Stranger Among Us by Lynn

Stranger Among Us by Lynn - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

I recently read The Stranger, by Albert Camus, for my literature class. Even before the class was assigned to decode the characters and their actions, I fell in love with the main character, Meursualt. I started out hating him, disliking his insensitivity and the fact that he focused on details I found insignificant. Many times the conversations after class revolved around Meursualt and the “boring” book we were forced to read. We disliked the way he dealt with the people around him, even his deceased mother. Somewhere along the way, reading chapter after chapter, I understood and sympathized with Meursualt. At the very end, I was hoping, alongside Meursualt, that he would be set free, raged with him against the priest, and regretted his conclusion that it would be best to welcome his upcoming death.

Meursualt teaches us a truth about perspective. His distance from others is his own way of caring. He doesn’t like to get close to people; he doesn’t like conflict. To the outside world, he is unemotional. To the Judge, Jury, and some witnesses, Meursualt had a cold heart and was inhumane. To his lover Marie, he was charming but a little cold. To his friends Salamano and Raymond, he was kind and a good buddy. Meursualt was in a relationship that had developed to the point that he had agreed to marry Marie. He comforted Salamano when Salamano’s dog ran off. He helped Raymond with his girlfriend and ended up killing for him. Meursualt made me realize that the outcast has feelings too. He made me uncover the fact that love and mourning come in all types.