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The Stranger

eived by the social body as monstrous, as the outer limit of the human order and a threat to the social one" (Schneider 173).

Certainly Meursault takes many actions and expresses many opinions that appear, seen through the lens of bourgeois society, monstrous. Marie, Meursault's girlfriend, suggests that they get married. The societal expectation is that love ought to be the primary driving force in the relationship, that marriage is a grave and sacred responsibility, and that one approaches marriage with the appropriately profound respect. Meursault, in his casual, disinterested way, rejects these premises. His response to Marie is marked by indifference, though his intentions are not cruel:

Marie came that evening and asked me if I'd marry her. I said I didn't mind; if she was keen on it, we'd get married.

Then she asked me again if I loved her. I replied, much as before, that her question meant nothing or next to nothing--but I supposed I didn't--(Camus 52).

Meursault is not being malicious in this passage. He does not intend offense. He is merely adhering to his own code of behavior. The reader may be shocked at his apparent lack of love

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The Stranger. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 16:00, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1704142.html