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Under the French inquisitorial judicial system, an examining magistrate has the role of fact-finding and investigating the details of a case before it is brought to trial. In The Stranger, the examining magistrate undertakes the impossible task of understanding Meursault’s actions in order to make recommendations to the prosecutor, and in the process becomes a stand-in for society’s judgment of Meursault. In their primary interview, the examining magistrate tells Meursault, “What interests me is you.” In other words, the examining magistrate isn’t searching for facts of the murder, but is attempting to understand Meursault, whose behavior he finds inscrutably emotionless. He therefore asks about Meursault’s mother, hoping to see the expected grief. He asks about whether Meursault believes in God, hoping to find the Christianity that he believes is necessary for a meaningful life. The examining magistrate’s resulting anger and fear at Meursault’s unsatisfactory answers comes from Meursault’s refusal to be pinned down in a way the magistrate can understand. He finds Meursault’s lack of emotion so terrifying that he asks him, “Do you want my life to be meaningless?” For the examining magistrate, looking at Meursault is like looking directly at the sun. Within the context of the novel, both are reminders of the truth of the absurdity of life, breaking down any attempt to paper them with comforting meaning.
