The Stranger

          In Camus' The Stranger, Mersault is an atheist in a world of religious believers. Since this story takes place when World War 2 was happening, Camus wanted to focus on the atheistic branch of existentialism. This emphasized that humans have an innate need to find meaning and that meaning was non-existent, this is also known as the theory of "the absurd". In this book, Camus wanted to get his point across and in doing so he created a character that in his view (and mine) could be admirable.
          As Ron Carter explains in his article about The Stranger, "Mersault realizes that he is not being condemned for taking a human life but for refusing to accept the illusions society promotes to protect itself from having to acknowledge the absurdity of the human condition." This is completely true and one of the reasons why Mersault is so admirable. He refused to change his beliefs just because society wanted him to, event in the face of death. It is a rare thing for someone to stick to their beliefs if they know that they will die because of it; it is rare because it takes true courage and bravery to stay true to yourself if you know that compromising your beliefs could save your life. This is extremely admirable. Mersault is honest and doesn't play the game society wants him to and he gains strength from that. Ron Carter writes, " When Mersualt, instead of repenting and seeking solace in some transcendent reality, refuses to acknowledge the possibility of anything beyond the immediate facts of his situation, the heroism of his attitude is made clear." If staying true to yourself is not and admirable and heroic quality, than I don't know what is.
          Sure, Mersault does have his bad moments but in the end he does accept the punishment for the crime he committed and he doesn't take the easy way out. He accepts that the world is indifferent and he is indifferent to the world.