A review by oskhen
The Stranger by Albert Camus

4.0

Quite different from my only other encounter with Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus, The Stranger resembles Sartre's Nausea more than anything else. Instead of being a clear-cut philosophical discussion, these books (in my opinion at least) instead sets out to reveal a certain perspective that lies at the core of Existentialism. It's that feeling of indifference to the world, of objectivity if you will. This indifference is of course the very thing that condemns Meursault and classifies him, in the eyes of society, as a "criminal at heart". The main difference between this book and Nausea is something that seems to signify the main difference between Sartre and Camus, because whereas Sartre in the end sees Existentialism as a justification for a grim worldview, Camus views it as redemption. I would have to agree with Camus' point of view here, personally Existentialism lies at the foundation of happiness rather than despair.