The guest: analysis of themes and narrative structure

Guest by Albert Camus is a short story that continues the theme of African literature, and it is also a story about fate, and how fate plays the upper hand in many lives. Daru, the schoolteacher is caught in the middle of two worlds, even if he is a native of Algeria. He tries to do the right thing by setting the Arab prisoner free, but his actions are mistaken and it is clear that he will pay, even though he really did nothing wrong. This short story made me think about how hard it is to do the right thing, and how our actions can be misinterpreted even when we think we are doing the right thing. It is also a sad story because no matter what happens, the reader knows it is going to end badly for the schoolteacher, and it really is not fair. It points out that life is not fair, and that even the most remote "exile" who thinks he is far away from politics and war can still get caught up in these things. The schoolteacher's life is impacted by fate, and while he certainly chooses to set the Arab free, he has not chosen to become involved in the first place, and it seems like there is no way for him to avoid conflict, no matter what he does.

This story also made me sad, because the schoolteacher was really a good man. It also said a lot about the culture of the area, and how the whites and the Arabs get along. There are times when the schoolteacher fears the Arab, and does not like him, but he still sees him as a human, with feelings and needs. That is more than many people see when two cultures clash, and it seems like the schoolteacher was trying to be as fair as he possibly could. It made me think about what I would do in a similar situation. I would hope that I would be as fair as the schoolteacher, but that the entire situation would turn out better. It also made me think about all the stories we have read so far. They are all very different, and yet they all have common threads that tie them together, and that makes them all more interesting to me.