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Page 27: The First Encounter: Animal Abuse: Sometimes OK
Meursault observes Salamano abusing his dog with “the dog in terror, the man in hatred”. “Celeste is always saying, ‘It’s pitiful,’ but really, who’s to say?” As long as Meursault is not directly affected by another person, he has a neutral opinion on them. Salamano is beating the dog and swearing at it, but Meursault refuses to have a negative opinion on him. -
Page 35: The Second Encounter: Meursault You Dog
Marie is staying over and after hearing Salamano call the dog a “Lousy, stinking bastard”, Meursault talks about the old man and makes Marie laugh. Then Meursault “wanted her again” because she laughed. This demonstrates that to Meursault, Salamano and his dog are simply a topic of humorous conversation, instead of a serious topic of animal abuse. Meursault prioritizes having sex with Marie rather than saving the abused dog. -
A Brief Intermission: Dof Run Away
There's no interaction between Meursault and Salamano here but there's no way we're deleting this. Ever. -
Pages 38-39: The Third Encounter: Worried Your Dog May Be Cheating On You?
Page 38-39 Salamano is searching for his dog, and Meursault tells Salamano that he could pay a fee to get the dog back from the pound. Then Salamano asks if the pound would take the dog from him, and Meursault simply states that after 3 days the dog will be murdered. As Salamano cries, Meursault focuses on going to bed. Meursault values his comfort above everyone else’s, and so if he has to go out of his way for others, he will avoid it. -
Page 44: The Fourth Encounter: An Exercise in Futility
Meursault finds Salamano outside his door distraught over the loss of his dog. Salamano and Meursault have known each other a while; they’ve been neighbors for the whole novel. Despite their protracted relationship, Meursault cannot bring himself to empathize with Salamano’s loss. He accepts Salamano’s handshake, completely aware of how Salamano feels, but since he himself is not affected, he doesn’t engage in feeling. -
Page 45: The Fifth Encounter:
Salamano tells Meursault “that some people in the neighborhood thought badly of [him] for having sent Maman to the home…” and Meursault realizes that “people thought badly of [him] for doing it” which highlights his lack of connection to those around him, as some people in the neighborhood judged him for putting Maman in the retirement home.He cares enough about what people think of him to rationalize his action, saying “the home had seemed like the natural thing” since he was low on money. -
Page 94: The Sixth Encounter: Who Doesn't Love a Good Execution?
Salamano appears for Meursault’s trial, but is immediately ushered out by the judge. The defense in this case should be the people who know Meursault best; Salamano and Meursault have been shown to harbor no real connection. That Salamano was chosen to be Meursault’s defense speaks volumes to Meursault’s inability to form relationships with other people. -
Epilogue: The Secret Life of Old Salamano's Dog
And thus ends the story of Salamano and Meursault. But Salamano's dog is the unsung hero of this novel, breaking the cycle of abuse he was forced into by his cruel and apathetic (yet no quite so cruel and apathetic) owner. We encourage you to believe that Salamano's dog lives on in all of us. Never forget.
