How far does nature and the sun lead to Meursault’s downfall? The Outsider by Albert Camus is a novel that revolves around the theme of the absurdist. The novel explores the character of Meursault, who is a taciturn and emotionally detached man. Meursault shows no emotion at his mother's funeral and is viewed as an individualist. In the novel, at a point in time he kills a man without any concrete motive to do so, and this leads to him being sentenced to death. The sun is a very powerful symbol in the work, it is omnipresent. At the funeral, at the beach when he is with Marie, at the time he kills the Arab, the sun is always there. It may be argued that the symbolism of the sun leads to Meursault's downfall. In this Written Assignment I will discuss the fatal flaws of Meursault, the symbolism of the sun and how this affects the …show more content…
It is always present when society's principles and views are needed. Like the society, the sun and brightness is normally seen as a positive aspect, however they can both be overpowering. This effect, I believe leads to Meursault's downfall. For example, at the funeral, the sun is shining really brightly and the heat is unbearable according to the main character, just like on that day the expectations of the society is pressing upon Meursault. When Meursault kills the Arab at the beach, the sun is present overpowering him leading him to confusion and disorientation, the line “At that very moment, the sweat that had gathered on my eyebrows suddenly rushed down into my eyes, blinding me with a warm, heavy veil of salt and tears” supports this idea. Before shooting the Arab, Meursault mentions that, “It was the same sun as the day I buried Mama” and this may imply that like at his mother’s funeral he didn’t have any compassion, his feelings are likewise towards the Arab. Even at the trial, the sun is present, along with the society thinking they have the right to judge