The Stranger by Albert Camus Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Stranger
Book Review: A dreary modern classic
Summary: 3 Stars
Camus captures the nihilistic, narcissistic mindset of 20th century man hauntingly, simply, and without apology. His protagonist Meursault is a man with very little thought beyond his own physical comfort or discomfort. His reflections rarely even go deep enough to ascertain his own motivations and feelings, much less those of others. The only time real emotion is elicited from him is when a priest visits him and urges him to believe in God, in an afterlife, in something more and with purpose. Meursault suddenly snaps and begins shouting. Finally something has touched his soul, which had been untouched by love for his mother, the love of his girlfriend, or the murder of a man.
The Stranger is a modern classic and those who wish to call themselves well-read should read it for that reason alone. To become a classic, however, it had to reach deeper, to address some basic human thought or motivation. In this case, Camus shows us the end result of a philosophy that sees no hope, no direction, no point to life or the things associated with it. This is nihilism, and it leaves us despairing -- and glad to close the cover on the book and know that we are not nihilists.
Book Review: A dreary picture of the absurdist's universe
Summary: 2 Stars
The Stranger, written by absurdist philosopher and (obviously) novelist Albert Camus, is quite unlike any other book you will ever read: but do not mistake this originality for any innate worth.
Indeed, if one were to draw worth from this novel, it's that it shows the logical and psychological consequences of accepting the absurdist idealogy, which states that Life is entirely absurd and pointless, and what one does makes no difference at all. The only thing precisely comparable of which I am aware of is, perhaps, Notes From Underground, although there are still many notable differences. Within the framework of this desolate philosophy we are witness to the tale of Meursault. I won't regurgiate the basic plot line here, as the other Amazon reviewers have kindly taken it upon themselves to state it as such from every different angle.
The one thing I will vouch for in this book is his use of language. It is clear, cold, objective, and precise; it lacks entirely any notion of passion, desire, or even life. Why then, would I praise it? Because this style allows us to see the world as it is through the clear, dead eyes of Meursault; what we see in the book are his impressions entirely sifted through the filter of his philosophy on life. It's difficult to write prose that is both passionately eloquent and precise, and yet its even more difficult to write something with no passion or beauty at all, yet with a barren eloquence and precision that is the mark of the most disciplined type of mind. The feeling it gives me is the same feeling I have when I read The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles. Hopelessness prevails in this cruel universe of his. I can say that I don't share his universe, but I can certainely empathize with it, for I see it all around me every day. Perhaps there is no better work to show the emptiness that has prevailed in the 20th century.
Why, then, the low score? Because this book has little if no positive worth at all. It's extremely unenjoyable to read, and one isn't able to catch a grain of meaning in this work... although, to be fair, it is a work about the nonexistence of meaning. It does accomplish what it sets out to accomplish, but what is the point of a book like this? Some books record the prevailing feeling of an era and some books wallow in it. This book wallows in the meaninglessness of Meursault's life, with no attempt to rationalize or justify this horrific mindset: why, at the very least Notes From Underground is used to depict what happens when man is abandoned by God, and the author's vision grows to offer a solution to the ailment afflicting all underground men in his later work; indeed, within Karamazov's Alyosha there grows a hope to escape the isolation surrounding the characters and their essential time period. Camus does not see this mindset as an ailment, however. He sees it as the natural state of existence. Now, it's certainely his right to believe whatever he wants and to write about his beliefs, but I can see very little reason to read this novel independently unless you're seeking to read well-written books, regardless of their meaninglessness.
A classic indeed, but not all classics are good works of literature.
Book Review: A foreigner in his own life
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't believe Albert Camus had any that idea that his novel `The Stranger' would be so popular and timeless when he wrote that book in 1946. It is not a fluke, but he didn't seem to have many aspirations and pretensions when writing this short, but amazing, book. In a nutshell, `The Strange' is the story of an Algerian, Mr. Meursault, who loses the strings of his life, and leads a flow of events decide his fate. The narrative begins of the death of his mothers. He is forced to go to the retirement house where she used to live and attend the funeral. In doing so, he feels strange, and doesn't seem to have any tender feeling toward his dead mother-- to the surprise of the local people. Later on he starts dating Marie --but notice he doesn't love her. It is just that it is easier to be with her, than being alone. He ends getting involved with Raymond --who seems to be not very honest. And in an unfortunate event he kills an Arab. That's when his life falls apart. Well, it would, if he was a normal person but he is not.
Camus has created a vivid --albeit lacking in energy and chutzpah -- character to be the protagonist of his novel. Meursault is not a normal person, however he is just the French average Joe of the mid 40s. He doesn't have many aspirations for his life; he lets the flow of events drive his life. The book is so well written that after a couple of pages you really feel upset with him. Is he incapable of showing feelings, or doesn't he have any feelings? These are questions raised throughout the novel, but it seems that the writer never came up with a plain answer to that, because it is not easy.
Like it is stated in the novel `Everything is true and nothing is true.' Like in life, it is nothing is really one thing. It all depends on a referential to what is true and what is not. Meursault seems to not have this referential. He simply doesn't care about being alive and governing his life. With this Camus shows all that generation angst. They seem to lack strong feelings, or even any kind of feelings.
`The Stranger' is one of the 20th Century classics, one of those books destined to be discussed forever-- because it generates so many different interpretations. More than book, it became a cultural event. It is a novel that deserves multiple readings.
Book Review: A good book that you can get a lot of meaning out of.
Summary: 5 Stars
Albert Camus describes in great detail what this man is thinking through the book. The Stranger is an interesting novel honestly expressing the theory of existentialism. This great book shows what this mans life is like in and out of jail.Book Review: A haunting insight into the prevailance of injustice
Summary: 5 Stars
At first this was just one of those books assigned to read during tenth grade English. The sheer immediacy of the tale changed that. This book is philosophical to the hilt, questioning the general concept of reality itself. The reader begins to mistrust everything, especially government rule and its version of justice. A true revolutionary novel and one of the best written, ever, hands down.