：outsider

Author: Camus
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The protagonist of this modern novel appears to be merely a modernized version of an ancient cynic, lacking any attractive force. However, the author invites us to confront him, to see his lifelike, sculptural image, to see the unconquerable despair as real, conscious, and always indelible. This book consists of two short stories and one philosophical essay by the French existentialist literary representative, Camus. In "The Stranger," the protagonist Meursault's mother dies, yet he doesn't cry and even smokes and drinks coffee at her coffin. Some call him "insensitive," yet he is also a warm-hearted person, always ready to help his neighbors. His attitude toward life is bleak and sluggish, and he reacts slowly, so some call him "a fool," yet he has a keen observation ability, especially toward natural scenery. Others say he is "savage" or "irrational," but in fact, he has a university education, often reads newspapers, and his thoughts are filled with philosophy. So, is he truly an odd, strange person, or perhaps an outsider, a perceptive one?