Review of The Stranger by Albert Camus

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 

Genre = Novel

Book Club Event = Book List (06/27/2026)

Intriguing Connections = 1) What Defines A Culture? How To Belong To A Community?, 

2) To Cooperate Or To Defect?, 3) How Do Humans Age And Die?, 

4) Get To Know The Peoples Of The World (Algeria)

Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her.  I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to.  Then she wanted to know if I loved her.  I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t love her.  “So why marry me, then?” She said.  I explained to her that it didn’t really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married.  Besides, she was the one who was doing the asking and all I was saying was yes” – Albert Camus, Part 1: Chapter 5, Page 40

“But without taking his eyes off his adversary, Raymond asked me, “Should I let him have it?” I thought that if I said no he’d get himself all worked up and shoot for sure.  All I said was, “He hasn’t said anything yet.  It’d be pretty lousy to shoot him like that”.  You could still hear the sound of the water and the flute deep within the silence and the heat.  Then Raymond said, “So I’ll call him something and when he answers back, I’ll have him have it.”  I answered “Right.  But if he doesn’t draw his knife, you can’t shoot.”  Raymond started getting worked up.  The other Arab went on playing, and both of them were watching every move Raymond made.  “No,” I said to Raymond, “take him on man to man and give me your gun.  If the other one moves in, or if he draws his knife, I’ll let him have it.”” – Albert Camus, Part 1: Chapter 6, Page 49
 

“Whether it was now or twenty years from now, I would still be the one dying.  At that point, what would disturb my train of thought was the terrifying leap I would feel my heart take at the idea of having twenty more years of life ahead of me.  But I simply had to stifle it by imagining what I’d be thinking in twenty years when it would all come down to the same thing anyway.  Since we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how don’t matter.” – Albert Camus, Part 2: Chapter 5, Page 89

Elaborate Description

Is This An Overview?

The protagonist is passive, allowing life to happen to the protagonist, and adapting to what does happen.  Expresses oneself through logic, lacks emotional empathy, and is honest.  Personality traits which make the protagonist difficult for others to understand, traits that make the protagonist a stranger to others. 

 

The death of the protagonist’s mother, does not cause distress, but does allow some time from work.  Time that enables the protagonist to meet a former colleague, Marie, with both mutually wanting to spend time together.  Even willing to take Marie to spend time at a beach house due to a request from an acquaintance, Raymond, who the protagonist helped before.  Raymond did want to reward the protagonist for the help, but also wanted some extra people for protection, in case the people who were antagonistic to Raymond showed up. 

 

The antagonists showed up, which led to the protagonist murdering one of them.  The protagonist is put on trial.  The trial appears to be more about punishing the protagonist for not validating cultural expectations of how to treat a mother, rather than be about the murder.  The protagonist usually is willing to let others speak on the protagonist’s behalf, but there were instances during the trial, which the protagonist wanted to speak for oneself but was not allowed to speak.  Why would the protagonist commit the murder?  What is the outcome of the trial?

 

Caveats?

This book is more about the philosophy of cultural expectations, than the narrative.  A reflection on how people want others to behave.  The events that lead to the trial, and the trial itself have their narrative limitations.  The events and trial are more for drama, tools used to express a cultural criticism.  

Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?

•What are some limitations of the book?

•To whom would you suggest this book?

•Who is the protagonist?  What is the protagonist personality?

•Who was the protagonist mother?  What did people think of the protagonist’s mother?

•What did the protagonist think of the boss?

•What did the protagonist mother think about the institution? 

•What did the protagonist do at the funeral?  What was the protagonist expected to do?

•Who is Raymond?  How does Raymond treat people?

•Who is after Raymond?

•Who is Marie?

•Was the protagonist in love with Marie?

•Who is Salamano? 

•What happened at the confrontation between Raymond and the Arabs?

•Why did the protagonist stop Raymond from shooting the Arabs?

•Why did the protagonist shoot an Arab?

•How did the protagonist feel being in jail?

•What did the magistrate think of religion?

•What did the protagonist think of religion?

•What happened during the trial?  What was the trial about?

•What was the outcome of the trial?

•What does the protagonist think of death?

•What do people expect of each other?

Book Details

Translator:              Matthew Ward

Original Language: French

Translated Into:       English

Edition:                   First Vintage International Edition

Publisher:               Vintage Books [Random House]

Edition ISBN:         9780307827661
Pages to read:         88
Publication:            2012
1st Edition:             1946
Format:                   eBook

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    5
Content          3
Overall           3