meursault the psychopath

 

From the first line, I could tell something was off. What kind of person would begin a narrative with "Maman died today"? Even if we disregard the sheer lack of emotional response to what would be a grievous event for others, his language is oddly aloof. It doesn't feel like "Maman" -- an affectionate term for "mother" -- should be in the same sentence as "died today," an awfully direct way of saying "passed away" or "took her last breath."

The answer to my question is simple: a psychopath. Meursault shows all the characteristics of one -- he often lacks empathy and remorse, is unable to form genuine attachments to his friends or Marie, and displays few signs of having morals or conscience.

On top of being blunt and lacking basic human emotions, psychopaths have a dangerous trait: having charm that conceals their manipulativeness. The fact that Marie continues to devote herself to Meursault despite his obvious indifference towards marriage and even murdering a man without remorse (there can't be a bigger red flag than this) is alarming. 

We can assume Meursault has some sort of physical appeal, but is that all? There could be manipulation happening beyond what we can see through his perspective. The best trick to lie effectively is to believe in the lie -- so, can we really be sure that Meursault is as innocent as he seems? He could be leaving out important details about his relationship with Marie, and the "cymbals of sunlight" and "dazzling spear flying up from the knife" which supposedly led him to commit murder might just be a figment of his imagination. We will never really know what is happening inside of Meursault's mind, and that makes The Stranger so much more interesting.