The Guest is an interesting story with much to think about, even though the story is not very long. The author Albert Camus made a very interesting short without a whole lot of words. The story starts off with the schoolmaster, Daru, watching a couple of men traveling towards him. This was possibly somewhat exciting to him since he had seen no one recently. The man who came to see him was a man named Balducci. Balducci brought him a slave, an Arab, who was to be taken to the police. Balducci told Daru a few minutes after their arrival that Daru must, "deliver this fellow to Tinguit. He is expected at police headquarters." (Camus 2576). Daru was shocked by this. Daru even went as far as asking Balducci, "Are you pulling my leg?" (Camus 2576). Daru clearly thought this was a misunderstanding, and he did not want any part of this task. Is seems as though Daru thought that the man did not deserve to be turned over to the police, although he understood that the prisoner had killed a man.
One might assume that Daru did not deem it loyal to bind a man and carry him to prison. It does not seem likely that Daru was simply lazy and did not want to complete the task given to him. It also though he saw something in the prisoner, something that made Daru think that the prisoner was harmless and undeserving of this punishment he was about to face.
Daru seemed to trust the prisoner the day he met him. Balducci offered Daru a pistol for protection and Daru replied saying, "Keep it." (Camus 2577). Daru did end up taking the gun, but he did not keep it by his bedside the night that the prisoner stayed with him.
The author Albert Camus made a very interesting story without a whole lot of words. I statement I agree with. Camus takes us into the life of Daru a schoolteacher who comes across Beldaucci and an Arab man who is accused of killing his cousin. Daru is given the duty of turning the Arab in.
ReplyDeleteDaru doesn’t like the idea at all at refuses to at first then decides to give in. He treats the Arab man like a human being and not like a criminal. Daru gives the Arab man the responsibility of deciding his own fate.
“ Now look,” he said as he pointed to the east. You have a two-hour walk. At Tinguit you’ll find the administration and the police.” “ Daru took his elbows and turned him rather slightly to the south. That’s the trail across the plateau. In a day’s walk from here you’ll find pasturelands and the first nomads. They’ll take you in and shelter you according to their law.” ( Camus 2582.)
I don’t believe that Daru was lazy; he didn’t want to have the responsibility of turning someone in.