The Stranger #2

                Camus writes, “I said I didn’t think anything but that it was interesting” (32). This response, however, comes after  Raymond, Meursault’s neighbor, has just outlined an elaborate story about his feelings and abuse towards a woman. All Meursault musters is an expression of indifference. He listens to the entire story and solely responds by saying that he has no opinion. Moreover, this is not a one-time occurrence for Meursault; he uses this attitude of indifference in describing pretty much everything going on in his life. He paints himself as a simple, stationary observer in a world where everything is moving. Even in a decision as pivotal as marriage, he gives a disinterested response: “it didn’t really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married” (41). It didn’t really matter? His marriage has no impact on his life? Meursault has taken on a very detached persona that is immensely frustrating for a reader trying to understand him. He removes himself from every situation and becomes just another spectator. He is witnessing his life rather than living it.