What role does the sun play in the unfolding of this chapter's events, especially Meursault's shooting of the Arab man on the beach?

In its own way, the sun serves as one of the novel's antagonists. The sun affects Mersault in numerous ways..... he's agitated by the heat, blinded by its rays, and later, it glints off the gun, as if egging him on. In Chapter Six, the author personifies the sun, equating it to a villainous aggressor. Thus, Camus uses the sun.... the heat.... and the various shades of light to move the plot.... to set up the murder. There is also a sense of existential futility the burning sun: a heat that never ceases. It is a futility that Mersault feels about his future.