Raymond in The Stranger
There are two characters that I hate the most in The Stranger by Albert Camus, Raymond and Salamano.
Raymond was one of Meursault's, the main character's "friends", they live in the same apartment building. The thing that I detest the most about Raymond is the way he treats his girlfriend. He discovers that she is cheating on him so he decided to punish her. "He'd beaten her till she bled. He'd never neaten her before. 'I'd smack her around a little, but nice-like, you might say. She'd scream a little. I'd close the shutters and it would always ended the same way. But this time it's for real. And if you ask me, she still hasn't gotten what she has coming'" (Camus, 31). The way that Raymond treats this women is unacceptable. There is no way that actions like this could ever be forgiven. I don't understand how he could justify treating anyone like this just because they cheated on you. I understand the emotional pain that he might be going through but there are other ways to fix ones relationship. Abuse is never the answer.
Salamano is another character in The Stranger that I do not like. Salamano abuses his dog who is his only companion. The dog's fur is falling out and he us covered in scabs. Salamano cares for the dog in the ways that he can. He applies ointment to the dogs skin to help the scabs. This relationship might seem nice but it is not. Salamano abuses the dog constantly by kicking it. Animal abuse is also never okay and it is unacceptable to treat an animal like that.
Someone in class made a comparison of Salamano and his abuse on his dog to an old married couple bickering. I was very confused by this because there is a very big difference between two old people who love each other bickering and an abusive relationship. And if a married couple has a relationship that is similar to Salamano and his dog that is no bickering, it is simply abuse.
Raymond was one of Meursault's, the main character's "friends", they live in the same apartment building. The thing that I detest the most about Raymond is the way he treats his girlfriend. He discovers that she is cheating on him so he decided to punish her. "He'd beaten her till she bled. He'd never neaten her before. 'I'd smack her around a little, but nice-like, you might say. She'd scream a little. I'd close the shutters and it would always ended the same way. But this time it's for real. And if you ask me, she still hasn't gotten what she has coming'" (Camus, 31). The way that Raymond treats this women is unacceptable. There is no way that actions like this could ever be forgiven. I don't understand how he could justify treating anyone like this just because they cheated on you. I understand the emotional pain that he might be going through but there are other ways to fix ones relationship. Abuse is never the answer.
Salamano is another character in The Stranger that I do not like. Salamano abuses his dog who is his only companion. The dog's fur is falling out and he us covered in scabs. Salamano cares for the dog in the ways that he can. He applies ointment to the dogs skin to help the scabs. This relationship might seem nice but it is not. Salamano abuses the dog constantly by kicking it. Animal abuse is also never okay and it is unacceptable to treat an animal like that.
Someone in class made a comparison of Salamano and his abuse on his dog to an old married couple bickering. I was very confused by this because there is a very big difference between two old people who love each other bickering and an abusive relationship. And if a married couple has a relationship that is similar to Salamano and his dog that is no bickering, it is simply abuse.
I know what you mean, those scenes made me uncomfortable and angry too. However maybe Camus is trying to get us to question morals with these examples. If we consider some of the more abstract philosophies like no absolute right or wrong these scenes now pose complicated questions like what is the role of society, and does intent matter( Raymond's ill intent, Meursault's "lack of intent", or Salamano's possible love )
ReplyDeleteI remember that discussion day. Salamano and Raymond are extremely awful characters, I agree. But I think the point of the discussion that day was to say, human emotions are black and white. Human emotions can be quite gray and difficult to explain. For example, Salamano hits his dog but cries deeply when he loses him. It's one of those odd relationships and emotions that you can't describe.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was also frustrated at how Raymond abuses his girlfriend, I think it also speaks to Meursault's character when he knows about Raymond's plan and chooses to help him rather than trying to stop him. In class, we talked about how this is a result of him always trying to take the easier path in life and how it doesn't always work out in his favor. Even though it didn't seem like his decision to help Raymond would actually impact him, we see how his lack of a moral compass is eventually used against him in the trial.
ReplyDeleteI can't justify Raymond's nor Salamano's decisions, but I think Camus' decision to include such controversial behavior in the novel asks us to define what exactly is not forgivable and why. The article I did for the panel presentation painted Salamano 's relationship with his dog as a way for him to suppress(?) the grief he had for his wife. But I still don't fully understand why he decides to abuse the dog. Perhaps it is something else that compels him which we cannot fully explain, like Meursault's actions on the beach. However, just because we can kind of, maybe understand his mindset does not mean his actions are justified.
ReplyDelete