a teacher who chooses to work in an isolated school in the Algerian desert to embrace an ascetic life.

Daru is content with a simplistic, rural lifestyle. Daru is content with a simplistic, rural lifestyle. In the story, Daru is an idealistic teacher who believes in just causes and free will

The Arab prisoner appears to be reserved; it seems that either he does not understand the questions posed by Daru, or he feels insulted by the comments. When Daru asks the prisoner whether he was afraid, he replies by turning his eyes away. When Daru asks whether he is sorry for the crime he has committed, the Arab stares at him as if he does not comprehend the words. However, he understands completely the situation that he is in, thus showing that it is Daru who cannot comprehend why the Arab has murdered his cousin. The history of this racial conflict dates back to when the French first colonized Algeria. Algeria has undergone many years of ethnic strife; the French, though they are the minority, dominate the large Arab population. This clash is further exacerbated by the lack of cultural understanding between the two groups. Daru cannot fathom a plausible reason for murdering a cousin over a debt of grain. Upon hearing of the crime, he feels "a sudden wrath against the man, against all men with their rotten spite, their tireless hates, their blood lusts." What he has not taken into account is that it may be perfectly acceptable to the Arab to kill a relative rather than lose his honor (Thody). Islamic law leaves private [family] matters alone, but the French view their system as innately superior. The Arab's cultural identity is evident not only in his crime, but in his actions later that night. Daru believes that the prisoner has run away from the school, and silently hopes that this will free his conscience: "He was amazed at the unmixed joy that he derived from the mere thought that the Arab might have fled and that he would be alone with no decision to make." The Arab, however, has only gone out to use the outhouse, and returns immediately. The critic Eberhard Griem said, "It would be highly dishonorable, and very likely to provoke drastic responses, for a person to run away from a conflict of the kind in question, instead of facing his responsibility." Arabic society has taught the prisoner that running away would not only be a cowardly act, but also a disgraceful one. The ultimate irony, however, happens to Daru, who is only trying to free himself of his guilt. He believes that he has made the right choice in giving the prisoner control over his own fate. It was the righteous thing to do, even though the Arab was intent on accepting his punishment. As he enters the classroom, he notices the words hastily written on the chalkboard: "You handed over our brother. You will pay for this." Despite all his efforts to not become involved, he is ultimately doomed. In the beginning of the story, Daru could not imagine a place that fit him better, but now "in this vast landscape he had loved so much, he was alone."

There are very few people who would argue that life is fair. Some might say that this unfairness comes from God's wrath at Adam's rebellion, some say it's the fact that human beings are so greedy that no matter what happens to them they believe it underwhelming compared to what they deserve. Albert Camus, in The Guest, proposes that there is a free choice that goes along with life and if the result seems unfair, it is because humans are out of synch with each other. Daru, the schoolmaster that The Guest surrounds, is a French colonist in Algeria, at a time when France was attempting to phase out Arab influence and make Algeria and extension of its own country. The Arab nationalists were seen as barbarians while the French saw themselves as pedagogues, come to save these savages from themselves. While Daru himself seems neutral to this struggle, he serves as a teacher to local students about France, drawing "on the blackboard the three rivers of France, drawn with four different colored chalks..." The unnamed Arab represents the savage, unable to accustom himself to the raiding countries laws and unable to understand how they can not uphold his own. He is a murderer and Daru is asked to transport him as a prisoner to the local prison to be punished. The reader is told very little about his crime, other then that it was "A family squabble, I think". When Daru asks him why he killed the man, the Arab responds simply "He ran away. I ran after him." While this could represent a cold-bloodedness, its more likely to mean that that is just how things are done in the village. The man tried to steal his grain and ran away, and Daru ran after him and slit his throat. There is nothing more to it then that. When asked if he is sorry, the Arab offers further proof that he did nothing wrong in his culture. "The Arab stared at him openmouthed.". These men are from two different cultures, neither of which embraces or understands the other. Daru is quick to show anger when hearing the description from the jailor, Balducci, evidently not caring about the Arab's side or the circumstances at that moment. Indeed, Balducci shrugs off the lack of knowledge of the crime, a public servant just doing his job. Balducci does not see it as his job to question anything. Even after showing quick anger and before knowing what kind of person the Arab is, he refuses to be a pawn in this political struggle, saying it isn't honorable. The reader is lead to believe that a war is approaching and that the protocol of enforcing French law on the Arab citizens is becoming commonplace. The townspeople, colonists, are supposed to help in the governing over the Arabs but Daru does not seem comfortable dealing with politics or governments. He is shown as a man comfortable in his modest lifestyle. Daru represents a man being conflicted with multiple responsibilities, all of which are paradoxical to each other and threaten Daru's peaceful existence. We are presented with a portrait for Daru as a comfortable person in his solitude because he knows he has control over his surroundings and his future, but this goes out the window when presented with his "Guest". At this point, Daru doesn't have total control, because his actions will one way or another affect his standing in the town. Balducci says "You have always been a little cracked", an outsider. Rob McGregor, in "Studies of Short Fiction" suggests that when Balducci says that, after an uprising, the citizens, including Balducci and Daru, will "all [be] in the same boat" it is an offer to Daru to integrate himself with the other colonists. Daru, consciously or unconsciously denies this offer when he says "I'll defend myself. I'll have time to see them coming." He has set himself apart from the townspeople and has already made a small decision in respect to how he will treat the Arab. The Arab is not ignorant to the fact that this man is not his accusor

Daru, the schoolteacher in a remote area of Algeria, is torn between duty and what he believes is the right thing to do when he is suddenly forced in the middle of a situation he does not expect. He must escort an Arabic prisoner to the nearest town. It is not that Daru has much sympathy for the man; in fact, he does not, and actually finds himself disliking the Arab for disrupting so many lives. "Daru felt a sudden wrath against the man, against all men with their rotten spite, their tireless hates, their blood lust." Unfortunately, Daru loves his homeland, and cannot bear to think of leaving, despite the chaos that is raging around him between France and the Algerian natives. I believe that Daru makes the right choice in letting the prisoner choose his own fate. Daru has reasons to believe that his safety might be jeopardised, since there is a war going on and he doesnt really know the Arab to well. Also, Daru could be avoiding his responsibility to take the Arab to Tinguit, perhaps out of personal weakness, perhaps because he doesn't want the fate of another man to rest,

even partially, on his shoulders. This represents Daru as an existentialist. He sees that his decisions are affected by what society expects. In this case its to escort the Arab to a prison in a near by town. Society expects Daru to see the Arab as a criminal and take him to jail to fulfil his sentence for his crime. As an existentialist, Daru believes that the Arab should be able to make his own choice. Darus feelings seem to change. He is intrigued by the individual and shows compassion while offering the Arab food and drink. Daru's choice begins to clear up for the reader as he begins to realize he is as much a prisoner and guest as the Arab. Daru does not want this decision to be solely on him because he himself feels like 'the guest' to the nation and culture. As Daru takes the prisoner out onto the plateau and gives the decision back to the Arab, he realizes the consequences that may arise of his own choice and comes to terms with the fact that he isn't going to make any decision in the fate of the prisoner. If Daru had foreseen the note on his blackboard, then I believe he would have let the Arab go free. Considering the note on the blackboard has some threat to it and that Daru basically lets the Arab go free at the top of the hill anyways, Daru would give the Arab to whomever wrote the note. It is clear that Daru doesnt want to have anything to do with this Arab. He wants the Arab to flee so he doesnt have to deal with him. He was amazed at the unmixed joy he derived from the mere thought that the Arab might have fled and that he would be alone with no decision to make.

Albert Camus The Guest is about a schoolteacher named Daru that lives by himself in a schoolhouse out on a plateau somewhere in France. Daru is given the responsibility of transporting an Arab prisoner to a nearby city to face judgment. Daru was to have none of it. He wanted to lead his simple, uninterrupted life and be left out of the war that was evidently looming. Unfortunately for Daru, this was not an option for him and the man named Balducci left the prisoner at the schoolhouse despite Darus objection. In the beginning of the story, Daru was obviously very reluctant towards taking in the Arab, never mind having to then transport him to Tinguit. However, it became rather obvious that even though at first Daru was very opposed to the whole idea, it was different and maybe even comforting to have another person there. Of course, Daru was sure to keep an eye on the Arab during the evening for fear of his own life, but he soon came to the realization after the Arab went outside to go to the bathroom, that he really had nothing to fear. In fact, Daru started to feel a sense of comfort. The Arab represented a companion, or a friend to Daru which are both things that had been missing from his life for what seems to be quite some time. However, Daru dismissed those thoughts when he came back to the realization that this man was a killer and further realized he had a long walk the next day to deliver this man to Tinguit. When Daru left the Arab, you could almost hear him talking to himself, wishing that the Arab would go nowhere and that he would have to bring the Arab back to the school house. Now I dont really believe that Daru wanted this prisoner to hang around all of the time at the schoolhouse, or even live there. But Daru was left with an empty feeling because he knew that the Arab was not going to face his death, he was going to another tribe that would take him in an care for him. It was Daru that was going back to imprisonment in his lonely schoolhouse on the plateau.