Stranger Journal #7

Topic: Analysis of how the motifs of the sun/night, sleep, and water interact. The sun signifies the illumination of meaning or life purpose (duh) which shows a few things. #1. That trying to find meaning causes Meursault pain (except for when with Marie where he 'feels' like everything is ok. Alone, he realizes the truth). #2. This is followed by sleep as he tries to escape these realizations by drifting out of consciousness. #3. Night (or even shade) represents a blissful uncaringness to the lack of meaning (is light is the illumination of meaning, dark much be the opposite). #4. The water is the conscious recognition and acceptance of the lack of inherent meaning (it cools the pain of the heat). The combination of sun and water (like at the beach) shows his freedom to accept this seemingly contradicting theory. (If room, explore how food brings back physical elements and distractions to the apparent lack of meaning)

My backup plan will focus on suffering exposed through loss or simply lack of inherent meaning to life (if not too generic/cliche)

Attempted fail at a thesis:
In Albert Camus' The Stranger, the motifs of light, sleep, and water exposes the futility of attempting to moralize life. The only ways to appreciate life are to embrace or ignore life's lack of inherent meaning and still find pleasure. (is that add-on too vague and unclear? Perhaps not putting it in may be best)

(Sun and sleep based evidence for Part 1. This does not include all water or night evidence)

#1. "[...] and the glare of the sky and the road, that I dozed off." (4)

#2. "The room was filled with beautiful late-afternoon sun. [...] I could feel myself getting sleepy" (7)

#3. Night had fallen suddenly. Darkness had gathered, quickly, above the sky light. The caretaker turned the switch and I was blinded by the sudden flash of light." (8)

#4. "The glare on the white walls was making me drowsy" (9)

#5. "Then I dozed off again. I woke up because my back was hurting more and more. Dawn was creeping up over the skylight." (11)

#6. "as if that night during which we hadn't exchanged as much as a single word had somehow brought us closer together" (12)

#7. "I could feel how much I'd enjoy going for a walk if it hadn't been for Maman. [...] I breathed the smell of fresh earth and I wasn't sleepy anymore." (12)

#8. "The sun was now a little higher in the sky: it was starting to warm my feet." (12)

#9. "Evenings in that part of the country must have been a kind of sad relief. But today, with the sun bearing down, making the whole landscape shimmer with heat, it was inhuman and oppressive." (15)

#10. "I was surprised at how fast the sun was climbing in the sky." (16)

#11. "All around me there was still the same glowing countryside flooded with sunlight. The glare from the sky was unbearable." (16)

#12. "When the sun got too hot, she dove off and I followed." (20)

#13. "Soon after that, the sky grew dark and I thought we were in for a summer storm." (22)

#14. "Then the street lamps came on all of a sudden and made the first stars appearing in the night sky grow dim. I felt my eyes getting tired from watching the street filled with so many people and lights." (24)

#15. "I felt sleepy [...] he'd hear about Maman's death but that it was one of those things that was bound to happen sooner or later." (33)

#16. "The four o'clock sun wasn't too hot, but the water was warm, with slow, gently lapping waves." (34)

#17. I'd left my window open, and the summer night air flowing over our brown bodies felt good." (35)

#18. "He was getting on my nerves a little, but I didn't have anything to do and I didn't feel sleepy." (44)

#19. "I was so tired and also because we hadn't opened the blinds, the day, already bright with sun, hit me like a slap in the face. Marie was jumping with joy and kept on saying what a beautiful day it was. I felt a little better [...]" (47)

#20. "I was absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me a lot of good." (50)

#21. "She lay down right next to me and the combined warmth from her body and from the sun made me doze off." (51)

#22. "We saw Masson making his way back to the beach to stretch out in the sun." (51)

#23. "'My wife always takes a nap after lunch. Me, I don't like naps. I need to walk." (52)

#24. "The sun was shining almost directly overhead onto the sand, and the glare on the water was unbearable." (52)

#25. "I wasn't thinking about anything, because I was half asleep from the sun beating down on my bare head." (53)

#26. "When they thought they were far enough away, they took off running as fast as they could while we stood there motionless in the sun." (54)

#27. "By now the sun was overpowering. It shattered into little pieces on the sand and water." (55)

#28. "The whole time there was nothing but the sun and the silence, with the low gurgling from the spring and the three notes." (55)

#29. "The sun glinted off Raymond's gun as he handed it to me. [...] We stared at each other without blinking, and everything came to a stop there between the sea, the sand, and the sun, and the double silence of the flute and the water." (56)

#30. "The sound of the waves was even lazier, more drawn out than at noon. It was the same sun, the same light still shining on the same sand as before." (58)

#31. "I knew that it was stupid, that I wouldn't get the sun off me by stepping forward." (59)

#32. "The sun was starting to burn my cheeks, and I could feel drops of sweat gathering in my eyebrows." (58)