Camus, A. “The Guest.” Exile and the Kingdom. London: Penguin, 2006. 43-56. Print.
In 1957, Albert Camus wrote a short story The Guest, which became a part of his famous collection of stories Exile and the Kingdom. The scene is laid in French Algeria. The main characters of the story are Daru, a young Frenchman who lives in the desert mountains and works as a teacher, the old Corsican gendarme Balducci, and an Arab who has no name. One day, Daru sees Balducci and an Arab climbing up a mountain towards the school. Balducci tells Daru that he was ordered to bring him the Arab and to inform Daru that he should escort the Arab to Tinguit. The Arab killed his cousin and was sentenced to prison. At first, Daru refuses to comply with the order but then agrees to leave the Arab with him. As the plot of the story unwinds, it becomes clear that Daru wants the prisoner to escape. He hopes that the Arab will leave at night but the Arab stays. Then, he shows him both the way to prison and the way to freedom giving him money and food for the first days. However, Daru refuses to escape with the Arab and join the rebels. Daru got used to his solitude life and alienation, and the rebellion is not to his liking. When Daru leaves, he continues to turn round and to see the Arab staying on the fork and looking at Daru. After some time, Daru sees the Arab walking towards prison. When Daru returns to the school, he notices on the blackboard the message “You handed over our brother. You will pay for this,” and again feels his loneliness.
Works Cited
Camus, A. “The Guest.” Exile and the Kingdom. London: Penguin, 2006. 43-55. Print.
