The Stranger Existence Gains Essence:

Meursault found his essence once he accepted that he was going to die. At first a little part of him wanted to have hope that maybe he could live. When he faced reality and new that he was forsure going to be executed, he realized that having hope was just ruining his conscious. So then he realized that whether he dies today from execution, or in 20 years from natural causes, death was inevitable so why does it matter. He realized why would he want to waste his last hours alive having false hope and worrying about death when he can live his last hours to the fullest and accept the inevitable with no fear. That is when he found stability in his mind and that is when he came to a full understanding of himself. Meaursault making a choice to accept his fate by recognizing his individualism and coming to an understanding with himself, is when Meursault's existence gains essence. This is the first time in the book where Meaursault shows a deeper insight into his feelings and expressing his outlooks on life.