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What is the message in The Guest?
Camus’ focus in The Guest, as far as moral message or theme goes, ultimately points back to Existentialism. That is, at the core of human existence is its fundamental futility. Everyone dies eventually, and therefore life is, for all intents and purposes, meaningless.
What is the significance of the title of The Guest?
On the surface, the title refers to the the Arabic prisoner. This “guest” is one that is thrust upon Daru against his will. Even though the Arab is a prisoner, Daru does not treat him with any hostility and even seems to welcome the idea of his escape.
What is the central conflict of The Guest?
The main conflict in the story is Daru’s internal struggle with having to turn the Arab prisoner over to French authorities. He does not want to take sides. He does not want to turn the prisoner in but he has been ordered to do so. His dilemma is whether or not to do as he is told, or to do as he wants.
What was Camus purpose for writing The Guest?
He wrote the short story “The Guest,” first published in 1957, as a sort of treatise on the inescapable personal conflict that resulted from refusing to take sides in the ongoing colonial conflict between Western Europe and Arab nations.
What is the setting of The Guest by Albert Camus?
”The Guest” is set during the period of conflict in French-colonized Algeria, which ranged between 1954 to 1962. Daru, the schoolmaster, lives in the nearby schoolhouse that serves the poor families in a mountainous region. To the south is the desert.
In what respect is the title ironic the guest?
The title of “The Guest” is ironic because the Arab (to whom the title applies) is not really a guest at all; he is a prisoner.
What is the lesson in The Guest?
Read as a work of existentialism, the moral of “The Guest” is that neutrality is impossible for a human being to achieve. Daru, the protagonist, does not want to take a side in the political situation that surrounds him, but his actions nevertheless commit him.
What is the irony at the end of the story The Guest?
It is, then, of great irony (situational) that when Daru returns, he finds a note on his chalkboard in the classroom that accuses him, “You handed over our brother. You will pay for this.” The story’s ending demonstrates situational irony.
What is the importance of the setting in The Guest?
The setting is very symbolic to the ideas of free will and consequences. First of all, the action takes place inside a school house, a place of learning. Daru, in particular, is facing a learning experience in his life – can he assimilate his beliefs with the demands that are being made of him at the moment?