Religion, Heresy, and Irrational Meursault
Religion, Society, and the Irrational Meursault In Albert Camus' The Stranger , we follow Meursault, the main character, as he kills an Arab man and is condemned of both homicide and indirect matricide by a jury and society heavily rooted in religion. I will identify the religious aspects of this judicial branch and society of Algiers. First, I will start with Maman's funeral as an example of the increasing influence of religion on Meursault's surroundings. Then, I will focus on the Meursault's conversations with the magistrate. Finally, I will focus on the case itself and Meursault's death penalty through this religious context, highlighting the clash between Christianity and Meursault's irrationality and absurdity. In The Stranger , the setting of Algiers appears to be a society increasingly rooted in religion with church and state intertwined. We ...