Guest and Sonny\'s Blues Albert

Guest and Sonny's Blues

Albert Camus' "The Guest" Topic

Albert Camus was a great existential thinker and philosopher, yet he is most known for his works of fiction; essentially, Camus uses his fictional stories as a way to best put forward his own philosophical treatise. There are several aspects of his story "The Guest" which embody his concept of the absurd, both in regards to the way the weather tortures the human characters and the situation with the Arab who committed an absurd crime. Camus' philosophy of the absurd is a primary foundation of his thinking and writing. The Myth of Sisyphus was one piece of fiction where Camus introduced his philosophy of the absurd. This idea suggests that there is no hope because there is no because there is essentially no meaning. Yet, we still struggle to find a way to enjoy and embrace our lives. Nature does not work for us, it just is; however, we still have to find a way to find happiness in such a hostile environment. In "The Guest," there is absurdity in the idea that there was a drought for months, and then nature answers the demand for water with the extreme blizzard. Here, Camus writes, "snow had suddenly fallen in mid-October after eight months of drought without the transition of rain," (Camus 211). It is absurd that Mother Nature does answer the extreme need for water in the region after months of drought that have plagued the local population. However, this need is answered not with rain, but with snow. This shows how the absurd connects with the human condition within a hostile natural environment. Our needs and morals are not met; they mean nothing in regards to the natural order of things. Thus, Camus highlights our plagued condition within such an extreme world by answering the call for water with a massive blizzard that only makes the locals' condition worsen. Moreover, Camus touches on the idea of the absurd in describing the crime the Arab committed and why he later independently goes to the police station. Daru tries so hard to get the Arab to feel sorry for his crime, but in an environment ruled by the absurd, there is no sense of pending morality which we all feel. The Arab did what he did and simply does not feel regret. Daru tries constantly to impose morality on him, and his inability to do so makes Daru depressed. Camus is showing how Daru needs to accept the environment for the absurd world it is, which would have brought him less trouble. Daru himself is still holding on to a useless sense of honor, which does not make sense in a land of absurdity; "That man's stupid crime revolted him, but to hand him over was contrary to honor" (Camus 218). Daru is still trying to cling to a sense of morality; yet, the Arab himself shows how this will not work in a world of uncertainty because after he is set free, he goes to the police station himself.

James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" Topic 6

James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" is an interesting tale of a lost soul, who finds his solace and ability to express himself through the art of music. Sonny lost both of his parents, and his brother was not there for him during the times he needed him the most. Sonny's brother did not understand his suffering, and as a result he turned his back on Sonny during his times of darkness. Sonny was left alone in a world of darkness and he was not strong enough to deal with it in a healthier manner, as his brother did. Therefore, Baldwin writes "this life, whatever it was, had made him older and thinner and it had deepened the distant stillness in which he had always moved" (Baldwin 100). He had turned to drug and crime to get by. Essentially, the hard-knock life of living in Harlem during the extreme racism and despair of that era had worn Sonny down. Sonny simply just didn't fit into the world that his brother had spent so long trying to. However, as his brother witnesses when he attends Sonny's concert, Sonny found a way to cope with the harsh realities of New York City. After hitting rock bottom, he found music. Through the Blues, Sonny could truly express himself without the fear of being rejected or demeaned. The very nature of Blues music drew him in; it helped express his sadness while giving him the freedom of improvisation to try to cope with his emotions on his own terms. Sonny is able to make the ugliness of his own life into beautiful art, "Yet there was no battle in his face now. I heard what he had gone through, and would continue to go through until he came to rest in earth" (Baldwin 106). Sonny had found a way outside of the box to express himself and deal with his insecurities and grief. This is what he had been looking for all along and something his brother was also looking for. Through music, Sonny was able to find the freedom his brother had so longed for, "Freedom lurked around us and I understood, at last, that he could help us be free if we would listen, that he would never be free until we did," (Baldwin 106).