Summary The Strangers Chapter 1
Meursault, the protagonist and narrator of the novel, receives a telegram informing him of his mother’s passing. She had been residing in a nursing home in Marengo, located outside Algiers. Meursault requests two days off from work to attend the funeral, which his boss reluctantly grants, making him feel somewhat guilty for asking. Meursault boards the two o’clock bus to Marengo and sleeps for most of the journey.
Upon arrival, he meets the director of the nursing home, who reassures Meursault about his decision to place his mother there. The director explains that it was the best choice considering Meursault’s modest income. Despite plans for a religious funeral, Meursault knows his mother had no interest in religion. After a brief exchange, the director leads Meursault to the mortuary where his mother’s coffin awaits.
Alone with the sealed coffin, Meursault declines the caretaker’s offer to open it. The caretaker remains in the room, engaging in casual conversation about funeral customs and decomposition rates, which Meursault finds oddly intriguing.
Throughout the night, Meursault keeps vigil over his mother’s body. He accepts a cup of coffee from the caretaker and offers him a cigarette in return. Despite his annoyance at his mother’s friends’ mournful cries, Meursault finds the atmosphere in the mortuary oddly pleasant and falls asleep.
The next morning, as the funeral approaches, Meursault speaks again with the nursing home director. He declines the opportunity to see his mother one last time before the coffin is sealed permanently. The director mentions Thomas Perez, a resident permitted to attend the funeral, who had a close relationship with Meursault’s mother. Others in the nursing home had jokingly referred to Perez as her fiancé.
During the funeral procession, Meursault, burdened by the oppressive heat, notices Perez struggling to keep pace. Advised by a nurse about the risks of sunstroke and catching a chill, Meursault resigns himself to the situation. He recalls little of the funeral except for Perez’s tearful expression and his collapse from the heat. On the bus back to Algiers, Meursault anticipates the comfort of a good night’s sleep with a sense of relief.
Analysis The Strangers Chapter 1
Meursault immediately exhibits an indifference towards emotions and social interactions, evident in his reaction to his mother’s death. Rather than expressing grief, he remains cold, detached, and unconcerned. Upon receiving the telegram, his main focus is determining the date of his mother’s passing. His lack of emotional response makes it challenging to characterize him; he neither revels in her demise nor mourns her loss—he simply remains indifferent.
While Meursault disregards emotional and social aspects of situations, he shows keen interest in practical and physical matters, especially regarding his mother’s death. He frets over borrowing appropriate attire for the funeral and finds the caretaker’s anecdote about vigil length intriguing, focusing on practical details rather than emotional ones.
Nature and weather captivate Meursault’s attention, even amidst sorrowful circumstances. He appreciates the beauty of the weather before the funeral, displaying an ability to enjoy natural surroundings despite the occasion. During the procession, devoid of grief, he finds the intense heat nearly intolerable, highlighting his sensitivity to physical discomfort.
Meursault’s narrative style reflects his worldview; descriptions of social or emotional situations are brief and factual, lacking embellishments or metaphors, mirroring his indifference to societal norms. Conversely, when discussing topics like weather that directly impact his physical state, his narration expands, employing literary devices to articulate his experiences with the heat during the funeral procession.
In this chapter, Camus employs irony to underscore Meursault’s belief in the world’s inherent meaninglessness and lack of purpose. Thomas Perez, the only individual who genuinely cares about Madame Meursault, struggles to keep pace with her funeral procession due to his declining physical health. This poignant detail contradicts any sentimental or humanistic interpretation of Madame Meursault’s death. Perez’s inability to keep up is merely a consequence of his old age, devoid of any profound or comforting significance. Such instances of irony consistently challenge the existence of a higher, deterministic order within “The Stranger.
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