In The Stranger by Albert Camus, several passages reflect a racist
attitude toward the native Algerians by the French colonialists. This first appears
early in the novel, when Raymond beats his “Moorish” girlfriend with impunity,
knowing that if someone will testify that she cheated on him he will face no
charges (p.35-37). Not only does the law disregard his crime, but the white
people living around him also display a similar lack of concern about the
savage beating. Meursalt’s girlfriend Marie, who may even be Arab herself, is
initially disturbed, but she quickly forgets about the incident.
The
most important Arab character of the novel is the victim of Meursalt’s
senseless murder on the beach. Despite his extreme importance to the story, he
is never even named. Similarly, Raymond’s girlfriend is not named. Their
identity is solely defined by their race. This shows Meursalt’s racism, because
he clearly knows the names of both characters but chooses not to use them.
While
Meursalt is arrested and convicted for the murder of an Arab man, the bulk of
his trial is spent not discussing the murder itself, but Meursalt’s character. It
quickly becomes clear that Meursalt had no real motive for the murder. At this
point, Meursalt is no longer actually on trial for killing an Arab man, but
instead for being a morally reprehensible individual whose unfeeling nature
(particularly evident at his mother’s funeral) deeply offends the established
French culture. The actual crime—the loss of an Arab life—quickly becomes
insignificant. I sure this would not be the case had Meursalt killed a white
Frenchman.
Mr.
Mitchell mentioned a recent book by Kamel Daoud, an Algerian writer, who
retells The Stranger from the
perspective of the brother of the murdered Arab. Go here for a great interview
with the author:
http://www.npr.org/2015/06/23/416828000/algerian-writer-kamel-daoud-stands-camus-the-stranger-on-its-head
This new novel seems to be the
perfect antidote to the dehumanization of the Arab in The Stranger.