The Stranger Journal #6: Meursault's conclusion

At the end of the novel, Meursault comes to the coclusion that it does not matter how long one lives or what one does throughout his or her life, everyone is privileged to at least have a life. The reader can see Meursault's appreciation of life when he says, "Maman used to say that you can always find something to be happy about. In my prison, when the sky turned red and a new day slipped into my cell, I found she was right" (Camus 113). He especially realizes how precious his life is when he is faced with death. Before he was this close to meeting his demise, he had not found any meaning in day to day activities. However, because he is now sentenced to death, it allows him to see how much his life actually meant to him.

Yes, Camus does want the reader to come to the same conclusion. Through Meursault's epiphany, the reader can also appreciate the things that make life important. It allows the reader to see that when it comes down to death, life as a whole can actually have meaning.