Misunderstood Morality: Is Meursault a "Bad person?"
Towards the end of The Stranger , others were starting to really see the depths of Meursault true personality. Being viewed as cold and indifferent in other words "étranger", leading some to see him as a "horrible person". However, Meursault's apparent lack of emotion and his refusal to hold to societal expectations do not necessarily make him immoral. Instead, these traits reflect his authenticity and honesty, to values that Albert Camus prized. Through Meursault, Camus challenges readers to question what truly defines morality and whether society's judgment of Meursault is fair. A huge reason people might see Meursault as heartless is how he reacted to his mother's death and what they noticed at the funeral. "The director then looked down at the tips of his shoes and said that I hadn't wanted to see Maman, that I hadn't cried once, and that I had left right after the funeral without paying my last respects at her grave" (C...