Knocking on the Door of Unhappiness

So far in The Stranger, Meursault has been a very interesting character. He seems to have no emotional reactions, but then he analyzes the things around him in such incredible ways. This can be confusing to many people because people often think that to appreciate things and understand them fully, we must be able to establish some emotional connection. I am not sure if this is true. Meursault can see things so clearly, perhaps this is because he is very unemotional. When his mother dies, he doesn't seem to have a reaction that most people would have if their mothers died. He doesn't really even think about her very much until he remembers that she said that people can get used to anything. Then later, when he is back at his apartment, he spends an entire day just observing people from his window. He watches the world go on around him and details the most everyday things as if he were seeing them for the first time. I think that this is what allows Meursault to get through his time in prison and be completely fine with whatever is happening to him. Camus wrote that when Meursault was shooting the Arab, he was knocking on the door of unhappiness, but besides a few things that he initially misses when he gets to prison, Meursault seems to be doing just fine. Without so much emotion, he doesn't have to miss and worry about his old life--he is able to create a new one. He can pass all the time in the world in the prison because he is able to remember the smallest details that keep him occupied. I think that as the story progresses, we will see that Meursault can adapt to any circumstance and still come out alive.