In Albert Camus's novel The Stranger, different women can be seen to have reached different levels of enlightenment in relation to the final enlightenment and “complete” that Meursault achieves at the end of The Stranger. novel. Ultimately, Meursault embraces the inherent meaning of life and discovers a personal form of humanism in finally feeling a connected part of the world with those around him all in the same boat as him, accepting their hatred towards him and his indifference realizing he hates it too and getting rid of his loneliness as a “foreigner”. Mom also seems enlightened, she probably went through the same process at some point. Mom had the wisdom to live a full life, making lifelong friends, as evidenced by Thomas Perez's determination to honor her at her funeral and take out other funding to start again, even as it approached at the end of his life, feeling “then free and ready to live again” (123). as Meursault understands it. Mary, on the other hand, is supposed not to achieve enlightenment, since she still has hope and searches for meaning where there is none, with her “painful smile” (67). visiting him in prison and sadness at Meursault's indifference towards marriage. Marie never recognizes, accepts, or accepts the indifference of the world like Meursault or like Maman seems to do, and thus Marie does not achieve enlightenment and loses her importance in the end. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay These two women contributed to the enlightenment of Meursault on some level. Maman is one of the rare characters in the novel who seems happy to Meursault. The funeral attendants' loyalty and grief over Mom's death and her vivacity later in life convey to Meursault that it is possible to live a joyful, happy, and meaningful life. Meursault just doesn't really recognize how living a life like Mama's was possible until his final revelation, where Mama's life would serve as a model for the experiences Meursault hoped to achieve if given the chance. Marie, on the other hand, although she appears happy, independent and carefree on the surface, she is dissatisfied with Meursault's continued indifference towards her beyond the superficial pleasure of his companionship and their sexual encounters. . Meursault is ready to marry if Marie wishes, but tells her “no” (31). when asked if he loves her. Meursault states that “it didn’t really matter one way or the other” (31). Marie is nevertheless devoted to Meursault, and to this devotion, and to his determination to “keep hope” (55). The face of her execution, searching for justice and meaning where none exists, is indicative of the fact that Mary is stuck in the same unenlightened rut. Meursault is just a different path, always searching for meaning and justice inherent in a carefree world in order to find fulfillment, happiness and understanding, never finding any. Marie is of no help to Meursault, because he already knows that there is no inherent meaning, purpose, or justice, and therefore no sense in the world has already arrived at this conclusion, and yet there it is. discontent. This is why Marie disappeared from Meursault's attention at the end of his time in prison, as he neared his final realization, Marie offered Meursault no answers in his search for "enlightenment" . Surprisingly, although all these women are in the center of the plot. , she is an extremely minor character, not enlightened in a different way by her satisfied ignorance, the "Robot Woman" who serves to illuminate..