Is Meursault Guilty? The Stranger’s Courtroom Drama and the Death of Justice

How Camus’s Classic Exposes the Flaws in Our Idea of Justice

The courtroom scenes in The Stranger are among the most compelling in modern literature—not because of legal twists or dramatic revelations, but because of what they reveal about society itself. Meursault is ostensibly on trial for murder, but it quickly becomes clear that the real crime is his refusal to conform. The prosecutor dwells on Meursault’s lack of emotion at his mother’s funeral, his failure to cry, his honesty about not loving Marie. The facts of the case are almost irrelevant; what matters is that Meursault does not fit the mold of a 'good' man.

Camus uses the trial to expose the dangers of a justice system more concerned with appearances than truth. The media sensationalizes the case, the public demands a scapegoat, and the court becomes a stage for moral outrage. Meursault’s fate is sealed not by evidence, but by his inability—or unwillingness—to perform the emotions society expects. In this way, The Stranger is a devastating critique of justice as it is often practiced: subjective, performative, and deeply flawed.

By the end of the novel, we are left to question not only Meursault’s guilt, but the very nature of justice itself. Is it possible to judge a person fairly, or are we always influenced by our own expectations and prejudices? Camus’s answer is as unsettling as it is profound, and it continues to resonate in a world where the line between truth and performance is as blurry as ever. 1 4