In order to convey that The Stranger's general theme of the absurdity of life, author Albert Camus has Meursault display no emotion at his mother's funeral. Meursault, a purported existentialist, shows no emotions because in his mind the funeral and its procession are trivial. Meursault feels that his mother is dead and the fuss being made over it is stupid. In the cosmic irrelevancy of his mother's death, Meursault says "Mother died today or was it yesterday". This correlates with his feeling that death is death; that is, when death happens is not important.

Similarly, Meursault shows no emotion or regret when he maliciously kills an Arab at point-blank range. Meursault's aforementioned casual demeanor of death is again displayed because Meursault apparently feels the Arab's life had not meaning. Had Meursault thought otherwise, his active conscious mind would have prevented him from committing the murder. When on trial for the murder, he displayed no remorse when he told the jury he murdered the Arab "because of the sun". The sun acts as Meursault's guide, causing him to accept the concept and perform the act of murder. Furthermore, this and the consequent actions of Meursault allow him to overcome the angst, or the realization that life is absurd, of the eventual death and end of h is life. The concept of actions and the making of decisions fulfilling one's own destiny is an existential idea, of which Meursault believed.
Finally, author Camus has Meursault accept his inevitable execution. Meursault accepts his death by acknowledging that he made decisions when one had to be made. More importantly, he had performed actions that exemplified his existence. Having accomplished the existential nirvana, Meursault sat in his cell awaiting his demise. The time of his death did not matter to Meursault; his eventual fate of death was already sealed. He knew it mattered not how or when he died, for death still occurred. Meursault experienced the cosmic irrelevancy of the universe, and took salvation in it.

Albert Camus' The Stranger is the quintessential existential novel. Meursault displayed his disinterest in death and accepted his own with an eerie vindication. Meursault, in his mind, died a meaningless death. Perhaps it is only fitting that Meursault's death came with the sunrise; even after Meursault had died, the sun would continue to rise unwavering. His death meant nothing to the world, and his death did not change a thing.