What Concerns Meursault?...Little to nothing.

     In Albert Camus's The Stranger, he begins his story with, "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know. I got a telegram from the home: "Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours." That doesn't mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday"(3).

      I've already read this story, but right off the bat, Meursault displays an indifferent mindset and set of values. Everything significant thing he does in part one present his nonchalance. Taking this first quote, for example, his mother just died, and he simply describes her death in monotone text. He takes all of a few sentences to tell the audience what happened, and he doesn't show any emotion or discomfort, and doesn't even know the exact day she died.

     While Meursault takes little effort to present his mother's death, he seems especially descriptive when talking about the weather. Near the end of part one, Meursault is describing the sun, and states, "The scorching blade slashed at my eyelashes and stabbed at my stinging eyes"(59). He uses much imagery in his illustration of the suns affect, and even throws in some alliteration. It's interesting that he gives so much more effort and details in to describing something as minor to him as the sun, but when it comes to his mothers death, his reaction is almost robotic. The sun could represent a distraction for Meursault, or an emphasis of his unconcerned behavior, or even his flaw to notice the finer/more important things in life.

     Meursault's boss also offers him a promotion to be working in Paris, sometimes traveling and sometimes staying put. While his boss thinks this would be good fit for Meursault, Meursault states that people never change their lives, and that he wasn't dissatisfied with his current life at all. He displays such a neutral position to his great opportunity, neither excited or angry/upset. He's mild-mannered. His lack of ambition a neutral set of values drive his everyday actions.