The Stranger Theme Card

5 Quotes: "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know..." (pg. 3)
"My whole body tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver. The trigger gave..." (pg. 59)
"I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and they greet me with cries of hate." (pg. 123)
"For the first time that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself up to the gentle indifference of the world." (pg. 122)
"'Have you no hope at all? And do you really live with the thought that when you die, you die and nothing remains?' 'Yes,' I said." (pg. 117)

4 Vehicles: Imagery, Irony, Diction, Symbolism

3 Conflicts: Individual vs. Society, Physical stimuli vs. Emotional stimuli, Reason vs. Ideals

3 Subjects: Nihilism, rebellion, religion

2 Themes: True order cannot be created when surrounded by complete chaos, no matter the rationality or reasoning. All people are born to die and are meant for no other purpose than to achieve this goal.

Plot Line: Meursault, a man with little ambition or enthusiasm for the status quo, kills an Arab for no other reason but the sun's presence over him and deals with the harsh reality of a biased trial.

Title: Meursault, an extremely detached person from the world, looks at the visages of life through a window, rather than truly pursuing it. This spectator aspect of the main character provides the meaning of the title The Stranger, for Meursault never truly understands life's purposes until at the door of Death.

Characters: Meursault, Raymond, Marie, Salamano, Maman, Perez, the chaplain, the magistrate, the prosecutor, the Arab.