The Stranger and Meursault

Who is this "stranger"? Is this referring to Meursault, or is there another connection within this book? I think that the title of this book is named after the metaphor of who Meursault is to other people, and to himself as well. No one truly knows who Meursault is. He is a mystery. Not even Meursault knows   who the true Meursault is. People spend time with him and they think they know him, but no one does. One who does not know them self cannot be acknowledged by others. I think the title of the book comes from this lack of character in Meursault, because he is simply a stranger to everybody.

Meursault's True Identity

Meursault never really actualized his identity in "The Stranger". His entire life revolved around other peoples' decisions and he never had a true self. Toward the end of the book when he was in jail, Meursault began thinking about what had taken place and this was the very first time that the reader was able to get a slight sense of what his thoughts were. The time he spent in jail gave him no other option but to reflect on things and to become somewhat of an individual for once. He pondered on what he had gone through and what he thought of all of it. He really did not show much emotion however. Still, I would say that Meursault never became a true individual.