After reading Perks of Being a Wall Flower, I decided to read one of the books that the main character had referenced. I had looked up several of the books he mentions but this particular book, The Stranger by Albert Camus, really stuck out to me. The main character of this book was described as careless and disconnected, the kind of person that doesn't care about anything. He believes that the world is meaningless and that is not worth trying in anything. I was instantly interested because most books involve a character that is over concerned and discontent with their current life while this one just does not care.
This point was expressed as soon as I started reading. The beginning of the book took place at the main character's mother's funeral. He does not know when his mother died, how old she was, that she had a boyfriend, and did not want to see the body before it was buried. I was fascinated by this perspective. I consider myself to be a realist who try to disregard anything that will cause drama but has no overall effect on a persons life; yet Meursault's view is so extreme that he instantly becomes a hated character. I can easily see how his awful mind set could have effected Charley in Perks of Being a Wall Flower, as he was in such a miserable and vulnerable mindset to begin with.
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