Passage, page 69: I was about to tell him he was wrong to dwell on it because it really didn’t matter. But he cut me off and urged me one last time, drawing himself up to his full height and asking me if I believed in God. I said no. he sat down indignantly. He said it was impossible; all men believed in god, even those who turn their backs on him. That was his belief, and if he were ever to doubt it, his life would become meaningless. “Do you want my life to be meaningless?” he shouted. As far as I could see, it didn’t have anything to do with me, and I told him so. But from across the table he had already thrust the crucifix in my face and was screaming irrationally “I am a Christian. I ask Him to forgive you your sins. How can you not believe that He suffered for you?” I was struck by how sincere he seemed, but I had had enough. It was getting hotter and hotter. As always, whenever I want to get rid of someone I’m not really listening to, I made it appear as if I agreed. To my surprise, he acted triumphant. “You see, you see!” he said. “You do believe, don’t you, and you’re going to place your trust in Him, aren’t you?” Obviously, I again said no. He fell back in his chair.



The quote above takes place when the main character Meursault is being interviewed and questioned by a magistrate for the murder of a man. This passage clearly represents the author of The Stranger, Albert Camus’s view on organized religion and mainstream society as a whole. Camus paints an image of a not so much evil and corrupt religion but more of a naïve and ignorant entity. This is shown by Camus’s showing how the magistrate “seemed sincere” about his beliefs. Camus is trying to show that with Christians at least they are not evil, they are just trying to do good. But as Camus tries to show in this section and throughout the novel is that we do not have to accept all of societies norms in order to have a fulfilling life. Meursault does this throughout the novel, most notably his lack of visible grieving. This simple act, innocent on its own, later proves to be the main reason he gets convicted. This is how Camus shows how society is threatened by unorthodox beliefs and the magistrate is how he symbolizes it to make it overt. We see how, even though perhaps good willing, illogical the magistrate is during his conversation. Refusing to believe that Meursault is in fact an atheist and does not accept it. This illogicality seems to be what Damus thought of society. Another section of the quote is when the magistrate says “That was his belief, and if he were ever to doubt it, his life would become meaningless.” We see this theme of the meaning of life and throughout The Stranger. The character Meursault shows us how a someone can have no meaning in his life but by not conforming to these standards society has set that they would end up branded as outsider. Showing us that Camus belief that it is not necessary to have a god or faith to live. Also towards the end of the novel Meursault becomes content that the universe is meaningless, which we can assume is what Camus also believes. However it seems that we must be able to play along with the moral standards of society or we will not be able to dwell within it. The main ideal of this novel seems to be it is hard to branch away from accepted society and those who do are inevitably exiled and ridiculed for their beliefs.