The two sections of the tale are separated by this murder. In the encounter, Meursault shoots the brother dead, stating that it happened because he got flustered and blinded by the brightness of the sun reflecting on the Arab’s knife and also the terrible heat. Raymond attacks the man over and over again after which the Arab strikes Raymond with a knife. Raymond comes across a group of men including the brother (referred to as – the Arab). He wants Meursault to vouch to the police for him to which the emotionless Meursault agrees. Meursault’s disreputable friend named Raymond is arrested by the police for attacking his mistress. All through the romantic and platonic relationships of Meursault, this particular withdrawn and disconnected nature has been presented.

Meursault does not display any signs of distress of grief, though he sees the atmosphere filled with sorrow around him. Meursault narrates in first person to Marengo where he vigilantly seats himself at the place where his mother has passed away. The lack of unusual ethical or social standards of Meursault, in a group or individual has been intelligently and briefly captured by these lines. Or maybe it was yesterday, I don’t know’ have given this novel its popularity. Summary Read our full plot summary and analysis of The Plague, scene by scene break-downs, and more.

The very first lines of the novel ‘Mother died today. The Plague is a novel by Albert Camus that was first published in 1947. Synopsis: A Frenchman named Meursault, living in Algiers is the main character of the novel, The Stranger. Outlook and theme of the novel are frequently noted as examples of the author’s bizarre intentions and philosophy paired with existentialism. The author explores as termed by him, ‘the nakedness of man confronted with the absurd’, through the tale of a simple man who is drawn into a needless murder on a beach in Algeria. Context: The Stranger (1942) is a translated novel by Albert Camus, the French author.

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