The French novel The Stranger, written by Albert Camus and translated by Matthew Ward, describes an Algeria colonized by France in the 1940s. Throughout the novel, the central arguments and themes are linked together through different scenes. In the scene involving Salamano and his dog, Camus demonstrates that routine is an illusion of control, that the proximity of death leads to awareness of the choice between serenity and sorrow, and that all choices are equal. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayCamus uses Salamano's treatment of his dog as a symbol of routine in order to demonstrate the importance of routine, an illusion of control. In terms of appearance, it seems that Salamano cares more about his dog after he left than when the dog was in his company. Camus describes that Salamano's daily routine with the dog consists of "[them] standing there on the sidewalk and [looking at] each other, the terrified dog, the hateful man" and Salamano swears, shoots and constantly spits on the dog. dog (Camus 27). However, after his dog goes missing, Salamano walks the streets again and again looking for his dog. This reveals Salamano's dependence on his dog, an inseparability whose roots lie in the comfort of routine. Even though they have been together for eight years, they never change their routine. Furthermore, when Camus asks Meursault to suggest that Salamano acquire a new dog, the latter responds that he "was used to this one", just as Salamano was "used to [his wife]" (Camus 44) . Camus suggests that it is not just about caring for or loving the dog, but rather seeking comfort in the routine they had together, as most people do. Salamano has not had a happy life with either his wife or the dog, but he still gets used to it and therefore chooses to stay in this comfort zone. Camus further illustrates that as Salamano and his dog grow old together, they even end up “resembling each other” (Camus 26). On the other hand, Salamano could have easily prevented his dog's escape, but the existence of a routine distracts him from the possibility of his dog escaping. Through this erroneous assumption of Salamano, Camus suggests that routine not only brings comfort to the individual, but also renders him unconscious in the grand scheme of life. Even though Salamano “[had] long intended to give [his dog] a smaller collar, [he] never thought [his dog] would come off like that” (Camus 38). Even though Salamano knew the collar was too big, he thought he had control of his dog because it's part of the routine and has never happened before. Salamano breaks the routine by stopping to watch “The King of Escape Artists” (Camus 38). Just as “the king of escape artists” creates the illusion that the chains can hold him, Camus blinds Salamano with the illusion that the collar can hold his dog since the dog has never escaped before. By creating the illusion of control, Camus shows how some people can be blinded by routine. Salamano and his dog form a curious couple. They seem to hate each other, but cannot be separated at the same time. Both could show that humans can get used to anything as long as they try hard enough. Furthermore, Camus draws a parallel between the dog and mother to show that the approach of death leads us to become aware of the choice between serenity and sorrow. Just like the relationship between Meursault and his mother, that between Salamano and his dog is not happy either. In fact, the relationship between 121).