Literature concepts and critical analysis

¶ … Guest, with its existential feel, is a Camus classic. The short story's setting is stark, as the author's words evoke the Algerian desert in the midst of a snowstorm. Sweeping landscapes of desert winter and stark, unpopulated terrain are part of what makes "The Guest" a story about isolation. However, the protagonist, Daru, has chosen to live here as a teacher. His only contact with the outside world seems to be through his bags of grain, which symbolize civilization. Even his Corsican friend Balducci cannot rend Daru from his self-imposed solitude. Daru appreciates his secluded state and relishes the simple life. Therefore, the prisoner whom Balducci delivers to him is treated with kindness and compassion; like Daru, he too is a guest. But Daru does not identify with either the Arab or the French cause and therefore he cares not for the political implications of the prisoner's fate. Instead, he demands that the Arab decide for himself whether or not to turn himself in. As people without a sense of belonging, both Daru and the Arab represent the title of the short story. With "The Guest," Camus elucidates the theme of isolation through his use of scenery, self-imposed isolation, and stern self-determination.

One of the distinguishing features of "The Guest" is Camus' use of imagery. The Algerian desert springs to life with the author's words, which paint a picture of a desolate landscape, a "solitary expanse where nothing had any connection with man." Devoid of all types of life, animal, plant, and human, the remote outpost at which Daru lives is several miles from the nearest town. Camus uses such phrases as "abrupt rise," and "fields of stone" to paint the surreal atmosphere. The snow seems strangely out of place, a foreigner on the dry soils of the desert's "eternal summer." Beyond his descriptive prowess, Camus uses the landscape of desert Algeria to suggest personal isolation. The desert is a relatively uninhabitable region of the earth; it is inhospitable and Daru requires the shipments of grain and other foodstuffs from France and nearby towns in order to survive. Plants are foreign to the "fields of stone," and the Algerian desert is a foreign land for Daru.

As a Frenchman in colonial Africa, Daru is a guest on another culture's land. Although he was born in Algeria, Daru does not feel connected with either French or Arabic culture. Without struggle, Daru embraces the poverty and harsh conditions in which he voluntarily lives. He originally requested a post in a small town with more people around him, but received a station on the remote plateau on which "The Guest" takes place. Furthermore, because of the snowstorm, Daru is even more isolated than he usually is because the weather prevents people from attending class. Proving that he relishes his solitariness, Daru does not seem eager for Balducci's friendship. Daru is content to be removed from society, whether French or Arab.

Therefore, Daru does not seek connection with people. Rather, the protagonist of "The Guest" demands of himself loyalty only to his own personal set of ethics, even if that isolates himself from the rest of humanity. When Balducci visits Daru, the differences between the two men are apparent. Balducci is the colonial loyalist and apologist. He fully expects Daru to cooperate with the French authorities and feels personally affronted when Daru refuses. In addition to clarifying his character, Daru's treatment of the prisoner as a guest shows that he also respects personal boundaries and honors self-determination.