From L’Étranger
1. Why is Meursault’s trial unlike other trials in French colonies? How do factors such as race
affect the verdict?
2. How does Meursault’s dispassion/lack of emotion play into his eventual downfall? Does
Meursault portray an existentialist attitude? How does Meursault’s attitude affect his
relationship with others?
3. The heat is generally associated with Meursault’s rash decision making. What other
archetypes and/or symbols does Camus use to portray Meursault’s emotional conscience? Do
these literary elements have any further significance, or are they simply a means of adding a
colorful blanketing over The Strangers’ morbid themes?
4. Given Meursault’s personality and mental capacities, do you believe that he would be an
effective soldier on the western front of World War One? Consider the values of stoicism and
camaraderie in the front lines.
5. What does Camus mean when he writes, "I learned that even after a single day’s experience of
the outside world a man could easily live a hundred years in prison." Is this an existential tenet
depicted by Meursault?
6. During the whole text Meursault is an existentialist. Do you believe that on the brink of death
he finally breaks free from his emotionless shackles and can finally be free? Or that the weight
of recent events has finally caught up with him and rendered him insane?
7. "The absurd" is an important element of existentialism. How does the pressuring idea of the
absurd influence Meursault’s emotional output and his effectiveness in decision making?
8. How does Meursault lack emotion in all aspects of his life, and how would a contemporary
existentialist feel about Meursault’s day to day life?
9. Why does Meursault refuse to give an explanation for shooting the Arab even when his lawyer
tells him he could win the trial by pleading self defense? Is this an existentialist decision or is
there more at play here?
10. Meursault’s world springs up against the historical backdrop of revolution, imperialism, and
war. Examine his attitude towards suffering, challenge, and life's purpose as products of how
the history leading up to his 1942 world in French Algeria could make strangers out of an
entire generation.
11. Is Meursault cruel or just emotionless? Compare the two and talk about his experiences with
Raymond along with trial process.
12. How does the self-loathing of Paul from All Quiet on the Western Front relate/differ from
Meursault in The Stranger? How do they handle death/grief?
13. Is there a stranger in your life? Or are you the actual stranger? Compare and contrast your
stranger and Meursault.
14. Throughout the novel, the main character always comes across merciless heat and blinding
light. Explain how light and heat are used as archetypes to enhance this existential novel.
15. Academics refer to The Stranger as an existentialist novel. Wittgenstein once said, "Nothing
is so difficult as not to deceive yourself." Does Meursault deceive himself? Do his
companions deceive themselves concerning Meursault’s behavior? Is self-deception used to
justify characters actions or emotions in this novel?
16. I hate these options, so I created my own.