This will be later followed by other authors, such as Paul Bowles’ The Sheltering Sky (Hauhart, 2016). Camus sets a trend among writers when describing North African settings thanks to the use of highly evocative images. This scene is dominated by continuous images of sand, the sea or the sky. The culmination of these climatic descriptions arrives with the killing of the Arab. He feels completely integrated when relating to natural phenomena but feels his otherness when experimenting with sensations that go beyond the physical world (Hernández, 2012). As the plot unfolds, Meursault is more aware of the landscapes than he is of human feelings and attributes. Since the protagonist is emotionally detached, he finds a connection with his physical surroundings. These references are made by Meursault who avoids thoughts of his mother’s death. For example, there are continuous references to the sun, the sea, the sky, and the sand from the beginning of the novel. Since the artist is not able to define the world, the task is relegated to natural elements. Meursault claims his freedom by showing indifference to any kind of emotional situation (Mahdi, 2019).Ĭamus uses symbolism to frame themes of existential choice and individual responsibility. He embodies the absurd hero just like Sisyphus did in Greek mythology since he does not follow any conventional rules. For example, the main protagonist, Meursault, is one of the most important eccentricities of the book. Therefore, the narration contains a wide range of motifs and symbols that refer to different elements of philosophy. At first, the novel has a simple appearance, but it is the result of an extremely well-crafted plot. Therefore, it is closely related to the Myth of Sisyphus in which the homonymous protagonist is condemned to repeat endlessly a meaningless task of pushing a stone up a hill. According to Viggiani (1959), the novel is an example of the author’s outlook on the philosophy of the absurd. The Stranger has been the center of several debates since its publishing in 1942. Both existentialism and the philosophy of the absurd presented a situation where human life had lost any sense and many identified with that notion (Hernández, 2012). The French readers saw in Meursault a reflection of their meaningless existence and so did the rest of the European public. These issues were perceived as the product of an irrational and amoral world which made the perfect scenario for the novel’s reception. Camus was one of the most significant writers of his generation and the general impact of the novel on the public was impressive because of phenomena, such as terrorism or war.
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