Journal #2 - The Stranger

Camus uses a first person point of view so that the focus of the story remains entirely on Meursalt. It is important that it is first person because the plot of the story built around a mix between a conflict of person vs self and person vs nature. In this context, Camus uses the point of view to show every one of Meursalt's thoughts or feelings so as to elaborate on these conflicts. The inner conflict that Meursalt experiences develops his character and comes to a breaking point at the very end of the novel. The plot follows the process of which Meursalt develops and reaches this breaking point, and Camus uses the point of view to fully be able to describe this process and help the reader understand what point has been reached by providing the reader with the thoughts of Meursalt.