts, was within my reach. […] He went so far as to hope that human justice would mete out punishment unflinchingly. But he wasn’t afraid to say it: my callousness inspired in him a horror nearly greater than that which he felt at the crime of parricide. And also according to him, a man who is morally guilty of killing his mother severs himself from society in the same way as the man who raises a murderous hand against the father who begat him” (101-102).
- The prosecutor makes the assumption that Meursault is evil and inhumane not only because he killed a man, but also because Meursault did not cry at his mother’s funeral, which is a completely unrelated incident. The prosecutor draws the conclusion that Meursault is emotionless, which he is, and that this therefore makes Meursault a monster, which is debatable. Because Meursault did not cry at his mother’s funeral, which is the normal response, he is condemned as a cold-blooded killer.
- “He was expressing his certainty that my appeal would be granted, but I was carrying the burden of a sin from which I had to free myself. According to him, human justice was nothing and divine justice was everything. I pointed out that it was the former that had condemned me. His response was that I didn’t know what a sin was. All they had told me was that I was guilty. I was guilty, I was paying for it, and nothing more could be asked of me” (118).
- The priest is confused by Meursault’s unwillingness to accept religion before his death, but Meursault does not believe in God because God is not a tangible force, and Meursault refuses the embrace anything that does not apply to his physical needs.
