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“Everything is true and yet nothing is true!” (Camus 88). Irony is an expression of

one’s meaning by saying the direct opposite of one’s thoughts in order to be emphatic,

amusing, or sarcastic. Irony may also arise from a discordance between acts and results,

especially if it is striking, and seen by an outsider audience. In the novel, The Outsider,

Albert Camus uses irony to show readers that there is more than one way of perceiving a

thing, a person or a situation.

At the afterword of the novel, Camus refers to Mersault as the hero in the novel:

“So one wouldn’t be far wrong in seeing The Outsider as the story of a man, without any

heroic pretensions, agrees to die for the truth” (Camus 118). A hero is usually the central

character of the novel. Mersault, without a doubt, plays the central role of character in the

novel. Nevertheless, whether or not that makes Mersault the ‘true’ hero is another

different story.

A hero is defined as a person who is admired by many for his noble qualities or

his bravery. A typical hero has characteristics such as boldness, ambitious, as well as

accomplishments of great things in life. However, Mersault obviously does not display

any of these heroic characteristics. Throughout the novel, Mersault is depicted as a

normal human being who leads a very ordinary, simple life. His presence does not leave

any significance or footprint in the world. Heroism is normally linked with great, mighty

accomplishments- a hero aims high enough to make a significance. Mersault, however, is

easily contented in simple things in life- he does not ask for more. For instance, when

Mersault’s boss gives him the opportunity to expand his...