The Stranger, Journal 2

Minor Characters:

The first minor character I will talk about is Mersault's boss. "The boss" is never addressed by a name, but it is obvious that Mersault highly respects him. Mersault seems to be afraid to disappoint his boss, for when he was gone for his mother's funeral, Mersault actually sympathized with his boss for being upset by him missing work. I found this very odd. Also, while Mersault talks about his boss, he usually says things like "The boss was nice" (25). Mersault has never spoken about his boss negatively.  Mersault and his boss also seem to share common characteristics. When Mersault's boss asked how old Mersault's mother was, Mersault simply answered with "about sixty" (25). The boss didn't bother to question why Mersault didn't know the exact age and according to Mersault, he seemed "relieved" and considered "the matter closed" (25). Just like Mersault, the boss does not bother to question people and accepts whatever people tell him. He is completely indifferent.

I examined the minor character Céleste as well. In French, Céleste means heavenly or unworldly. Calling someone "unworldly" can mean two possible things. One meaning is someone who is not aware of the realities of life. Another meaning is someone who is extremely strange. As for heavenly, it means divine, sublime or delightful. What I found interesting was that Céleste is actually the one to defend Mersault in court and stick by his side, so in Mersault's eyes, Céleste could be "heavenly". Céleste is one of Mersault's only loyal friends.

Raymond Sintes is the final minor character I examined. Right off the bat, I noticed how manipulative Raymond is. Mersault is easily persuaded and not very opinionated, so Raymond uses that for his own advantage, especially when convincing Mersault to write a letter to this woman (who may be a prostitute) to lure her in, so Raymond can seek revenge. Raymond is also extremely violent and he justifies beating a woman by saying "I realized she was cheating on me" (30). Mersault and Raymond serve as foils for each other.

I noticed two cultural connections in chapter three, one of them being with Mersault's work ethic. In French work ethic, it is normal to have lunch breaks lasting longer than two hours. It is part of French culture to take naps, go to cafes or spend time with friends during this time. Unlike American work ethic, lunch breaks are a half hour and extremely rushed. The French lifestyle is much more relaxed.
Another cultural connection I saw was when Mersault calls the woman Raymond is sleeping with as "moorish". Moors were people of Arab descent who lived in North Africa, many Moors were also Muslim. This is one of the first references we see to Arabs and Muslims in The Stranger.