Translator's Note applied to text

Meursault is a stranger to the norm of society. He is an outsider, seemingly distanced from any emotional contact. However, a seemingly clear situation can be easily disguised by what seems different. In Meursault's case, he appears to be a man without a conscious who is detached from emotion. Even when his mother died, he appeard to be indifferent to the circumstance. "It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed." Although Meursault acts like he does not care about his mother's death, this is not the case. In fact, Meursault is an extremely complicated man; nevertheless, he can not effectively communicate his emotions, which is why he is such a confusing character. Consider one of his conversations with Marie. "A minute later she asked me if I loved her. I told her it didn't mean anything but that I didn't think so. She looked said." Normally, it is justified to consider Meursault as a simple man, considering detached response to Marie. However, his complexity is masked by his inability to communicate his emotions. The numerous pauses are not blank spaces in his head, they are filled with emotion and opinions, yet, Meausault's "problem" causes him to be unable to convey these feelings.