Book Report

Camus Albert, The Stranger, France
Librairie Gallimard, France

Reason, Type and Setting: I chose this book, because it caught my attention by its name, sounds misteriously. This novel is a crime drama, takes place in Algeria before WW2.

Plot: The narrator, a young man named Meursault gets an urgent telegram reporting his mother's death. After his mom was burried, he meets his ex-coworker Marie Cardona, they spend the night together, but she's gone in the morning. He gets home and his neighbor asks him to write a letter for him, which would convince his mistress to come back to him. He wants to beat her up, for cheating on him. The neighbor gets arrested for beating her up, later Marie Cardona asks Meursalt to marry her. Later on, they go to the beach, where they meet Raymond's(neighbor) mistress's brother. Meursalt shoots him, for no apperant reason. He get into a jail and after a lost trial he is sentenced to death. A chaplain tries to convince him to believe in God, but Meursault refuses. He embraces the idea that human existence holds no greater meaning.

Character:Mersault - the main character, pretty young. He kind of loses his mind after his mother's death, and shoots a man. He often thinks of the morality of the world. I selected this character, because he seemed to be the most active in the plot. I was interested by his thinking after all the things he went through. He totally changed my expectations of the end of this book, I expected something different.

Evaluation: Well, honestly, I expected more of this novel. It has a really good beginning, which caught my attention, but then they started focusing on morality of the world, which kind of bored me. However, it showed my how can we look at today's life values, I've never thought of them in this way. In spite of fact, that this novel was written in late 40's, it still applies to today's world. Being or not-being moral has always been a discussed issue. I personaly think, that not many people would like this book, because it gets really slow in the middle. Maybe it's just my opinion... . If I had to put myselft into the plot, I would have no reason to kill a man. However, I can't really tell, since both of my parents are fortunately still alive.

Author, Context and Trivia: Albert Camus is a Frech writer, who won a Nobel prize in 1957. He wrote a couple of novels, such as The Plague, The Fall, A Happy Death, The First Man...I think I'm gonna look for one more book from him to see, if every book of his is this philosophical.I did't like this book that much, as I said earlier, it was too boring for me.