Meursault's Senses

I think we can all agree that Meursault is what we would call an odd person or someone with a few quirks. That can definitely be seen by how long it takes the lawyer and magistrate to understand who he is. But some of these quirks that Meursault expresses are really quite interesting. One thing that caught my eye was the way he uses his senses to narrate his life. It tends to be visual images or smells. For example, he says, "They came for me at seven-thirty in the morning and I was driven to the courthouse in the prison van. The two policemen took me into a small room that smelled of darkness" (82). That's such an odd way of phrasing it, but that sets up a pretty good image in my mind. I think those words fit well with the feelings Meursault doesn't know he feels as he is about to enter court. It's almost depressing and it makes me sympathize with Meursault. Later on, he uses more scents to describe his scenery and the feelings he struggles to express,

The trial was adjourned. As I was leaving the courthouse on my way back to the van, I recognized for  a brief moment the smell and color of the summer evening. In the darkness of my mobile prison I could make out one by one, as if from the depths of my exhaustion, all the familiar sounds of a town I loved and of a certain time of day when I used to feel happy. (97)

 I think it is very interesting that Meursault describes his life in this way. As seen by his court case he just can't express how he feels. He doesn't know how to explain to other people the thoughts and intentions he has, but when he describes life around him and the things that seem to make him happy we can see his feelings. On Camus' part I think this is genius. To me this makes Meursault that much more complex of a character and at first I thought he was boring. As the story progresses Meursault only gets more interesting.