Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors
used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
The Courtroom
In the courtroom drama that comprises the second half
of The Stranger, the court symbolizes society as
a whole. The law functions as the will of the people, and the jury
sits in judgment on behalf of the entire community. In The
Stranger, Camus strengthens this court-as-society symbolism
by having nearly every one of the minor characters from the first
half of the novel reappear as a witness in the courtroom. Also,
the court’s attempts to construct a logical explanation for Meursault’s
crime symbolize humanity’s attempts to find rational explanations
for the irrational events of the universe. These attempts, which
Camus believed futile, exemplify the absurdity Camus outlined in
his philosophy.
The Crucifix
The crucifix that the examining magistrate waves at Meursault
symbolizes Christianity, which stands in opposition to Camus’s absurdist
world view. Whereas absurdism is based on the idea that human life
is irrational and purposeless, Christianity conceives of a rational order
for the universe based on God’s creation and direction of the world,
and it invests human life with higher metaphysical meaning.
The crucifix also symbolizes rational belief structures
in general. The chaplain’s insistence that Meursault turn to God
does not necessarily represent a desire that Meursault accept specifically
Christian beliefs so much as a desire that he embrace the principle
of a meaningful universe in general. When Meursault defies the magistrate
by rejecting Christianity, he implicitly rejects all systems that seek
to define a rational order within human existence. This defiance
causes Meursault to be branded a threat to social order.
