The Stanger
...e is that Meursault’s mother is dead, but not in Meursault’s eyes. Nearly anyone among today’s society would show an extensive concern over the death of any loved one. Everyone has only one mother, and Meursault’s lack of concern shows why he is considered “different” with a normal society. Meursault’s pessimistic attitude is another way Camus shows how detached from real life Meursault is. His pessimistic attitude is shown mostly towards the end of the novel. As Meursault has been sentenced to death as a consequence to his crime, he acts passive and somewhat carefree. He begins to see his life as having a past, present, and future, and concludes that there is no difference between dying soon by execution and dying decades later by natural causes. After speaking with the chaplain, Meursault no longer views his upcoming execution with hope or despair. He accepts death as an inevitable fact and looks forward to it with peace. Meursault’s lack of concern over his death sentence implies that his trial and conviction were pointless. If he had shown emotion, such as remorse, during the trial, it would show that his punishment was justified. Once again, his lack of concern and pessimism show how he is different with today’s society. These two incidents point out how Meursault acts differently with his behaviors of pessimism and indifference. Many people in today’s society do not act like Meursault. They do not view society with Meursault’s carefree attitude. Most people show emotion, their opinion. As Meursault shows neither the audience would view this character as an outcast. His pessimism on death is somewhat scary. Many people would look towards death with fear. Meursault remains indifferent and looks at death as being another part of life, which is it. To Meursault, live is nothing special. To him if he died at ten it would be the same as dying at eighty. People today value their life. Nearly everyone wants to live a long and prosperous life. They want to be successful. Meursault’s pessimistic views and indifference, without a doubt, are looked at with abnormality. It was interesting the techniques Camus used that made Meursault act unlike most human beings are expected to act. This character had the most pessimistic attitude that allowed for him to be perceived as “different” to the audi...