The Stranger #2

I think that the character changed after the murder. The murder was a turning point for his life and the book, the climax of the book. In the beginning of the book, he was indifferent about his mother's death. He did not know when his mother died and did not bother to find out. The day after his mother's death, he goes out to have fun with a woman as if his mother's death has no impact on him. Even when Salamano lost his dog, Salamano closed himself up and cried. The character is reminded of his mother's death and the readers are noted the difference between how Salamano reacted to a loss compared to how the character reacted. We never see the character show a hint of emotion; no tears, no nothing, but even losing his dog caused an emotion to erupt in Salamano. Even marriage means nothing to him. When Marie asked if he was going to marry her, he simply replied that it did not matter to him, that they could do it if she wanted to. To us, marriage is a big commitment, a right of passage where most freedom are taken away. But marriage to the character is just another meaningless moment in his life. He also does not seem to have any ambitions in life. When his boss offered a promotion in Paris, he turned it down.

Right after he kills the Arab, he realizes that he had "knocked on the door of unhappiness." He knew the consequences, like anyone else would. This is the first time when we can connect with the character. Before the murder, we would always question his actions, his thinking but this time, the character and we know that karma was going to get him. After getting to know his cell, he felt like he "was at home." This is also the first time we know how he felt; he feels comfortable in jail. While he was in jail, he starts to think about his life, life in general, and how successful he lived his life. He also managed to stop smoking, and I think that symbolizes a change in his life. He also starts to take notice of the small things in his cell, the furniture, the details, the cracks, the color, and the texture. This also made him reminisce and think about the moments he used to avoid. During one point of his trial, he said that it was the first time he felt the "stupid urge to cry." Nothing in the book, up until his trial, has made me want to cry and I think the murder has made him open to feelings. When Celeste tried to help him, he also said that he felt like "kissing a man." Normally, he would want to kiss a woman out of lust but this time he wanted to kiss someone because of gratitude. We never see him appreciate anyone like he did during the trial. The character has been opened up his feelings and we are able to connect with him after the murder of the Arab.