The Stranger contains a strong notion of absurdity; the useless attempt humanity makes to find rational order where none exists. Philip H. Rhein “believes that Camus asserts that individual lives and human existence in general have no rational meaning or order.” Though Camus does not openly refer to the notion of absurdity in The Stranger, events that occur in the novel are perfect examples that life is absurd: the story of the Czechoslovakian man, Salamano, …showed first 75 words of 478 total…

…showed last 75 words of 478 total…instance of humankind's useless attempt to enforce rationality on an irrational universe. Society attempts to fabricate or create rational explanations for all the absurd and irrational events in the novel: the Czechoslovakia story, Salamano, and the trial. Some view that society sees the idea that things sometimes happen for no reason and that events sometimes have no meaning as threatening. Rhein believes Meursault “faced with imminent death…is forced to accept the doctrine of absurdity.”