The Stranger novel ends after Meursault’s judgment. He only cares about shunning the “machinery of justice” that has condemned him to death. He believes that the only thing matter is the possibility of an escape to freedom. He remembers his mother telling him how his father once forced himself to watch an execution. Afterward, he vomited several times. Now, Meursault thinks an execution is really the only thing of interest for a man. He only wishes he could be a spectator instead of the victim. He fantasizes about a combination of chemicals that would kill the condemned only nine times out of ten, because then at least he would have a chance of surviving.
Meursault also dislikes the fact that the guillotine forces the condemned to hope that the execution works on the first try. If the first attempt fails, the execution will be painful. Therefore, the prisoner is forced into “moral collaboration” with the execution process, by hoping for its success. He further objects to the fact that the guillotine is mounted on the ground, not on a scaffold. The condemned is killed “with a little shame and with great precision.” Meursault counts himself lucky every time dawn passes without the sound of footsteps approaching his cell, because he knows that such footsteps would signal the arrival of the men who will take him to his execution. When he considers the option of filing a legal appeal, Meursault initially assumes the worst, believing any appeal would be denied. Only after considering the fact that everyone dies eventually does he allow himself to consider the possibility of a pardon and freedom. Whenever he thinks of this possibility, he feels happy.
Against Meursault’s wishes, the chaplain visits and asks why he has refused to see him. Meursault reasserts his denial of God’s existence. When the chaplain states that Meursault’s attitude results from