The Role of The Mother in Albert Camus' 'The Stranger'

The mother or the motherly figure has always played an important place in society and is always placed to a position akin to gods and important figures, this can be seen in religion such as Christianity where female figures such as Mary which are exemplified as perfection and adored due to their life of kindness and motherliness. We also see in history that queens and female regents have always been mothers to which their subjects abided. In short the mom has had a primary place in the heart of many as she is the first everything to many people and has occupied all primary functions in life.

In Albert Camus´ Stranger we are introduced to the mind of a man who thinks differently from others as he sees his mother – Maman – as an ordinary person that came and left and hold no special importance to him or place in his life. To him she is just a passer-by like any other person comes and goes. In this essay we are going to explore the importance of the mother in the novel by analyzing the surrounding her and the importance of her existence and mention in the novel.

Firstly, we look at the symbolism that surrounds the madam Meursault. In the first chapter´s first paragraphs we are told about madam Meursault death from there we are taken to the rest home where she had lived the rest of her days after being put in by her son. The rest home here represents earth where all are condemned to death after toiling under the sun and fall to the absurdity of building relationship like Perez and madam Meursault that will eventually come to an end by the death of one and which purpose eventually fall flat of expectations. Another symbolic moment is during the vigil of madam, where we are gathered in the room and are confronted with an obvious existential paradox. From the harsh whiteness of the room which allude to the blankness of life to the coffin in the middle of the room that that draws the reader back to the fact that all life eventually going to end and that that itself is true nihilism. This unconscious realization causes Meursault to flee the room with intensions of leaving the premises but he cannot due to social obligations; he is forced to stay and face all these. The bright light signifying the overpowering sensation of death which is something that Meursault refuses to acknowledge, this time by falling asleep and this – this very moment - decides his fate.

Madam Meursault shows us the extent of Meursault nihilism. In the novel we see that the protagonist refuses to play by the rules established by society but the real extent and the most striking one of this is his refusal to give any attachment to any person or thing or to show emotions towards events from the novel that is favorable towards him or disadvantageous. This is seen in his living conditions with his mother; to others (“normal” people) living with an old or sickly relative means taking care of them and making sure to adapt to their life style; to mister Meursault however it means barely acknowledging the person´s existence and not hesitating to send them away without remorse or emotion and not regularly checking up on them. All this shows Meursault detachment from the world and almost all the material things and emotional connections – which to other people are necessary for both the physical and mental wellbeing – by not giving any importance to a figure that is upheld by society to such a high status shows from the opening of the novel to its end we see that Meursault has always been a nihilist and an outsider.

As seen in the first paragraph we see that the mother signifies the beginning of the end for the protagonist. From the moment Meursault journeys into the home he is surrounded with by symbolic imagery of his downfall and demise: from the 12 people watching him at the wake symbolizing the jury that will eventually condemn him, the bright light and the overall of the room which cause the light to double intensity that foreshadow the unintentional assassination of the Arab at his do the beach cause by Meursault´s reaction to the reflection of light against the sword of the Arab and the white sand of the Algerian beach helping to increase the light´s intensity; all these set a stage for the chain reaction that was to happen to Meursault. These events that could have been easily if the protagonist had played the game and played better attention to the deeper meaning of the things taking place during the vigil and mourned his mother properly. Basing ourselves on the butterfly effect, if he hadn't gone to the beach immediately after the funeral he might have met a different fate. We see that madam's burial plays a central role in this part of Meursault life at it marks the beginning of his own downfall as without her death, she would have been a shadow in Meursault apartment, a name on his birth certificate and another senior citizen in the care home in Alger.

We then that see the mother is used in the novel as a reconnecting factor between the narrator and the reader. During his trial we see him dealing with the constant evaluation of his treatment towards his mother. We see the narrator going through waves of varying emotions from remorse to grief; firstly towards his mother which prompt him to do the same for the rest of his friends present in the audience, but this is however for a few moments before he returns to his plain and simplistic views. Another example of this is when he overhears his neighbor Salamano crying at the potential loss of his dog which causes Meursault to feel sad too with his thoughts drifting to his mother and wonder whether he treated her well. This unconscious realization of Meursault tugs at the heart strings of the readers as we realize the he might appear incredibly intelligent and honest, he too is subject to emotions and has the ability to use them. This shows that even if he seems as devoid of attachment he still unconsciously plays the game but only on the sly , but just this fact makes him more relatable to the audience.

Finally, we see that the mother is used by the author to show the general hypocrisy of the world and the society in particular. We see this mostly during the trial as Meursault is condemned and branded as a monster for the crime of not loving his mother and not for killing the Arab. This shows the general bias that the society towards people who refuse to play by the already established rules – usually religiously established and prescribed rules – by treating him like an antichrist for not loving someone dearly enough. The complete disregard for the circumstances in which the incident took place which proved Mr. Meursault truly innocent and that the events that took place where unintentional; However society especially the French colonials of that time did not regard the Arab or the circumstances as important to the trial; we are therefore subjected to and endless bicker and back and forth about a deceased woman whose mention was unnecessary. This is done because they want to judge using an appeal to emotion towards the rest of the jury to convict an otherwise innocent man who refused to follow society to death. The Arab for whom the trial was being held for was never given the justice due because the perpetrator never really existed and an innocent man was convicted became a martyr to society's agenda.

In conclusion, the mother has played a very essential role in the novel as she is indirectly one of the focal point on which the story rotates on. She helps to introduce the different facets of the protagonist and show the ugly side of the society in which we live in and are part. The symbolism that surrounds her shows us the slight clues that help us appreciate the story more and understand the writers mind a little more. Her presence shows that no matter if an individual has claims to be as detached to a super level the individual still unconsciously holds a soft spot for his mother because it is something ingrained in the thinking being.