The Stranger - Journal #1

This is general than specific, but when Meursault comes across problems, usually minor, his best solution is to ignore it.

A Few Examples being:

" The rest of the flat was never used, so I didn’t trouble to look after it." (Camus 15)
Not so much a 'problem', but interesting that he would bother mentioning it. Then again, Meursault makes a habit of bringing minor details to light.

"So I fried some eggs and ate them off the pan. I did without bread as there wasn’t any left, and I couldn’t be bothered going down to buy it" (15)

Oh look, no bread left. Ah well, who needs bread when I have eggs! Not a problem anymore since I don't need bread!

"It struck me that I’d better see about some dinner. I had been leaning so long on
the back of my chair, looking down, that my neck hurt when I straightened myself
up. I went down, bought some bread and spaghetti, did my cooking, and ate my meal
standing" (17)

Yup, now I feel like having bread. Meursault just does things on a whim apparently.

I believe Camus made Meursault's personality bland as to eliminate biased thought processes. By not caring/taking sides, Meursault becomes "The Stranger", or the guy who just doesn't fit in. At times he does takes sides, such as with Raymond's situation(s) later in the novel, but even then he performs those favors without emotion. He falsely testified against someone who was beat up by Raymond!

I tracked Meursault's cigarettes throughout these first two chapters. They are all over the novel, but from the very beginning those cigarettes are being part of his character. Where ever he is, funeral or home, he is smoking.

"I drank the coffee,and then I wanted a cigarette. But I wasn’t sure if I should smoke, under the circumstances—in Mother’s presence. I thought it over; really, it didn’t seem to matter, so I offered the keeper a cigarette, and we both smoked." (7)

This passage develops Meursault's apathetic stance towards social norms, such as showing grief and respect at one's mother's funeral!

"I slept until ten. After that I stayed in bed until noon, smoking cigarettes."
His life seems rather boring. For two whole hours he smoked cigarettes. Either he was savoring them or chain smoking for 'entertainment'.