The Stranger 2

In chapter 3, we meet Old Salamano and his dog. The text says that Old Salamano and his dog “hate each other” but the dog and Old Salamano are described as looking the same. This could imply that the dog and Old Salamano are not as different as they seem. Old Salamono beats his dog. Maybe he does this because he feels bad about his life and is bitter about it and needs a vent for his stress. Old Salamano and his dog go on a walk at the same time everyday. Everyday the dog will lead on the walk until it makes Old Salamano trip. This shows that the dog still has some pride to it. It wants to lead even though it knows it will get beaten by Salamano. After, Old Salamano leads the dog. Because Old Salamano and his dog are so similar, maybe Old Salamano also wants to lead and improve his life but cannot. Maybe he is a pied noirs.

Another character we meet is Céleste. Céleste is the chef of his own restaurant. He seems to be very familiar with Meursault. Céleste always seems cheerful or understanding with Meursault. Céleste is Meursault’s friend. Céleste is described as being big and having a big belly. Big bellies are either related to wealth or friendly people. An example of a wealthy person with a big belly and is Jody. A well-known example of a person with a big belly is Santa Clause. Céleste has a big friendly Santa Clause belly. This makes Céleste non-discriminative and a good friend to the apathetic Meursault.