The Stranger Part 1 Quiz

Has Meursault and Marie's involvement progressed? What is one of the first positive opinions Meursault expresses?

Still only has a carnal attraction to Marie describing her body whenever he talks about her (pg 34) His attraction to Marie has only increased as their relationship has progressed to becoming a lot more intimate The first positive of Marie is his attraction to Marie and how beautiful and attractive he finds her Time moving very quickly

What can be said about Meursault's perception of the progression of time versus the reader's perception of the speed of the narrative?

He feels as if time was passing very slowly and the diction makes the readers feel like this as well Shows how he finds his mothers death affairs boring and uninteresting "We sat there like that for quite a while" (Pg.11) - ch 2 must faster pace to us

Why is Monsieur Perez an important character in this chapter?

He is a FOIL of Meursault-is more of a person who has emotions Because he is one of the few characters who display an emotional attachment with someone-is crying He was very close with Madame Marusat and they took walks with one another down to the village in the evening Seems more closer to Madame Marusat than Marusat is Where engaged to one another "He told me that my Mother and Monsieur Perez often used to walk down to the village together in the evenings, accompanied by a nurse" (Pg. 15).

Why is there such a transition in Meursault's mood between chapters one and two?

He is finally done with his mom's funeral and gets to relax at home "today is Saturday.... While I was shaving, I wondered what I was going to do and I decided to go for a swim"

This chapter asks a major question about the protagonist. Namely, can Meursault be characterized as being self-absorbed?

He is not self-absorbed as he doesn't express any thoughts that center himself Self-absorbed individuals often go out of their way to make decisions that push s/he to be perceived in a certain way "At one point we went over a section of the road that had just be repaved...The tar had burst open in the sun...our feet sank into it, leaving its shiny pulp exposed" (Pg.16-17).

How does Meursault earn the title "stranger" in this chapter?

He is vague, no personality, no emotions, as to how strangers are perceived Evident as he is going through a major event of one's life (mother's death), he does not care at all

What worries Raymond when the three of them are on their way to the bus? Why does this bother him?

He sees a group of Arabs who he thinks are staring at him. This concerns him because he identifies one of the Arabs as the brother of his mistress, who he had just beat.

Why does Meursault spend his time the way he does on Sunday?

He wants to avoid questions at Celeste's if goes down to eat there Instead, he eats at home "I didn't feel like having lunch at Celeste's like I usually did because they'd be sure to ask questions and I don't like that"

How can you best describe Meursault's relationship with the community in which he lives?

Meursault seems very integrated with the community he is in He has an established routine of interacting with both his neighbors and going to Celeste's restaurant Has an amiable relationship with Raymond → "But he often talks to me and sometimes stops by my place for a minute, because I listen to him. Greets Salamano → "I said "Good evening," but the old man just went on cursing"

Do the effects of the sun on Meursault subside? If not, how does he react to its intensity?

No, he finds the heat unbearable and it bothers him greatly. His reaction to the sun's intensity is to shoot the Arab man four times.

How Does Marie's marriage proposal to Meursault reflect Absurdist ideas

Shows how absurdist he is when Marie asks him to marry him and says he doesn't care Says it doesn't matter to him (pg 41) If any other girl also likes Meursault and asked him to marry her, he would say yes because he had no reason to If Meursault does not have a reason to not do something, he will do it

Describe the light imagery in this chapter. What do you think is its significance?

"They floated into the blinding light without a sound" (pg 9) "Blinded by a sudden flash of light" (pg 8) Shows a sense of nothingness taking over his brain Bright light = sense of purity Foreshadowing for the next chapter talking a lot about the sun Shows his physical discomforts to be the only things bothering him

What does the sunlight symbolize?

-Meursalts inner discomfort and trials -Appears when he is considering shooting the Arabs and his conflict over mourning the death of his mom

How does Meursault feel when he wakes up on Sunday morning¬?

-wakes up with a headache and is feeling under the weather -potential forshadowing of the events that are about to come

Why does Meursualt shot the Arab?

1. Because he wanted to see what would happen out of Morbid Curiosity 2. Because he wanted to prove to the others that he could have an emotional reaction-why he got the Arab 4 times

How does Meursault react to Raymond?

After Raymond beats his girlfriend, he seems indifferent to it and does not really care Rationalizes it and says you do what you need to do and you should be happy Shows Meraulsts objective thinking and how he thinks it causes and affects, not in morality

How do the multiple settings contribute to the chapter's overall meaning?

Chapter 3's major multiple settings contribute to the overall meaning as the multiple settings help convey Meursalt's varying thoughts

What is significant about the ambiguity in the first paragraph of the chapter?

Give a first stand impression of the main character that he is indifferent about his mother's death For someone who does care (whether love or hate), the paragraph would not be ambiguous, it would be distinct "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know" (pg 3)

Examine the descriptions used during Meursault's observation scene. How do they differ from the rest of the narrative?

In chapter one, Meursault only talks about things that are directly affecting him, such as the caretaker's discussion with him and Maman's friends position in the room in respect to him. In his descriptions of the city in chapter two, Meursault talks about things that don't really affect him at all, and in extreme detail.

How does the "strange little woman" (Robot Women) that Mersualt follows out of the Resternatn contrast Meursault?

Is very different from Meursault as she is very methodical and plans everything out-orders everything at the same time and writes out her plan for the week Is very precise with the house she puts her jacket on and in her manner in leaving the restaurant Meursault on the other hand plays everything by ear and is very spontouses-goes with the flow Similar in that they are both social outsiders and do things different from the social norm "Then she stood up, put her jacket back on with the same robot-like movements, and left. I didn't have anything to do, so I left too and followed her for a while. She had positioned herself right next to the curb and was making her way with incredible speed and assurance, never once swerving or looking around. I eventually lost sight of her and turned back. I thought about how peculiar she was but forgot about her a few minutes later"(43).

Characterize Raymond

Is very outgoing and welcoming-invites Mersault to stay for food and wine Has a well-kept appearance but his bedroom is in shambles Could be a gangster and pick fights with people and has a short fuse Does not consider the consequences of his actions "'You see Monsieur Meursalt,' he said, "it's not that I'm a bad guy, but I have a short fuse...[This guy was asking for a fight] so I let him have it" (Pg. 29) "The word around the neighborhood is that he lives off women. " = pimp

What relationship, if any, does Camus wish to create between the hot sun and the sight of the Arab men walking toward Meursault, Raymond, and Masson?

It builds tensions before major events occur. It also makes it seem as though the Arabs are a dangerous force.

What role does chapter three play in the development of the novel's plot?

It introduces him to his friend as he finds Raymond See Mersoult in a new light as we have only seen him rebelling against the traditional social norms instead of embracing it Raymond appears to him as he is different from the other people in Leon; he has a temper and is honest about it which Mersault finds appealing "We went upstairs and I was about to leave him when he said, 'I've got some blood sausage and some wine at my place...How about joining me?'... I figured it would save me the trouble of having to cook for myself so I accepted" (Pg. 28).

What is the significance of Meursault's not knowing the exact age of his mother?

It shows that he does not care about something he really should care about His priorities are not where others normally are

How would you characterize Madame Meursault's opinion of being in the nursing home based on Meursault and the director's conversation?

Madame Meursault enjoyed being in the nursing home as she was able to be better cared for than when she was alone with Meursault She also had friends and social groups with people her age that kept her company "Yes, sir." He added, "You see, she had friends here, people her own age. She was able to share things from the old days with them." (p.5)

What is significant about Marie's reaction to the news that Meursault is mourning his dead mother?

Marie does not have much of a reaction and forgets about it by the end of the day Reflects Meursault' attitude towards his mother's death as he does not seem to care much-imposes it on others "She gave a little start but did not say anything...I felt like telling her it wasn't my fault, but I stopped myself because I remembered what I'd already said to my boss...By that evening Marei had forgotten all about it" (Pg. 20)

Who goes to walk on the beach after lunch? What is the weather like? Give three phrases to describe it.

Masson, Raymond, and Meursault all go for a walk on the beach while the women wash the dishes. The weather is unbearably hot, overwhelming, and makes Raymond sleepy.

How is Mersualt not wanting to move to Paris for a new job opportunity an example of existentialism?

Mersualt is not satisfied with his life and as such does not care how he feels His destination point in life is death and as such, it will not change that-therefore he has no reason to move Does not want to start a family, marry or gather some means of wealth Life is meaningless as we will all die in the end

Why does Meursault not like cops?

Merualt does not like cops because he doesn't like rules being enforced Finds them untrustworthy as they are trying to instill order on to people

Explain Meursault's attraction to Marie. How does this attraction expose further character traits? What are those traits

Meursault is attracted to Marie physically (her body, her smile, her laugh) Sensory aspects are weighed over personality connections metaphysical things Does not talk to her as a person Ev of the statement that "there's no love, just carnal attraction" On a date with Marie, he would often touch her breasts, he also slept with her after At the beach, " I helped her onto afloat and as I did, I brushed against her breasts." At the cinema, "She had her leg pressed against mine. I was fondling her breasts."

What is significant about Meursault's not wanting to see his dead mother? (Pay close attention to how other characters react about this.)

Meursault is disconnected and distant from his mother Has not really emotional attachment to her Other character does not understand but assumes that Meursault is probably too sad or does not like to confront his dead mom "He said 'You don't want to?' I answered 'No'...He was quiet and I was embarrassed since I felt like I should not have said that" (Pg.6)

Meursault wants to go home to eat potatoes for dinner, yet Raymond offers him a dinner of meat. What does this suggest about Meursault's economic status? Is this significant, at all, in regard to his general outlook or not?

Meursault is not very wealthy as he cannot afford to buy the blood sausage It does contribute to the theme of carelessness in Meursault

How does Raymond's beating of the girl reflect Meaursalt's belief?

Raymond does not feel any remorse about beating her simply does not care Does not understand the morality of his actions or that there is ways human beings are supposed to act Reflects how Merusalt does not adhere to societies rules and does not think in the traditional morality view

How are Raymound and Merusalt similar to one another?

Raymond objectifies women similar to Meursault Meursault does not go as far as Raymond however in outwardly sexualizing women "Over his bed he has .. and two or three photographs of naked women"

What is significant about Meursault's realization that the letter he is writing is to a Moorish (a.k.a. Arab, Muslim) girl?

Raymond symbolizes the higher European class and France and England, while the Muslim girl represents the colonized countries "He wanted to write her a letter, 'one with a punch and also some things in it to make her sorry for what she's done'"(pg 32)

How can one characterize Meursault's outlook on life and death based on his reaction to Salamino's dog?

Realizes that like the dog, his mom was always there for him and there is a void is in his life Is not sad over it and seems to move out rather quickly Is in denial-first stage of grief and is grieving the loss of his Mom but in a different way Thinks of Maman for some reason during this situation-has not showed any emotion before Just like how Salamonio does not want a new dog because the old one is irreplaceable, Merusalt can not get a new Mom because his Mom is irreplaceable as well

What is the significance of Salamano and his dog?

Salamano has grown dependent on the dog even though he didn't like it, he got used to having it "he's always there" Highlights how Meursault is an absurdist bc even someone as truculent as Salamano gets sad when he loses his dog To show how unemotional Meursault is towards the toxic relationship between Salamano and his dog where he does not care that Salamano continues to beat his

Characterize Salamano's relationship with his dog.

Salamano has sort of a toxic and abusive relationship with his dog as he is constantly calling his dog names, and hitting him. "...the dog pulling the man along until old Salamano stumbles. Then he beats the dog and swears at it. The dog cowers and trails behind. Then it's the old man who pulls the dog. Once the dog has forgotten, it starts dragging its master along again, and again gets beaten and sworn at..."(p.27)

How does the turning on of the streetlights mirror an occurrence in chapter one? How are these occurrences significant?

The bright streetlights mirror the lights at the vigil in chapter one "Then the street lamps came on all of a sudden and made the first stars appearing in the night sky grow dim. I felt my eyes getting tired from watching the street filled with so many people and lights. The street lamps were making the pavement glisten..." Significance of light = emphasizes physical experience over mental experience

Explain how the point of view of this chapter forces the reader to consider the narrator's psychological state

The narrator is very spaced out (detached from reality) Shown as sleepy throughout the chapter Does not seem to "click" with the social norms and what is expected of him Ex: When someone's mother dies "I could feel myself getting sleepy. Without turning around, I said to the caretaker, "Have you been here long"... After that he did a lot of talking"(pg 7).

What effect do the short, declarative sentences have on the meaning of the chapter?

The short choppy sentences help to create a feeling of emptiness in the chapter Is not as bubbly as a more "normal" person would be Not very deep, almost robot-like The only words he spoke were "no" and "I don't know" when the caretaker asked him if he wants to see his mom

How is time portrayed in this chapter?

Time is portrayed in a shorter period compared to other chapters that spans a whole day whereas this chapter is just what he does after work Ch.3 goes more in-depth/ more descriptive of what he does and goes on, possibly because it is more interesting

In what way can Meursault be described as a voyeur?

Voyeur = the practice of taking pleasure in observing something private, sordid, or scandalous He enjoys people watching on his balcony When the sports team came back, "Several of them waved to me. One of them even yelled up to me, "We beat 'em!" And I nodded, as if to say "Yes. " From then on there was a steady stream of cars"

Knowing what we know about Meursault, what is significant about his agreement to dine at Raymond's?

We know that he doesn't like interacting with people very much, and him agreeing to dine at Raymond's puts him into the position where he has to socialize