Reflect on the significance of time in the novel. Why might Camus have opted not to specify a particular date or era? Consider the novel's historical context and its aim to address universal themes.

Examine psychological literature to develop a profile of an "outsider." What kind of mental state leads to someone being morally indifferent? Start with Colin Wilson's book The Outsider.

Investigate the state of press freedom in France during the Nazi occupation and the role of journals like Combat in the resistance. Could Meursault's rejection of societal norms be connected to the conditions Camus faced?

Read The Myth of Sisyphus. What defines the absurd man? Did Camus effectively create a character that embodies his theory of the absurd? Does Meursault fit into real-world contexts?

Read Richard Wright's The Outsider (1953), the first American existential novel, and compare it to Camus’s The Stranger.

Encyclopedic entries on existentialism often list Camus as a key author. Choose an existential novel by writers like de Beauvoir or Sartre and compare its themes to Camus’s theory of the absurd. Do you agree with this categorization?

There is much discussion about the moral conflict between Meursault and figures like the magistrate or the priest. Do you believe Camus aimed to outline a moral code, or was he presenting the concept of the absurd man?