The Outsider

By Albert Camus

Plot Summary

Part 1 - Chapter 1

Meursault, a shipping clerk in Algiers, receives a telegram informing him his mother has died. He expresses little sorrow and requests two days off from work to attend the funeral. On the bus to the nursing home, it is clear his moods are affected by physical sensations: "the glare off the road" and "the reek of gasoline". Meursault does not wish to see his mother's body before she is buried, and engages the doorkeeper in conversation throughout the vigil, drinking café au lait and smoking. His mother's friends arrive, and one of them sobs incessantly. Meursault, meanwhile, is only aware of a pain in his leg. His mind moves rapidly over images, never lingering over one or the other. Instead, he experiences the funeral as a series of physical sensations: for example in the smell of the hot leather and the horse dung. He feels also a longing to return to the comfort of his small bed in Algiers.

Part 1 - Chapter 2

On Saturday he is tired after Friday's events and decides to go for a swim. There he meets Marie Cardon, a former typist in his office, and they play in the water together. They are clearly enjoying themselves. He casually mentions his mother's death and that evening they go to the movies to see a comedy. Later they sleep together but Marie is gone in the morning. Meursault lies in bed until lunch, wanders restlessly around the apartment and spends the rest of the day on the balcony watching others carry out their Sunday routines. He seems very content to do this.

Part 1 - Chapter 3

Meursault returns to work but little detail is given of this. Instead we are told of the physical sensation of washing his hands - physical comforts seem more important to Meursault than his mother's age. On his return he meets Salamano and his dog. Inseparable though they are, they both irritate each other. He also greets Raymond Sintes, who explains he has a bandage on his hand from a fight with his girlfriend's brother. Meursault agrees to write a letter to Raymond's girlfriend to make her feel bad about being unfaithful to him. Over this they become friends, setting in motion a drama that will change Meursault's life forever.

Part 1 - Chapter 4

A week goes by. On Saturday Marie and Meursault go swimming and return to his flat. Marie is hurt when Meursault says he is not sure if he loves her or not. A violent quarrel breaks out between Raymond and his girlfriend but Meursault refuses to call a policeman merely because he dislikes them. Marie appears to be upset by the scene and leaves. Meursault seems unfazed and goes to sleep. Raymond asks Meursault to testify to the police about his girlfriend's infidelity and Meursault agrees. The two men are now friends and go to a café. On the way back they meet Salamano urgently searching for his dog. He flies into a rage when Meursault says he might have to pay to reclaim him.

Part 1 - Chapter 5

Raymond calls Meursault at work and invites him to a friend's bungalow outside Algiers on Sunday. His boss then offers him a promotion in Paris and is surprised by his lack of enthusiasm and ambition. Marie visits him that evening and asks him to marry her. Meursault agrees if it will make her happy although he himself doesn't seem to care either way. He suggests dinner at Celeste's but Marie says she is already busy. Meursault scrutinises Robot-woman over dinner. Meets Salamano again who tells him his dog is definitely lost and seems very upset. This is juxtaposed with Meursault's indifference to his mother.

Part 1 - Chapter 6

Sunday, Meursault feels unwell, Marie is very excited about the excursion. Meursault sees the Arab men at a bus-stop, and is aware that Raymond is attracted to Marie. They meet Masson and his wife.

For Meursault the day has become hellish. They swim, have lunch and Raymond, Masson and Meursault walk along the beach. A confrontation with Arab men ensues, one who pulls a knife and cuts Raymond on the arm and mouth. Masson and Meursault help

Raymond returns to the bungalow, and then Meursault follows Raymond down the

beach and persuades him to give him the revolver. Meursault later returns to the beach, is very much struck by the heat of the sun and is surprised to find the Arab who draws a knife. Meursault fires once then four times again shattering the silence of the afternoon.

Part 2 - Chapter 1

During his first interviews with the police, Meursault has the feeling that no one is interested in him or his case. The magistrate explains that, in keeping with the law, the court will appoint a lawyer to defend him. The next day, a lawyer arrives at his cell and appears to have investigated his private life. He tries to influence the way Meursualt answers questions in trial, to dissuade him from being honest and blunt. Meursault refuses to lie and answers all the magistrates questions honestly but is far more affected by the heat of the sun. It is clear that he feels an outsider in the face of religious and judicial institutions. He does not sob and is entirely unmoved when the crucifix is brought out.

Part 2 - Chapter 2

Meursault tells of life in prison. First he is put into a big cell with other Arabs, and is subsequently moved to a small one. Marie comes to visit him but they have to shout to hear each other. Tormented by what life was like as a free man, he gradually becomes accustomed to his new environment and looks forward to daily walks in the courtyard and being visited by his lawyer. His main problem is how to pass the time, so he thinks about old lovers and the furniture in his room and becomes particularly fascinated with a newspaper clipping of a crime in Czechoslovakia. The days slip by and time seems to lose all meaning. Only yesterday and tomorrow have any bearing on his life.

Part 2 - Chapter 3

A year after the murder, the trial begins. Everyone in the court seems to know each other and Meursault pays little attention to the opening phases of court procedure. He goes through the formality of court procedure before the questions shift to his relationship with his mother and a warden from home is interrogated. The doorkeeper is the next witness and he talks of smoking and drinking café au lait at the vigil. Thomas Perez assures that Meursault didn't cry. Celeste defends him saying he was not one to waste his words but hardly the secretive kind. Marie is interrogated about the day after the funeral, the film and the fact that they slept together. Masson and Salamano prove futile and incoherent as witnesses. Raymond is the last witness and he tries to explain that it was he who has having row with the Arab. Argument breaks out over whether Meursault's mother's funeral has any bearing on the case. It seems he is being tried for his indifference; the court adjourns for the rest of the day.

Part 2 - Chapter 4

Meursault becomes yet more detached as the trial continues. He is bored by the prosecutor's speech yet fascinated by his movements and gestures. Meursault is described as soulless and without remorse; all he says in defence is that he did not mean to kill the Arab. The trial continues the next day, it is very humid and Meursault is mesmerized by the sound of an ice cream vendor's horn in the street, reminding him of all his past pleasures. Waiting for the verdict, Meursault realizes he hasn't thought much about Marie. On hearing he is to be decapitated in some public place, he realizes that he is being treated with respectful sympathy, but can only admit that he has stopped thinking.

Part 2 - Chapter 5

Some time has passed since the end of the trial. Meursault has refused to see the prison chaplain for the third time. He spends his days fantasizing about escape. The thought of his own freedom terrifies him, however, and he begins trembling. His attempt at imagining the guillotine is a way of creating order and of giving the final moments of his life some meaning. He argues whether life is worth living: does it matter if we die at thirty or seventy? He thinks of Marie and then realizes that after his death everyone will forget him. The chaplain arrives unannounced. Meursault tries to explain he doesn't believe in God but soon an argument breaks out. Meursault cannot control himself any longer and grabs the chaplain, exploding with rage. The jailers enter the cell and rescue him. He falls asleep exhausted and on waking imagines the day of his execution, hoping that a large crowd will greet him with cries of hatred.