A great
example ofin comes in chapter 1, not long after Meursault's mother has
died. When he arrives at the morgue, Meursault sees that there's an Arab nurse standing near his
mother's bier. There's something out of place about her as she watches over a dead body in a
home where no Arabs are allowed except as minor functionaries.
Meursault
tries to look at the nurse twice, yet despite his best efforts he is unable to detect her eyes.
There's something so completely other about the Arab nurse which prevents Meursault from
establishing any kind of common bond of humanity with her. This is a significant moment as it
foreshadows Meursault's later encounter with the young Arab man at the beach, when he will take
his unconscious othering of Arabs to its terrifying, logical conclusion.
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