Discussion on topic - Essay Example

The importance of the beginning of the novel becomes clear, later on in as the story climaxes. The beginning of the tale is set at Meursault’s mother’s funeral. It is her that the reader begins to see the sociopath tendencies of Meursault who does not shed a tear for his dead mother. This later comes back to haunt him at his trial. When Meursault meets conflict on the beach, he escapes the two men in which Raymond and he encounter. The story takes a strange turn when Meursault returns to the beach to shoot one of the men.

It is hinted within the story that the sun may have been partly to blame for the man’s quick death. But, it is what follows which illustrates Meursault’s true persona. Once the man which Meursault shoots, is dead; he continues to shoot him 4 more times. The reader then follows Meursault through his trial, conviction and prison term where he awaits the death penalty. It is during this time period of waiting for his execution, that Meursault experiences an epiphany. He comes to the overall realization that life as we know it or existence as we know it; is rather absurd and thereby pointless to hang on to.

This novel was first published in 1995 and has become as famous as the New Testament. The plot of the piece is based on a strange epidemic of “white” blindness which effects the city which the tale occurs in. The main characters in the novel, include a doctor and his wife as well as other individuals who are stricken with the ailment. The centrifugal antagonist acting upon the characters is not simply the blindness itself but is in fact the social breakdown and anarchy which results from the outbreak.

It can be said that this story is essentially an allegory about how close most societies are from a complete decay of order. This story shows that one epidemic leads to social meltdown. The fact that food