The Stranger (originally L’Étranger, 1942) by Albert Camus is a landmark existential novel that explores absurdism through the detached, indifferent life of its protagonist, Meursault, a French Algerian. The novel opens with the death of Meursault’s mother, an event he reacts to with emotional detachment. His passive, indifferent attitude continues through a series of life events, including his romantic relationship, a violent confrontation, and, eventually, a murder he commits almost incidentally.
The second half of the book focuses on his trial, which becomes less about the crime and more about society’s judgment of Meursault’s character, especially his lack of conventional emotion. Camus uses Meursault’s experience to explore the absurdity of life and the human desire for meaning in a universe that offers none.
