A full stream of emotional development takes place in Albert Camus book “The Stranger” and is demonstrated through the protagonist, Meursault. From the beginning the audience realizes the lack of empathy in Meursault and watches as his morals start to develop and take place. The book starts with his mother dying, a tragic event that normally puts people through great grief and pain. For Meursault though, it’s nothing more than an inconvenient take off work. The audience immediately realizes that something about him is off from his visit to his mother. He lacks the basic human understanding of other people 's emotions and social cues. It seems that his life has always been that way and that he never noticed it to be a problem or strikingly different …show more content…
Finally, the major turning point for Meursault happens at the shooting of the Arab on the beach. From this point on his reflection of himself and human nature in trial and prison give the most substance to the themes of the book. We see some of his social and moral development at this time as he tries to understand the magistrate and his religious points of view. Meursault takes the steps to try to empathize with the man, yet he agrees with the man because the argument and long standing conflict starts to make him uncomfortable. This shows improvement in his moral dilemma and allows his experiences to aid him. The trial deals with the issue of why Meursault shot the man so many times and why he hesitated. The lack of an answer leads the reader to infer that he himself had no real idea how to deal with the emotions he must have been feeling at the time. With his mother recently dying, pressure for love to fall in line, and to back up his new friends in a fight was just too much emotional and moral overload for him. As someone lacking development in these areas pairing this and the straining physical conditions with the sun and the beach, it is no wonder why he snapped. From the end of his trial there is a strong reflection held in the time that he has in solitary confinement that allows for him to develop more moral understanding on his