Chapters 3-6 (pgs. 25-59)

In these few chapters Meursault has a lot of activity and ends the first part with an assasination. First we get a feeling on where he lives and who are his neighbors who don't really seem to hate this man. Some, like Raymond actually like him because he just follows along and he does not like it when people contradict him. Salamano, the old man with the dog is a great character because he represents this sort of antique. He always wanted to act but ended building railroads, which is most typicall in a time where you had to do something "productive" with your life and you had to study something like bussiness or engeneering. Maybe his family was not very wealthy so he ended in the family bussiness or in a man's job. He is a man who denies and lies to himself constantly because he talks and treats his dog as if it had to stay with him forever. When the dog goes missing the man starts crying and you do sympathize for the old man, but just because he has to learn a lesson. It was the same thing with his wife and once she was gone, he saw himself in the obligation to buy the dog to keep some company. I think Meursault is going to end like this old man, with Marie dead or just gone far away, with nobody around him, just his cigarettes and maybe a tv.
Raymond on the other hand is this emotional, striking character. Although he is a bastard who hits women, by the end fo part 1 you can relate to him more than you can relate to Meursault. When Raymond comes in asking for advice, Meursault does not say anything defined. I am starting to wonder if he is gay, because not defending a woman is kind of twisted. Maybe he just doesn't care if a woman gets beaten. I believe Raymond could have gotten his seeked revenge by doing something else and maintaining his honour untouched. By hitting her, he just stoops down to the mistress' level and becomes the same thing she is. This is classic in many many films and books, this passionate love story where the woman gets beat up by her man. Fortunately he didn't kill her like O.J. did, because the story fo the book would have been twisted another undesired way. A good characteristic Meursault does develop in these chapters is friendship because Raymond can trust the fact that he will be there to defend him from getting beat up. I would not trust my life to this man, but Raymond probably doesn't know him as well as we do.
Another weird episode is with Marie because she proposes to him and even though it is not really serious or I didn't take it very seriously, it shows us that Meursault will just go with the flow. He loves Marie but he will marry any other woman who he "loves" as much as Marie. He does it just because. He does not show any emotion, neither with his boss who plans on sending him to live to Paris! His boss is mad for his lack of emotion and so am I. You have to think something about being sent to work to another city.
The last episode is shocking because after an amazing day at the beach, quality time with some friends and with Marie, Meursault ends killing a person. Not any person, the arab, brother of Raymond's mistress. In this case he was looking for it but it all happens so fast. Meursault is overwhelmed by the sun and approaching the shadow, this guy launches to attack him but Meursault had (very smart move) the gun in his hand already. Although quite shocking, I am more interested in reading more and finding out if something as big as this event will wake Meursault up. A marriage proposal, nor a job offer shook him of his feet, let's just wait to see if some time in prison or some kind of punishment will do it.