The Strange Explication

Explication of Paragraph 1 of “The Stranger” In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, “ the opening sentence “Maman died today,” carries a powerfully rousing message that prepares the reader for an upheaval of emotion and sorrow. The narrator’s double take “Or yesterday maybe,” immediately shows that this is not to be the case. It nullifies any feelings of compassion and sympathy that the reader was prepared to share with the narrator, either because they lack respect for …

…This is probably the point where most people who had trouble knowing what to think of the narrator made up their minds. One either outright dislikes them, for feeling no sorrow for their mother’s passing, or respects them as a strong-willed individual. The final sentence, “Maybe it was yesterday,” sends the message home hard – the narrator is caught up in the meaningless details and is missing the point entirely; his own mother is dead.