Meursault is a distinct individual who comes across socially awkward, with awareness to sensory aspects and peoples actions. He’s very disconnected from the world. Many aspects influence Meursault, some examples of these aspects are other individuals such as Raymond, Marie and the Priest. As well as other characters and their relationship with Meursault there are sensory aspects that affect Meursault. Physical things such as the sun and heat make him become uncomfortable and act “inappropriately.” The sun is present at his mother’s funeral, when he refuses to grieve. It is also at he beach, and it is the sun in his eyes that causes him to shoot the Arab.
Meursault is cooperative and reacts passively to situations around him. Raymond is almost the exact opposite; he is very opinionated, active and assertive. One of the first encounters between the two characters is when Raymond invites Meursault to eat with him and when Raymond invites Meursault to the house on the beach. Sometimes within the novel it appears that Raymond is using Meursault, for example when Raymond persuades
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At the beginning of the novel, Meursault’s indifference generally only applies to him. However, When Meursault is sentences and meets the Chamberlin his ideology is broadened and Meursault gathers that the world is like him, in the the aspect that is it also indifferent to human life. He figures that there is no great meaning to people’s lives and their actions have no effects on the universe. This realization is the climax of the novel as it is a conclusion of all the events of the novel and allows Meursault to find peace within himself and with the world around him. Raymond can be seen as a cause for Meursault’s enlightenment because he is the main reason why Meursault got involved with the Arab and subsequently why he was put in