Previous
Alliteration
Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Marie vs Meursault:
Marie Cordona serves as a foil for Meursault throughout The Stranger. Marie is filled with joy: she laughs frequently, feels strongly, and says she loves and wants to marry Meursault. Meursault, on the other hand, feels little, and while he is attracted to Marie and agrees to marry her, he views her as rather interchangeable—that is, she suits him just as well as any other woman who likes him would. While Marie has liked Meursault ever since working as a secretary at his workplace, Meursault himself does not actively choose Marie but simply reciprocates her interest in a more passive manner.
Related Themes:
Book 1, Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Lost Dog:
Despite initially appearing to despise his dog, dragging him along on walks and beating him frequently, Salamano ironically becomes distraught when the dog runs away:
Unlock with LitCharts A+He was looking down at the tips of his shoes and his scabby hands were trembling. Without looking up at me he asked, “They’re not going to take him away from me, are they, Monsieur Meursault? They’ll give him back to me. Otherwise, what’s going to happen to me?” I told him that the pound kept dogs for three days so that their owners could come and claim them and that after that they did with them as they saw fit. [...] from the peculiar little noise coming through the partition, I realized he was crying. For some reason I thought of Maman.
Related Themes:
