Is Meursault a Human? Judging Him 101

“Perez’s face when he caught up with us for the last time, just outside the village. Big tears of frustration and exhaustion were streaming down his cheeks. But because of all the wrinkles, they weren’t dripping off. They spread out and ran together again, leaving a watery film over his ruined face. Then there was the church and the villagers on the sidewalks, the red geraniums on the graves in the cemetery, Perez fainting (he crumpled like a rag doll), the blood-red earth spilling over Maman’s casket, the white flesh of the roots mixed in with it, more people, voices, the village, waiting in front of a cafe, the incessant drone of the motor, and my joy when the bus entered the nest of lights that was Algiers and I knew I was going to go to bed and sleep for twelve hours” (18).

This year, I’ve tried to read all the stories we’ve read like how Nabokov explains: read without judgment. While I’ve been doing this, I can’t seem to not judge the story after I’m done reading it and the book is shut closed.

I feel like the protagonist, Meursault, in The Stranger is difficult to relate to, which in turn causes him to be easy to judge. Meursault is very aloof and disconnected with not only those around him, but also himself. He is not in tune with his life or his emotions, as demonstrated in the quote above. Clearly, Perez did not know his mother for longer than Meursault, however, Perez felt more emotions than Meursault did. It’s strange to think that a son would have no emotional response to his mother death, and in fact, would even feel joy when he got to leave the funeral. Even if someone had a terrible connection with their parents, there would have to be some sort of emotional response to a death of loved one. However, Meursault seems to be distant and unhinged from his mother’s death. 

I personally seem to judge Meursault for the fact that he isn’t in tune with his emotions at all. I think that Meursault believes that feeling any sort of emotion is wrong, and therefore he avoids it. I also think that Meursault’s whole idea about life is wrong -- he seems to think that life is pointless and is always the same thing. I’ve always thought that in order to be human, it’s important to understand that emotions and life serve as a purpose; however, Meursault seems to go against my beliefs. He lets life get the best of him, instead of getting the best of life.

What do you think is the main reason that Meursault is so disconnected? Do you think that in order to be consider “human”, you have to be accepting of your emotions?