Salamano’s Influence In The Emotional Dichotomy Of Meursault In ‘The Stranger’

Salamano’s Role in Meursault’s Journey through ‘The Stranger’

The Stranger revolves around a thoughtless and simplistic figure named Meursault. One day Mersault receives a call from an elderly home regarding “Madame Meursault’s” (Camus 4) death. Meursault is unable to recall when Madame passed away, and this immediately shows what his state of mind is. Mersault attends Madame’s funeral and refuses to see her corpse. Everyone is flabbergasted when Meursault smokes in his Mother’s presence and finds this action disrespectful to the attendees. As the story develops, this is key information that will affect Meursault’s death sentence. After returning from the funeral, Mersault has an awfully emotional and crazy week. He encounters an old worker named Marie and has an intimate relationship. Meursault also finds himself helping his neighbor Salamano cope with his lost spaniel and scripts a letter for a pimp named Raymond, who finds himself in an abusive relationship. Following this week, Raymond invites Meursault and Marie to his friend Masson’s beach house for a vacation. During their stay there, Meursault finds out he truly enjoys being with Marie, and a scuffle breaks out with a group of Arabs. His stay at Massons was short because he took matters into his own hands and killed an Arab in “Cold Blood” (Camus 63). Mersault was taken to trial, following hearing after hearing, and was penalized with the death penalty. This affected Meursault psychologically and made his beliefs known to the jail Chaplain. He knew he would have to face death, and that scared him; his mentality changed his understanding of life. I’m also going to discuss how the setting and point of view influence the overall plot of the story. Meursault ultimately finds himself criticizing the “Machinery of Justice” (Camus 68) and how it was going to end his life while dealing with internal issues such as his love life and the purpose of a living human.

Confronting Justice and Emotion: Meursault’s Struggle with Condemnation and Self-Understanding

Following the Arab’s death, Meursault was given the death sentence. Meursault found himself thinking about all the positives of his appeal. He didn’t want to focus on the negatives and believed he was innocent even though he killed an Arab. Meursault has an illusion of the possibility of surviving the wrath of the machinery of justice. “The severity of their sentences lead many defendants in such situations to decide to gamble and risk a death sentence at trial, with the hope they will receive an outcome that would permit the possibility of ultimate freedom” (Radelet 808-809). This possibility of hope scorched Meursault mentally. There’s a specific part in which Mersault unleashes all of his despair into the Chaplain, going off on why God is meaningless and a waste of time. Meursault is stuck up on the possibility of survival because he feels he was wrongfully judged. Meursault is the definition of a unique situation because the jury saw him as a cruel being. Mersault had this mentality to detach himself emotionally from anything but unconsciously submitted himself to a love relationship with Marie and a friendship with Raymond. After facing the fact that his appeal was not going to be discussed, he then realized that “emotions are no source of pleasure, but rather a source of trouble” (Iman 37). When Meursault realized this, he brought up the facts on how it didn’t matter if he showed emotions at his mama’s funeral. Only he knew what he felt and nobody else, and he wanted every witness to cheer him with hate because he wanted to see how everyone felt towards him.

The exhibits presented many different games ranging from artifacts of team sports, such as lacrosse sticks and balls, to playing cards, dominoes, and cribbage boards. While the games served multiple purposes, it was explained that each one allowed the Native Americans to establish skills such as patience, endurance, sportsmanship, dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and critical thinking. The exhibit also showcased that the two dozen games displayed could be found across tribes in the United States and Canada. Each of these tribes was known to partake in games of skill and chance, racing and relay games, throwing and catching games, games that imitated hunting and war, and games that were played alone and those that were played with a group. The games of skill, in particular, took up a large portion of the games and were divided into five main types, which included archery, snowshoe, hoop and pole, ring and pin, and ball games. The games of chance included dice and guessing games, and the player to reach a set score first was the winner.

Beyond Entertainment: Social and Communal Bonds

The social aspect of the Native Games occurred by creating a communal atmosphere for socialization. A portion of the exhibit titled “Village Life,” in particular, struck me as it displayed the life of the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. In the display, members of society were seen partaking in various tasks, and one group of men, in particular, were seen playing a form of lacrosse. It was also explained that skilled players had an important status in society. The display demonstrated the important social aspect of these different games by showing that they were not only a form of entertainment but also a way in which their community came together and interacted.

The ceremonial aspect of the Native Games came in the form of traditions. There were certain games played by adults and children of both genders, and some were played only by one group or the other. While some games were simple past times, others were taken very seriously, drawing parallels to games in our society today. The games had many purposes and rituals that indicated the religious and spiritual beliefs of the Native Americans. The exhibit also explained that the origins of many games were with the tribal gods. Because of this, games were played ceremonially to bring rain, ensure good harvests, cure illness, expel evil spirits, or give pleasure to the gods by demonstrating physical fitness. Though many games are usually played for fun and pleasure, Native American games also play a role in education through the different skills children would learn. The ceremonies also indicated that boys and girls played separately, though

they often could play the same games with variations in the rules. For instance, there were certain traditional games that were forbidden to women, such as those involving the powers of hunting and warfare spirits.

Games as Ceremonial Expressions

In addition, girls often played “house,” sometimes with miniature tipis or igloos. They also had dolls made from various materials such as wood, grasses, corn husks, animal skin, or bone. The Native Americans also highly honored skilled athletes just as they would honor brave warriors. Many games played by men and boys served to train them in skills needed for warfare or hunting. These games helped test a boy’s skills for dexterity, agility, strength, and stamina. For instance, the Cherokee Indians referred to stickball games as “the little

brother of war.” In addition, many games were played with materials the Native Americans gathered from their surroundings, such as balls made of animal skin stuffed with grass or hair.

The political aspect of the Native Games took place as a way to resolve conflicts without going to war and an opportunity for political allies to stay in contact. However, another big a portion of politics came into play through gambling when European settlers arrived and joined in betting on their favorite players or teams. The different games also varied on the different tribes of Native Americans and the regions they lived in. For example, a few games played by the various tribes, including— the Dice and Bowl Games played by the Menominee tribe in Wisconsin, the Peach Stones game played by the Iroquois Confederacy in New York, the Staves played by the Blackfoot in Montana, the Grass Game played by the Promo tribe in California, the Moccasin Game, played by the Ho-Chunk tribe in Wisconsin, the Hidden Ball, played by the Tewa tribe in Arizona and the Counters, played by the Ho-Chuck tribe in Wisconsin. These

examples serve as just a few of the different games that arose in different regions of the country, showcasing a unique set of skills that distinguished various tribes and also explained the territory or the region that they were from.

Cultural Lessons: Continuity and Understanding

Concepts from our class that particularly jumped out during my visit included our lecture on Culture and what it consists of. In class, we discussed that Culture is distinctive and holistic, made of different parts that function together as an organized whole. Specifically, The Barrel. The model of Culture shows us that environment, infrastructure, social structure, and superstructure can make up a culture. Though the Native Games only represent a piece of the Native American Culture allows us to see that a culture rich in different ideologies, practices, and ceremonies is distinctly present and important to study and understand. It is crucial that we don’t overlook the history of our past and place close attention to the different cultures that have shaped our world.

Conclusion

Overall, it was striking to me that many of these games appeared so familiar and originated before European contact. The Native Games were much more than just a form of entertainment. They served key social, ceremonial, and political purposes that varied amongst the

different groups of Native Americans. The Native Americans played a key role in the history of this country, and aspects such as the Native Games are just small snapshots of their daily life that allow us to appreciate and understand their Culture and history.

References

1. “Games Children Play: How Games and Sport Help Children Develop” by Peter K. Smith and Thomas W. Keane

2. “Traditional Games: A Global Pastime” by Elaine Clow and Peter G. Epps

3. “Native American Games and Stories” by Joseph Bruchac