The Stranger Paragraph 1

In Camus' The Stranger, fragmented sentence structure reflects Meursault's dull and self-centered personality. Amongst the tragic loss of his mother, Meursault merely comments on the devastating event rather than expressing the typical sadness brought on by the death of the one that brought him Iife. "Maman died today. It was hot" (Camus 3). Acknowledging the death of his mother then immediately changing the subject to his own discomfort powerfully portrays Meursault's selfishness. The physical heat causing Meursault to be uncomfortable contrasts his cold-hearted nature. When a few of Maman's close friends are brought in to mourn the death Meursault continuously analyzes them instead of embracing the love they all shared for his mother. "They got up. I was tired" (Camus 12). As the group may have been tired due to the long mourning of Maman, Meursault is only worried about being tired to his lack of sleep. Camus effectively sets Meursault's characteristic early in the novel by the short, yet revealing, sentence structure.