The Void: Amorality in The Stranger

Morality is the central question in Albert Camus' The Stranger. We are introduced to an utterly detached protagonist, Meursalt, and his struggles to come to terms with a world predicated on morality. Meursalt makes no moral judgments, not even on himself. He commits a heinous act of murder, and yet the reader is left feeling abandoned, left wondering exactly how to judge the man that feels no wrong.

Camus clearly comes from the perspective that there is no morality; rather, morality is imposed upon us by society. Camus characterizes his protagonist with sensory details, rather than moral judgments. Meursalt wonders why the world sees him as peculiar, because from his perspective, he is the only true moral basis. We see characters throughout the novel that defy traditional morality, and yet there are others who enforce it with an intense Christian vigor. One lawyer shoves the crucifix in Meuralt's face, demanding him to see God. To him, morality, and specifically Christianity, are fundamental to the human condition. Meursalt proves otherwise.

We often wonder what the root of evil is. How could someone be evil when morality is so utterly true? Camus offers an explanation. Some are born with a lacking. Others lose their sense of right and wrong altogether.

The Stranger offers only that some are born without an innate moral code. Camus criticizes that everyone is fundamentally without, but is never able to convincingly prove that. He sticks to what he knows he can prove: the amorality of one man. It is true that we do not understand the workings of the minds of individuals. Perception and judgments are independent for each person. Such people need society to demand morality of them if we are to have a functioning culture. Striving for what is morally right serves in the best interest of everyone. Therefore, we need morality.

However, Camus is unable to prove that everyone is born without a moral code. While he does show that morality is imposed upon the man without it, he does not comment on whether the imposers simply drank the Kool-Aid and became moral through osmosis.

The Stranger adds a valuable data point on the quest to uncover the source of the moral code. Morality does not exist in everyone's nature, says Camus. In this way, society defines morality for some who need it. To others, I believe, morality is innate. The question as to whether each person has the same moral code remains to be seen. Is morality a fundamental milieu, that one either has, or does not? Or does each person define their own moral code?

The Stranger was more useful than most in discovering the answer to this question. The more I debate it, the more I begin to realize that it may be a lifelong question without any clear answer. These are some of the most important questions, but also some of the most frustrating.