The Courtroom

Not just a place where Meursault’s life is on trial, the courtroom also symbolizes society’s forum in The Stranger. The judge is the self-proclaimed "moral umpire," calling the shots. The jurors are representatives sent by society to cast their judgments (and stones) at Meursault. The entire trial symbolizes society’s attempt to rationalize a universe – or a chain of events – without order. The verdict represents society’s rejection of Meursault’s nonconforming ways.