The Stranger by Albert Camus

"What did other people's deaths or a mother's love matter to me; what did his God or the lives people choose or the fate they think they elect matter to me when we're all elected by the same fate, me and billions of privileged people like him who also called themselves my brother? Couldn't he see, couldn't he see that? Everybody was privileged. There were only privileged people. The others would all be condemned one day. And he would be condemned, too. What would it matter if he were accused of murder and then executed because he didn't cry at his mother's funeral? Salamano's dog was worth just as much as his wife. The little robot woman was just as guilty as the Parisian woman Masson married, or as Marie, who had wanted me to marry her. What did it matter that Raymond was as much my friend as Celeste, who was worth a lot more than him? What did it matter that Marie now offered her lips to a new Meursault? Couldn't he, couldn't this condemned man see... And that from somewhere deep in my future... All the shouting had me gasping for air. But they were already tearing the Chaplain from my grip" (121-122).

Throughout the majority of the novel, Meursault's most defining characteristic is his lack of any human emotions. He fails to show any concern for his neighbor's habits of abuse or Marie's adoration for him or for the fact that he shot a man in the middle of the day on an open beach. The only realistic worry he has is fear pertaining to his execution, but even that is not a natural human reaction. As opposed to being concerned about facing death, he is upset about the definitive aspect of his execution. At one point he remarks that he would rather be executed with an injection that more than likely will kill him, but will still have a slight chance of survival. So instead of being upset about dying, he is upset about having the rest of his life already written for him. The above passage is the only instance where he becomes emotional, and he narrates the passage as he is attacking the Chaplain. What set him off was the Chaplain promising Meursault that he is on his side and will pray for him. Meursault's internal rant that proceeds explains a lot of Camus' attitudes towards life as well. He explains that overall, the Chaplain's piety accomplishes just as much as his homicide, and that the only differences that existed between people are their different relationships. Raymond's existance is defined by his hostile relations with various women; Marie's existance is defined by her relationship with Meursault, and then eventually someone else. Salamano's existance is defined by his relationship with his dog, and the Chaplain's existance is defined by his relationship with God. So, in the Chaplain's case, even if his God does not exist, the relationship is there, so he just like anyone else. Yes, Meursault will most likely die before any of the other characters, BUT he existed just as they did because of his relationships, whether they be good, bad, close, or distant. The reason Meursault responded to the Chaplain the way he did was because he knew that despite their different relationships throughout life, they were both headed for the same fate, and for the Chaplain to insinuate otherwise suggests that Meursault will suffer immensely in the afterlife for his actions, a concept which Meursault didn't believe in and didn't want to consider a possibility.