The Guest by Albert Camus - Summary
The short story of "The Guest" is about a French schoolmaster and his dilemma of either handing over an Arab prisoner to Police or to help him get away from the clutches of punishment. The story focuses on the theme of existentialism. The story can be seen as a picture which reflects the dilemma of Camus of himself. Just like the schoolmaster, Camus remained unsympathetic towards the French, his own people's cause. He wanted to be non-aligned between the tussle of French and Algerian forces. The story focuses on a schoolmaster named Daru of a school built upon an inhabited plateau. The place is unpopulated due to harsh weather conditions. In the beginning, it was difficult to live alone in a harsh place but eventually, he became habitual to his solitude. He was content with his modest life with an adequate supply of rations reaching him routinely. His problem began when Balducci, a gendarme (policeman) arrived at his place with an Arab prisoner with him. Balducci told...