Physicality in The Stranger

In The Stranger, Meursault comments, "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 café, 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).

In the first few chapters, you, as the reader, realizes how little Meursault seems to care about his mother and his mother's recent death. It seems that Meursault is more in touch with the physical world, rather than an emotional one. He is more in touch with the physical sense of the sounds, sights, and body.

Even though he just watched his mother being buried, he concludes that it doesn't really change his life in any way.

 He observes the sights and sounds of the funeral and then immediately feels joy when he is able to sleep. His mother's death doesn't have to do with his immediate feelings, like joy when sleeping or irritation when the sun is in his face.

Meursault also views the mourners at his mother's funeral, crying and showing great sadness over his mother's death. But, he is unable to empathize with them because her death doesn't have an impact on his immediate physical experience. Meursault thinks that all of the emotions from his physical experiences are what drive his actions in his life.