Relating to the "Un-relatable"

"He said, 'That's them.' I asked, 'Who?' and he repeated, 'The press.' He knew one of the reporters, who just then spotted him and was making his way toward us. He was an older, friendly man with a twisted little grin on his face. He gave the policeman a twisted little grin on his face. He gave the policeman a warm handshake. I noticed then that everyone was waving and exchanging greetings and talking, as if they were in a club where people are glad to find themselves among others from the same world. That is how I explained to myself the strange impression I had of being odd man out, a kind of intruder. Yet the reporter turned and spoke to me with a smile."

When I read The Stranger, I noticed quickly the sentences are short and the writing style appears very simple. However, this simplicity is somewhat deceptive. The book itself tackles a very complex moral issue...in many ways it simply tackles a lack of morals. Mersault seems to go through life with little concern for anything in the world. He clearly cares for women and enjoys being outside in the fresh air. However, he is able to kill a man and seemingly not care. He accepts his punishment because he knows that is how things must be. In the passage I selected above it is interesting to note the simple descriptions and details that Mersault notes.

He begins talking with the policeman, offering just a word or two of conversation. He then describes how he feels like an outsider, "the odd man out, a kind of intruder." And yet, this stranger in the courtroom, who does not know all the ins and outs of the so called legal system or the media, was then greeted by the reporter. From this passage and the rest of the paragraph on page 84, the description of the courtroom transforms into more of a scene of a party. Almost everyone knows the feeling you get when you are noticed at a party when you don't know many people and feel left out. Mersault's emotions seem to be almost that of excitement because he has been noticed when he normally would not have been. I think that Camus does a good job of relating the reader to a character who at first glance seems to be hard to relate to.