My New And Improved Thesis:
I decided to change my thesis completely. I hated my previous one as it was far too obvious. I feel that this one is more insightful and can be supported through the text.
In The Stranger, Albert Camus portrays Meursault as a distant figure who the reader misunderstands until the conclusion of the novel. He does this to demonstrate that in order to be truly happy, one must stop being who society expects them to be, and instead be who one truly is. Camus effectively conveys this theme through the intense imagery with which Meursault describes the physical world, the diction uses when Meursault speaks, and the motif of black, white, and red.
Rereading The Stranger:
The second time through I noticed so many things I had overlooked in my first reading. I still don't like the book, but reading it again was certainly eye-opening. I like the fact that we got to read background information on Camus and the time period in which the novel was written- I think it greatly enhanced my understanding of the novel. It also helped me to see that Meursault is not as emotionless as I originally thought. This book is a classic because of the insight it provokes in those willing to delve deep enough to derive Camus' meaning. His unconventional approach to thought and existence lend themselves well to motif, diction, simile, parallelism, and so many more literary devices.
Okay, there is some gold here to work with but it needs some clarifying...First of all the idea of being "truly happy" needs to be clarified. I like the analysis of how Camus makes our character less distant as the novel progresses but it is unclear how this connects to your conclusion about being truly happy and the tension between society and an individual. The techniques you address at the end are interesting, but again, you need to clarify their connection to a "distant" Meursault.
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