The Outsider

Novel | Albert Camus
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Discuss the European–Arab relation in Camus' novel “The Outsider/ The Stranger” 

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Discuss the European–Arab relation in Camus' novel “The Outsider/ The Stranger”[NU: 2019] 

Albert Camus (1913–1960) set “The Outsider” (1942) in French-colonial Algiers. The European characters like Meursault, Raymond, and Masson live with power. The Arab characters remain nameless and voiceless. Their relationship shows inequality, violence, and indifference. This reflects the colonial tension in Algeria.

Arabs as Silent Outsiders: In the novel, the Arabs never speak directly. They are described only through Raymond and Meursault. Raymond calls one of them as his mistress’s brother. He says,

“One of them’s the brother of that girl.”

Their identity is shadowed. The Arabs remain faceless. This silence shows the colonial gap. Europeans control the story, while Arabs are outsiders in their own land.

The Beach Fight and Violence: At Masson’s beach house, Europeans and Arabs meet. A fight starts. Raymond is injured by the Arab with a knife. Later Meur

sault walks alone. The sun blinds him. He sees the Arab again. He fires. The violence shows the clash between Europeans and Arabs. But the court later ignores the Arab’s death. His life is treated as less important.

Trial and Social Inequality: At the trial, the Arab victim is hardly mentioned. The Director, the Caretaker, Marie, and others talk about Meursault’s mother’s funeral. The Prosecutor says, 

“This man, who is morally guilty of his mother’s death, is no less unfit to have a place in the community.”

The murder of the Arab is less important than Meursault’s character. This proves inequality. The court values European morality over Arab life.

Camus shows European–Arab relations as unequal. Arabs are silent, faceless, and ignored. Meursault kills an Arab “because of the sun.” Yet society condemns him not for murder, but for indifference. This shows the absurdity of colonial life, where justice is unequal and alienation rules.

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Albert Camus
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