The novel starts off putting the reader to sleep. The main character seems mundane, predicable, and completely emotionless. He lets other make decisions for him, as Marie asks him if he wants to marry her, and he response falls along the same lines as "why not?" He also testifies for Raymond at the police station, telling the policemen that Raymond's girlfriend did indeed cheat on him. In turn, Raymond is let off the hook.
At the end of Part 1 in the novel, Meursault surprises the reader by shooting a man. This act was completely uncharacteristic of Meursault, and leaves the reader in shock. Again, one thing stays constant throughout the novel, as Meursault seems unfazed by the shooting, and seems completely carefree in the fact that the man's death does not affect him whatsoever. Again, he seems distanced from how his actions and words affect others. The mundane nature of the text paradoxically paired with the shooting at the end of Part 1 excites the reader on what is going down the pike for Meursault, and the other pawns in this emotionless game that he seems to sleepwalk through.
Meursault is not 100% emotionless. At Masson's house he does think about marrying Marie by his own will. As a character he still perceived as emotionless, may be after this point is when he will show his emotions and exercise his power of will?
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