Journal #1- The Stranger

1. The Caretaker- The caretaker is described as being someone who is proud of his position at the rest home. He refers to the residents of the home as "them" or "they" even though he himself is sixty-four, about the same age as some of the residents there.  The caretaker serves as a companion to Meursault during the night vigil for Maman, discussing his life and the home to Meursault. Initially he appears in order to inform Meursault about the home and the state of Maman's funeral. However,he is also there to watch over the old residents who have come to pay their respects and make sure everyone is fine. I believe Camus uses the caretaker as a way to give the reader insight right off the bat about Meursault's personality and thoughts. Through the caretaker's interaction with Meursault, we are able to observe Meursault's social apathy towards other people and his tendency to focus more on his surroundings.
2. Perez- Perez is an old man that lives at the home that was a good friend of Maman's and has taken her death pretty hard. He wishes to accompany the procession to the church even though it's a good fourty-five minute walk. As the procession progresses, Perez falls farther and farther behind, limping and taking shortcuts trying to catch back up. To make matters worse, it is a hot day and beads of sweat and tears mix along his wrinkly face. Perez eventually faints from all the stress, "crumpling like a rag doll." I think Camus used the old man to portray a contrasting figure to Meursault and really get the reader to start asking questions. The old man seems to be the one taking Maman's death the hardest, they were apparently inseparable and had good times together. This aspect really engages the reader making them question Meursault. Why does a complete stranger have a better relationship with this woman than her own son? Why is the old man who knew her for a few years at best taking her death with more grief than someone who's known her all his life?
3. Salamano- Salamano is one of Meursault's neighbors, an old man whose wife died several years before. He has raised his dog since it was a pup and the two are always together and share a peculiar relationship. From the outside it looks like the old man abuses the dog, calling him a "filthy, stinking bastard" and beating him whenever the dog does something that annoys him. However, we later see the softer side of Salamano when his dog goes missing. Meursault sees Salamano mumbling outside his apartment and invites him in once he learns that his dog is missing. Salamano describes his dog as bad-tempered, but also says that "he was a good dog just the same." I believe that Camus uses old Salamano to forshadow Meursault's near future. One line in particular on pages 45-46 highlights this technique, "His life had changed now and he wasn't too sure what he was going to do." This line most definitely relates to the situation that Meursault soon finds himself in after shooting the Arab.