Many people often base their opinions on a person by judging their whole life in general and their attitude towards life without caring about who that person really is deep down. This unfair reasoning can occur in the courtroom when people are put on trial and the judge and jury must delve into the accused's life and determine whether he or she poses a danger to society. Occasionally, the judge and jury are too concerned about the accused's past to become too biased and issue unjust convictions and sentences. In his novel, The Stranger, Albert Camus uses the courtroom as a symbol to represent society unfairly judging the main character, Meursalt, to illustrate how society forms opinions based on their past. Meursalt faces a tough jury and prosecutor when he's on the air. trial, and everyone tries to form an opinion about Meursalt based on what he did before killing the Arab. The funeral home director testifies that Meursalt shows no emotion over his mother's death, and that "he had not cried once, and that [Meursalt] left immediately after the funeral without offering [his ] last homage at his tomb". (89). Society creates an imaginary rule that one must cry and show remorse during a funeral to be considered a normal human being. It is not fair for Meursalt to be judged for his lack of feelings at the funeral because it is his choice to show remorse and express his feelings however he chooses; his lack of feelings doesn't mean he isn't heartbroken over the loss of his mother. As the trial proceeds, the prosecutor makes a statement of all the things Meursalt did one day after his... middle of paper ......maintain the balance of society. In The Stranger, Camus uses the courtroom to symbolize society as a whole to show that society forms opinions based on their past. The court's attempts to create a rational explanation for Meursalt's crime shows society's attempt to find reasonable explanations for all life events. The court, however, judges Meursalt unfairly due to society's standards that everyone should show emotion during specific events. Furthermore, the court is concerned with maintaining the balance of society and will not allow those who do not comply to walk free. While it is essential that the court upholds the rules of society, it is not necessary to allow those rules to interfere when judging a person for the crime committed rather than for the past..