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VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
190-194
10.37547/ajsshr/Volume05Issue05-48
The Issue of Psychological Portrayal And Artistic Skill In
The Work "The Stranger
Mirali G'iyosov
Lecturer of the Department of World Literature Uzbekistan State World Languages University, Uzbekistan
Received:
29 March 2025;
Accepted:
25 April 2025;
Published:
30 May 2025
Abstract:
The novella "The Stranger" by Albert Camus, a writer with an unconventional approach and unique
creative works, requires deep contemplation. Indeed, Camus describes both the work and each situation in it in a
philosophical manner.
In particular, as many have analyzed, the paranormal character in the work not only holds up a mirror to society,
but society also reflects this individual.
Keywords:
Paranormal character, "wrong path," "The Stranger," Meursault, belief;
Introduction:
The
writer
realistically
depicts
Meursault's life in prison and the behavior of law
enforcement officers.
The accidental crime eventually takes on such a form
that Meursault himself begins to believe he is a person
prone to crime:
"From what I understand, his thoughts imply that I
killed someone with a premeditated plan. In any case,
he tried to prove this."
..."but still, it seemed strange that he clung to me with
such anger."
In the work, the true face of a society turning towards
falsehood and selfishness is revealed through the
paranormal character.
The reader understands that the people around
Meursault - those who sentenced him to death - are
playing a game. And what was at stake was Meursault's
life. When they invite Meursault to this game, he is
required to lose to them and be like them. Meursault
does not accept this offer; he doesn't even know how
to do it. He doesn't want to disguise what's going
through his mind.
In essence, Meursault is punished not for his behavior
at the time of his mother's death or for killing an Arab,
but, as Camus himself notes, "for not joining the game
of those around him... He refuses to lie... and society
feels threatened by this."
The greatness of Camus's philosophy lies precisely in
this: while the incorrect formation of religious concepts
is a problem of non-believers, the increasing number of
hypocrites in society is a universal problem that has
persisted for centuries.
From the outside, it seems that among the defenders
of the law, only the lawyer is genuinely concerned
about Meursault. But at the end of his speech, when his
colleagues congratulate him saying "That was great, my
dear," it becomes clear that in reality, he too is only
resorting to such dedication to win in court.
Looking at the gathered reporters, Meursault
involuntarily exclaims, "So many people?" They had all
gathered for a process that would raise the fame of free
theater and media, drawing crowds around them. "For
newspapers, it's a dead season now. No decent story
was found, only you and this patricide." Reading these
lines, it's noteworthy how it shows that people are
actually even more cold-blooded than Meursault. Yes,
he accidentally killed someone. He doesn't even feel it.
And he's not remorseful. But he didn't live waiting for
someone's murder or death to become a "decent
story," like the people around him. He didn't pretend.
A society that is more paranormal than Meursault has
no need for a person who doesn't know how to lie and
be hypocritical. This is where the point and essence of
the work lie.
The sixty-fourth verse of Surah At-Tawbah also
mentions that the hypocrites fear that what is in their
hearts will be revealed.
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
Even though he wasn't Muslim, as a human being, the
situation in the society surrounding Meursault and in
Meursault himself was exactly the same. As noted
above, this is precisely why society feels threatened.
Albert Camus's work "The Stranger" gained great fame
in world literature for raising painful problems for
humanity and has not lost its relevance to this day.
The writer's skill is also evident in comparisons. Despite
cursing it so much, when describing how old Salamano
wept after losing his dog, it states, "A person becomes
attached even to animals and shows affection." This
makes the reader wonder how Meursault could not
shed sincere tears for his own mother.
At the meeting with Marie in prison, the writer
demonstrates the warm relationship between mother
and son in front of Meursault, as if telling his
protagonist to "take note."
Through the protagonist's death sentence, the writer
seems to say to Meursault, "Life was meaningless to
you anyway, here's what you've been waiting for."
From another perspective, there was no way for
Meursault to survive in this society that was foreign to
him.
Even for those who open their hearts to him, Meursault
cannot give a place in his heart (Raymond, Marie,
Celeste). As can be seen, Meursault himself rejects
society. It is not without reason that the writer quotes
the doorman's words about lights: "when they're on,
they all burn equally; when one goes out, they all go
out." Humanity is essentially the same. It cannot live
without society. It needs a sense of togetherness.
Meursault, however, doesn't want to take anyone to
heart or care too much for anyone, and at the end of
the work, he himself is met with such a "cold attitude."
This protagonist, who initially did not accept society
and looked at those around him with cold eyes, as if
they were mere "objects," begins to reach out to those
around him during his time in prison, but is treated with
the same attitude he once showed.
Based on the above information, we can see that
Camus made the most fitting judgment for his
protagonist. At the same time, through the tragic fate
of Meursault, who lives under the influence of
absurdist ideas, the writer seems to predict the fate of
absurdism.
To express the character's cold nature, he includes only
thoughts about material things in his speech. We can
see that Meursault, who judged life as meaningless,
actually searched for meaning in it, albeit in the wrong
way, through his ventures into various paths such as
women, lust, and crime. But even by its name, the
"wrong path" never helps a person understand the
meaning and essence of life.
The writer cites the basis of Meursault's arrival at this
meaninglessness from the protagonist's perspective:
"Although my mother wasn't an atheist, she had never
shown any interest in religion throughout her life."
Furthermore, within the work, Camus provides details
of a crime, as if trying to warn both Meursault and the
reader that "everyone in this world reaps what they
sow." Indeed, the fact that a person who wanted to kill
a mother and daughter whose fate was narrated and
claim their wealth ultimately turns out to be their own
flesh and blood encourages the reader to deep
contemplation.
When sentenced to death, the following words from
Meursault's language acquire a philosophical meaning:
"Everyone in the world is chosen. There are no others.
Sooner or later, everyone will be judged and
sentenced."
In these sentences, the word "court" is used
symbolically to refer to the final destination and eternal
fate awaiting all people.
Overall, the work is highly valuable because every
element, character, or event in it is included for a
reason, reflecting the great writer's profound
intellectual views. The plot addresses not only issues of
a particular socio-political era but also universal
problems common to humanity across all periods. This
very quality attests to the writer's exceptional skill and
vast intellect.
Another praiseworthy aspect of the creator is that in
this work, there is not a single character included
merely for the plot's sake; there is not a single
statement made without purpose. Understanding its
underlying meaning requires effort, knowledge, and
reflection.
In most literary works, when narrating the
protagonist's life, their emotional experiences are also
reflected, which enhances the impact of the work.
However, in Albert Camus's novella "The Stranger," we
see the opposite. From the beginning to the end of
Meursault's story, there is almost no mention of his
mental state or inner experiences. Events are described
as if coldly narrated from the protagonist's perspective.
The hero describes situations based solely on his
physical condition. He expresses pleasure only in
material things. He only enjoys coffee with milk,
relationships with women, and traveling to various
destinations for leisure. But even from these,
Meursault feels nothing. He explains his state after his
mother's death by saying, "I was just tired; I usually
behave this way when I'm not feeling well physically."
Perhaps a typical person might behave like Meursault
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American Journal Of Social Sciences And Humanity Research (ISSN: 2771-2141)
when fatigued, but whether woman or man, people
generally experience their life's sad or joyful moments
surrounded by hidden or overt feelings and emotions.
Although men are relatively less emotional, they are
not completely devoid of feelings.
On this topic, Professor E. Goziev provides the following
information about emotions in his textbook "General
Psychology":
"When a person perceives objects and phenomena in
the external environment, they are never completely
indifferent to these things. The human process of
reflection is always active."
Moreover, we cannot find any emotional reaction in
Meursault's personality to any situation.
The following scientific data can show that this is not a
normal situation:
"Emotion is a unique process of reflecting our feelings,
in which the inner experiences and relationships that
arise in us during the process of perceiving things and
events are expressed.
Emotions, in terms of their origin, are connected with a
person's needs, interests, and aspirations."
This concept, which applies to every person, seems
alien to Meursault. Only in one situation - when he is
sentenced to death - does the main character begin to
understand what events are happening to him. Since
the emergence of emotions, as mentioned above,
depends on human needs, interests, and aspirations,
another situation seems paranormal to us: Meursault
lacks these very interests, needs, and aspirations. Even
when offered a position by his boss, he experiences no
emotional response: no sense of pride, joy, or
excitement. Whereas a normal man, although not as
emotional as a woman, would at least feel a sense of
pride in his profession and material achievements. For
Meursault, everything is meaningless, insignificant, and
colorless.
That's precisely why the writer (!) has the crime
committed not by Celeste, Raymond, or Mason, but
specifically by Meursault. Prison and death sentence
were needed to make Meursault understand that he
too was a human being, why he was living, and the
meaning of his life.
Why specifically the death penalty? Moreover, not
because he killed the Arab, but because he behaved
coldly after his mother's death, engaged in immoral
relationships, drank coffee and smoked cigarettes over
his mother's coffin, and didn't shed a single tear. The
fact is, society didn't want to include in its ranks a
person who had extinguished their human feelings.
Society coldly sentenced to death the person who was
indifferent to the death of another human being.
The fact that Meursault didn't understand or feel
where he really was even in prison is clearly expressed
in the following sentences:
"I wanted to say that they were criminals, that's why
they cried. But I immediately thought that I myself was
one of them."
As he entered the prison, emotions, though negative,
began to enter Meursault's life. The fact that he
couldn't get rid of his craving for smoking, that his
physical relationship with Marie had stopped, and in
general, that his physical needs weren't being met,
began to depress him, because Meursault tried to find
the meaning of his life in these very things - although
he couldn't find it. When he shot the Arab, Meursault
felt no emotion. There was neither fear, nor remorse,
nor astonishment at what he had done. True, he didn't
deliberately shoot the Arab. But with the same notion
of "what's the difference?" he fired at him several
times. This situation does not correspond to any criteria
or logic of humanity. Through the example of
Meursault, the philosopher Camus demonstrated the
degree of danger and illogical nature of the philosophy
of absurdity for humanity.
If we examine Meursault's character from multiple
angles rather than just one perspective, we witness
how the tragic circumstances in his life positively
impact his psyche and begin to awaken his soul.
Specifically, after his mother's death, while staying with
members of society - the doorkeeper and those
attending his mother's funeral - Meursault himself
notes feeling a sense of kinship and describes this
situation as "very strange." (To us, it's very strange that
he finds this situation "very strange") For Meursault,
who mainly interacted with colleagues for work and
didn't even have mourning clothes, this was truly an
unusual situation. Celeste's participation in the trial as
a witness for his defense also brings positive emotions
to Meursault's psyche. That's why he says, "For the first
time in my life, I wanted to embrace a man."
As the trial nears its end, only when the lawyer is still
explaining something does the protagonist experience
genuine emotions and anguish:
"Only at the end, when my defense attorney was still
explaining something, do I remember the sound of a
horn that had seeped through all the walls and the
spacious room of the courthouse, reaching my ears - an
ice cream vendor's cart passing by. And then, memories
of life that had given me the smallest and most precise
joys came flooding back - the scents of past summers I
was now deprived of, the beloved streets, the colors of
the evening sky, Marie's laughter, her dress."
Realizing he has been sentenced to death, during the
conversation with the priest, we witness Meursault
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finally revealing his emotions openly:
"Here, I don't even know what it was, something
overflowed inside me. I shouted at the top of my lungs,
cursed him, and said I didn't need his prayers. I grabbed
his robe by the collar. Trembling with rage and joy, I
poured out everything that had accumulated in my
heart."
At this point, based on his phrase "everything that had
accumulated in my heart," we wonder: what kind of
person is Meursault? Is he truly so cold and unfeeling,
or a complex character who suppresses his own
experiences? Does he really view everything with such
indifference? When did this indifference begin in him?
Could it be that he had lived in this state since birth,
since childhood?
The answer to our question is reflected in Meursault's
following confession:
..."I have always waited for this moment, for this
morning. Then my rightness will be proven."
The aforementioned moment and morning refer to the
dawn when Meursault's death is expected. The word
"rightness" implies "we'll all die one day anyway,
everything is pointless and illogical."
This very meaning, this very conclusion underlies
Meursault's actions throughout the story, the "what
difference does it make?" attitude, the reflection that
is repeatedly used in his speech, the hero's emotional
experiences, and his attitude towards his surroundings.
Meursault, who sensed that he would die one day
anyway and, as he said, "expected" it, doesn't even feel
why he's living, or in general, that he's living at all.
At this point, based on the hero's psychological state,
we witness how absurdism leads a person to
depression, and how concepts like "we'll die one day
anyway" and "there's no logic in living" bring their soul
to the brink of death even before their div perishes.
At the core of this situation lies the absence of pure
religious concepts and knowledge, and a lack of
religious upbringing. After all, sacred books state that a
person does not come to this world without reason.
The second verse of Surah Al-Mulk in the Holy Quran
also mentions the reason for the creation of death and
life:
"He is the One who created death and life to test which
of you is best in deed."
In fact, our sacred religion provides the most perfect
answers to all questions that arise during a person's
lifetime, and its holy book is great because humankind
has not and cannot make any changes to it.
The religion that Meursault and the society around him
profess is an exception to this perfection. As we know,
in the Holy Quran, the Bible, the holy book of
Christianity, is included among the divine books.
According to the Quran, the Gospel foretold the birth
of Muhammad, but Christians distorted the original
text of the Gospel. The people who, instead of Allah,
elevated His messenger to the level of God and initially
condemned even the prophet to death will eventually
face destruction like Meursault. How can a religion or
sacred book, which people have altered according to
their own desires, show them the meaning of life or
comfort their hearts?
In his conversation with the priest, Meursault
repeatedly states that he does not believe in God. The
investigator receives the same answer from him. After
the words of both the priest and the investigator,
Meursault's heart feels not the slightest emotion.
Because, as he himself says, even a priest "lives like a
dead man." Even in our blessed religion of Islam, Allah
does not call people to completely turn away from this
world or retreat into seclusion. Indeed, the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) also says in the blessed
hadiths:
"Those who abandon the world for the Hereafter, or
the Hereafter for the world, are not the best among
you. The best among you are those who take their
share from both." In another hadith on this topic, it is
said: "What an excellent mount this world is. Ride it. It
will lead you to the Hereafter."
Based on the above information, we can correctly
understand Meursault's attitude towards God and the
priest. This situation in Meursault has taken root in the
consciousness of an entire society. Meursault, as we
mentioned, demonstrates his subconscious state and
experiences without wearing a mask.
In essence, Camus himself has a similar attitude
towards God. "I am not an atheist. I don't believe in
God's existence, but I feel His presence," he says.
Perhaps behind these words, the philosopher meant to
say, "I feel God's existence deep within me, but I don't
recognize the Gods you have created."
In reality, not everyone who claims to believe in the
existence of the Creator acts in accordance with their
words. However, feeling His existence signifies that
there is a great love in the depths of a person's heart
that prevents them from many base actions.
In short, without spiritual experiences, a person is not
human. The origin of this paranormal mentality in our
protagonist Meursault leads back to the issue of faith,
which has been the most delicate and pressing matter
for everyone.
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