What do you think of the main character of The Stranger? (by Albert Camus)

[Mr.Burke]

If you were to judge him, or label him, what labels would you give him?

Is he a bad person? Is he a schizoid? Etc.

[EyeSeeCold]

Bored, detached, empty. I'd say 'possessed' or 'consumed' near the critical turning point of the story.

I don't remember if he had insomnia, but I think these others are relevant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_disorder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissociative_disorder

[yogurtexpress]

I think he's great. I related to him a lot when I first read the book, and it continues to be one of my favorites.

[Cheeseumpuffs]

I rather liked him and related to him quite a bit.

Is he a bad person? No, I don't think so.

Is he devoid of the vast majority of pleasantries that qualify people as "good" people? Yeah, most likely.

But to say he has this disorder or that problem doesn't seem like the right way to go about it. He definitely seems very detached and, for a good deal of the time, bored.

One thing I found interesting was the parts where he was with Marie where he'd think that he wanted to kiss her or tell her that she looked beautiful but didn't. For someone who is so constant in doing/saying what he thinks, these parts seemed a little out of place to me but they served to make me that more interested in him as a character.

[DetachedRetina]

I think he's like a piece of driftwood. He's not really good or bad, he's just there. And then eventually he floats away.

[Manic]

A shrink or criminal profiler would almost certainly label Meursault a psychopath (sociopath, anti-social personality disorder); he has most of the hallmark traits: shallow emotions, no empthy, no conscience, impulsivity. But that is incidental to Camus' purpose, which was to dramatize the main theme about his absurdist philosophy. Camus instills him with those traits so that it will put him in conflict with other characters such as the magistrate and the chaplain. If you only read the short scenes with those characters you will understand what Camus is saying in this book. Telling the story in the first person through Meursault's eyes is what gives the book its detached, erie tone with a sense of impending doom. I am finishing up a paper on The Stranger for my senior Literature class right now. A great book I first read about 35 years ago.

[vault]

sometimes i have thought that the emotions of many people are exaggerated, seeming to come from nowhere intrinsic, largely a theatrical response to events arising from acquired cultural expectations. ie "bullshit". i myself have experienced very strong emotions in my life but not always about the things that other people seem to think i should, for example terminal illness and death. camus said he thought his character was the only saviour humanity deserved. meursault seemed to me to be very dedicated to an abstract ideal principle of honesty. didnt it seem strange that marie played out such an intense connection between them, when they had only seemed to be having a good time? but i have not read it in at least 5 years and a lot has changed in my life since then so i might feel differently about it now.