Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. How do we know
the world of
The Stranger is irrational? How do
different characters react to this irrationality?
2. How do Meursault's
and Marie's views of their relationship differ?
3. Compare Meursault
to Raymond Sintes. How are the two neighbors different? How are
they similar?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Trace the development of Meursault's
philosophy. How does he come to open himself to “the gentle indifference
of the world”? What spurs his revelation? How do earlier events
in the novel prepare us to expect it?
2. We see characters in the book
solely through Meursault's eyes, but Meursault typically tells us
very little. Using the information that Meursault provides, analyze
a character such as Marie and Raymond. What level of insight does Meursault
provide into these characters' personalities?
3. Compare and contrast the relationship
between Salamano and his dog with the relationship between Meursault
and his mother. What are the similarities? Which is more loving?
4. Discuss the style of The
Stranger. How does Meursault's language correspond to the
subjects he describes? Does it evolve or change as the novel goes
on? Does the stripped-down prose of the novel's first half limit
its expressive power?
5. Is Meursault really a threat
to his society? Does he deserve the death penalty? Is he more or
less dangerous than a criminal who commits a crime with clear motive?
6. In his jail cell, Meursault
finds an old newspaper article about a Czechoslovakian man who is
murdered by his mother and sister. How does this article relate
to Meursault's own trial for murder? How does this article expand
the themes in The Stranger? How does it support
Camus's philosophy of the absurd?
7. Analyze the passages describing
Meursault's walk down the beach before he kills the Arab. How does
Camus build tension in the passage? How is it different from the
passages preceding it? Meursault says at his trial that he killed
the Arab because of the sun. Is this explanation at all valid?
