Stranger Journal #5

I think there are a couple possible reasons why Camus splits the book into two parts. Firstly, it seems consistent with his constant use of 2s or multiples thereof (Significance still remains to be seen). In terms of changing literary style a few things seem to occur. First, while Part 1 largely focused on the description of other characters from Meursault's mind, Part 2 is much more heavily focused on Meursault's internal thought processes. One potential reason for this is to demonstrate his transition from defining his life based on the Other's perception of him and begins more of a self-judgment phase. Secondly, Camus may do it simply to help emphasize the effect of the trial. While most of the 'plot' actually occurs in Part 1, separating the court scenes into a Part 2 emphasizes that it takes up a whole half of the book. This brings the reader's attention to the symbolic significance of this portion of the book. Additionally, being trapped in jail gives Camus the perfect pretext to begin analyzing different aspects of Existentialism and more generically, philosophical thinking. These include:

Freedom: "Well, yes - freedom [...] Otherwise, what would be the punishment" ( 78)

Purpose of Punishment: "why they had taken them away when they didn't harm anybody. Later on I realized that that too was part of the punishment" (78)

Contradicting views on Justice: "human justice was nothing and divine justice was everything. I pointed out that it was the former that had condemned me." (118)

Acknowledgment of others' fulfillment: "'Every man I have known in your position turned to Him.' I acknowledged that that was their right." (117)

Capital Punishment: "How had I not seen that there was nothing more important than an execution, and that when you come right down to it, it was the only thing a man could truly be interested in." (110)

Another separation between the parts is Camus' use of imagery. While in part one he very heavily relies on descriptions of details like bright color (for example, at the beach (49)) but in part two, those colors become more muted and details are focused more on people and shapes (like Meursault's observation of the jail cell). This could help show that such a change really is meaningless as Meursault even concludes that seeing too many things can detract focus from what already exists. "once I learned to remember things, I wasn't bored at all. [...] I realized then that a man who had lived only one day could easily live for a hundred years in prison. [...] In a way, it was an advantage" (79) This could help demonstrate the point that if we can let go of the things we feel we need to fulfill, the less we suffer (also shown with the cigarettes and his need for women).