Camus' The Stranger: Essay Topic

When I began to read The Stranger, I not only found Meursault's personality and behavior difficult to decipher, but I also strangely felt familiar with the character's perspective of life. Similar to others, introspection for Meursault and I is very difficult to do, but what I believe what makes our perspectives similar is in how we seem to approach to self-analysis and views on emotions and other experiences with a sense of peaceful indifference. This indifference that we experience is not the same as obliviousness though; we do not lack awareness, but we do lack interest in matters. However, to a small degree, we do differ in our perspective of life. Though we both do not convey or relate our emotions in what would seem to be the normal manner, I acknowledge that I can do so, though with difficulty because I struggle to grasp them(I hope to clarify this point in my essay, so as to not dish out the full analysis); he, on the other hand, can acknowledge that he has great difficulty in doing so, but he influences the reader into believing that he may not have the ability to relate his emotions. Another point in which we differ is how social conventions influence us. Whether it involves introspection, behavior, manners, relations, I am very much influenced to act in accordance with social conventions; if not, then I wouldn't do so. Yet, Meursault is not tempted to conform. He offers his perspective on life in a very objective manner and one of the few indications of his opinion or emotions is his observation of nature. Perhaps, for the Camus essay, I will focus on the mechanics of Meursault's mind and how that relates very much to his observations of nature and the outside, human world, away from prison, focusing on the idea of "peaceful indifference". I would probably use my perspective on life, specifically on the last moments in high school have felt so important, and yet so uninteresting.