In The Stranger, Camus creates a character who demonstrates how the people/things we love the most, are often who we treat the worst. Salamano is an old man who has a dog that he abuses: ‘You can see them in the rue de Lyon, the dog pulling the man along until old Salamano stumbles. Then he beats the dog and swears at it. The dog cowers and trails behind. Then it’s the old man who pulls the dog. Once the dog has forgotten, it starts dragging its master along again, and again gets beaten and sworn at’ (Camus, 27). In this portion of the book, it can assumed that the dog is a burden to the old man, and he genuinely hates it. You would think that if something were to happen to the dog, like lose it, he would nothing at all. However, the complete opposite happens: ‘....I saw that he didn’t have his dog. He was looking all over the place, turning around, peering into the darkness of the entryway, muttering incoherently, and then he started searching the street again with his little red eyes….Nevertheless, the old man looked even more flustered. “But they’ll take him away from me, don’t you see? If only somebody would take him in’ (Camus, 39). Salamano is visibly upset and flustered over the loss of his dog. He worries about losing him permanently and would rather have him safe with somebody else, than have it with the police. This highlights his love for the dog even though he treats him in the worst way.
Q: Does Salamano's attitude toward his dog, both positive and negative, represent the way people act towards people?
I think this is really good idea, and I agree with how you analyzed Salamano's relationship with his dog, but I think Camus is trying to make a larger point about how relationships affect our lives, and how individuals find meaning in life.
ReplyDeleteSalamano talks about how he didn't really like his wife, but he got used to her, and the same thing happened with him and his dog. This makes it seem (at least from Salamano's perspective) that relationships only bring us hardships while we have them and once they're gone the hardships increase. This means, contrary to popular belief, that relationships are a negative aspect of human life, and one more reason that human life is expendable which seems to be an overall theme in the story.
I like the question and your analysis of this character and what he is supposed to represent. I think that Salamano plays a foil for Mersault in that he shows him an example of a relationship, that may not be great on the outside, but he soon comes to find out how heartbroken Salamano is without his dog and how important that relationship was for him. He shines a light in to a relationship that Mersault may not be familiar with at all, and though it may go over his head now, there could be some possible foreshadowing with Mersault's relationship with Marie.
ReplyDeleteFrom the relationships between Salamano and his wife,him and the dog, to Mersault's relationship with Marie, it is almost as Camus poses relationships as a source of grief. He shapes relationships in a way that shows the reader how that it is just another part of the human existence and that being in a positive relationship is a rare occurence.
I really like the direction you took with this analysis of Salamano and his actions. When it comes to the discussable question, I think the way Salamano treats his dog is a bit more aggressive than how he treats other people. This being said there is definitely similar motives and aggressions behind his actions. I think he uses his poor dog as an outlet for his overall anger at the world and his life.
ReplyDeleteI really like the direction you took with this analysis of Salamano and his actions. When it comes to the discussable question, I think the way Salamano treats his dog is a bit more aggressive than how he treats other people. This being said there is definitely similar motives and aggressions behind his actions. I think he uses his poor dog as an outlet for his overall anger at the world and his life.
ReplyDeleteI kind of thought of the way Salamano treats his dog to be both a reflection of how people treat themselves, as well as that being a foil to Mersault's character. Camus gives us plenty of both physical and mental ways in which Salamano's dog parallel's Salamano. However, the continuous examples of Salamano beating his dog and treating it badly seemed to me like how people are their own worst critics. However, like when the dog goes missing and Salamano freaks out about it, I think people do have more love for themselves than they realize. I think the mirroring of the dog and Salamano is the opposite of how Mersault views himself. He never seems to judge himself harshly for what he does or wants, he just does or wants it without much reflection. And When he goes to prison, his mindset remains the same, rather than becoming ashamed of himself or pitying himself for his situation. He is simply what he is, unlike the Salamano and his dog relationship.
ReplyDeleteI think that the relationship between Salamano and the dog is perhaps the most meaningful relationship in the book. Despite the outward appearance of hatred, the two actually care deeply about one another. In many ways, the relationship between Salamano and the dog is a foil to all of Meursault's relationships because of the outward appearance of hatred and inner love to all of Meursault's relationships being full of indifference, at least on his part. This post really struck me because it chose to analyze that relationship.
ReplyDeleteThis question is great because it demands the reader to evaluate their own experiences with other people and offers a way to relate to the story personally. The question also asks to the readers to evaluate the way they individually treat others, and determine whether they treat those close to them with a demeanor even remotely similar to Salamano and his dog.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear that even after Salamano's repeated abuse of his dog that he still has a heart toward the dog; whether he deserves to be an owner to the dog is another question. Throughout the story Salamano inflicts anger onto his dog and the dog can do nothing other than just be abused, but once he loses his dog he becomes worried and consumed by it not being around.
I like both your question and your article a lot. I liked what you wrote because you took a very objective relationship, very factual things that actually happened in the book. I would have liked to see your own interpretation of the scene more in depth, maybe what you felt the relationship signified rather than just what you expected when the dog ran away. That being said, I really liked your question and thought it sparked a good discussion.
ReplyDeleteI think that the relationship between him and his dog is just an example of the many types of relationships people are able to have. I do believe though that this sort of backwards love to hate the object type of relationship is very prevalent between people. I think that this question really begs the reader to draw out from the experiences in the book as well as in their own life and helps the reader understand more of what Meursault might be feeling in his own relationships.
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ReplyDeleteI think everyone should really think about your question and apply it to their own lives. Although I would like to believe that most people do not act like Salamono when it comes to someone/something they care about, but unfortunately I might be too naive. Many relationships now a days are very abusive and often overlooked. It is important to take a step back and put yourself in the other person's shoes to see if your actions could be considered abusive. Sometimes you overlook the abusiveness because there is always that feeling of love for the other person. Just always be aware of your actions with people.
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