The Stranger Journal 4 (tracking a certain word)

The sun and the sky is what I will be following through out The Stranger.

The sun seems to be viewed as a negative thing in Mersault's life. It seems to affect Mersault more when their is more tension in the book.

"[...] the truck was bumping around on the uneven cobblestones of the quay in a cloud of dust and sun" (26). Camus is connecting the dust and the sun together.

"She lay down right next to me and the combined warmth from her body and from the sun made me doze off" (51). The sun doesn't make Mersault think clearly. His girlfriend seems to have the same affect on him.

"The sun was shining almost directly overhead onto the sand, and the glare on the water was unbearable" (52). Mersault can't stand the sunlight anymore.

"But the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, was pressing on my back" (58). The sun seems to disorient Mersault and it causes him to act differently.

"Despite the blinds, the sun filtered through in places and the air was already stifling" (83). The sun is creating this acrid situation for Mersualt.

Meanwhile, the sun was getting low outside and it wasn't as hot anymore" (105). The sun going down represents the cooling down of Mersault's life.

The sky seems to play a less active role in the story compared to the sun. The sky just seems to reflect what is happening in the story.

"Above the rooftops the sky had taken on a reddish glow, and with evening coming on the streets came to life" (23). The red sky is being related to the activity on the streets below.

"Soon after that, the sky grew dark and I thought we were in for a summer storm" (22). This sentence could foreshadow a storm. The storm could be Mersault killing a man.

"She didn't say anything so I left it there. I had the whole sky in my eyes and it was blue and gold" (20). Mersault seems to be content when he is with Marie and the blue and gold sky reflect this idea.

"It seemed to me as if the sky split open from one end to the other to rain down fire" (59). The sky here is being described very violently and this mirrors what Mersault just did.

"I was assailed by memories of a life that wasn't mine anymore, but one in which I'd found the simplest and most lasting joys: the smells of summer, the part of town I loved, a certain evening sky, Marie's dresses and the way she laughed" (104). Camus describes how Mersault misses all these things while he is in prison.