How "Outsiders" Are Treated by the Rest of Society in 'The Stranger' and 'The Sound of My Voice' Sian Vadher College

It is common for people in society to feel ill at ease with those who think or act differently than what is expected. The protagonists in both Albert Camus’ ‘The Stranger’ and Ron Butlin’s ‘The Sound of My Voice’ are men who are undoubtably viewed as uncanny outsiders to those around them, mainly due to the way in which they deal with grief and trauma. Whilst they are depicted as being distanced from ‘normal’ society, they are also shown to lack closeness to themselves regarding their thoughts and emotions. Morris, in ‘The Sound of My Voice’, is portrayed as a man who represses his grief both through the performance of normality but also his darker, secret: drinking to forget. Due to the second person narrative of the story, it is hard to tell if Morris understands that he has a problem due to unresolved experiences. In comparison, Camus’ Meursault shows no real desire to hide his otherness. He is unnervingly content with his lack of overt (and subtextual) grief and yet it is the biggest reason for his tragic fate. Unlike Morris, Meursault is not repressing his sadness but sees no necessity for such profound emotions. Potentially, Meursault’s existentialist views could be the reason for his unconventional reaction to the death...