How does The Stranger reflect French colonial rule in Algeria?

In The Stranger, the reflection of French colonial rule in Algeria is primarily centered on the murder of "the Arab," a character who remains nameless throughout the novel. This act has been interpreted by many as a metaphor for the systemic mistreatment and marginalization of Algerian Muslims under French colonial authority.1

The novel was published in 1942, a period when Algerians were increasingly demanding political autonomy. By referring to the victim only as "the Arab," the narrative highlights the dehumanization and lack of individual identity afforded to the native population by the colonizing power.1

This literary choice reflects the broader social and political tensions that Albert Camus observed firsthand. As a journalist for Alger-Républicain in the late 1930s, Camus wrote extensively on the injustices faced by Muslims in the Kabylie region, drawing attention to the inequities that eventually contributed to the outbreak of the Algerian War in 1954. While Camus sought a humanitarian path for France in Algeria, his work remains a significant, albeit complex, reflection of the colonial era's inherent conflicts.2