The Stranger: Journal 2

Mersault goes to keep vigil beside his dead mother. While doing so, he observes the setting in which his mother lived and, apparently, was happy. After observing vigil for two days, Mersault returns to his home, and returns to his daily activities as if nothing has happened. Mersault treats his mother's death with a sense of detatchment-he does what is expected of him, as if he keeps vigil only out of duty. When he observes his mother's friends, he describes them with an air of impatience and intolerance for their sorrow. His return home, where he carries on with his life normally, conveys a mood of indifference and even annoyance toward his mother's death in any way that it has impacted his life, including recieving sympathy. Camus most likely creates a protagonist like Mersault to convey his outlook on death: that it is just an event in life like any other, and that it should not be dwelled on. Camus creates his character to create and convey the tone of the book.