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COMMENT ON CAMUS SHORT STORY - THE GUEST Everyday of our lives, we have to make choices that may be big or small, wise or foolish; and, each choice we definitely made in the end could either bring good or bad fortune. The actions we make as we exercise free will may generate varied outcomes and consequences that will definitely bring about different emotions -- - happiness, misery, love or hatred. Yet, however the consequences are all of our decisions and actions demand greater sense of accountability because human freedom is futile without responsibility. Albert Camus The Guest explores the philosophical idea on Existentialism. The theme emphasizes and reflects individual alienation, freedom, colonialism, the value of human life, responsibility, the challenges of making moral choices, and the ambiguity of actions that causes tension between justice and freedom, all of which are Camus favored motif that mirror the ideals of his philosophy. Written with French-Algerian conflict as background, the story delves and expounds on the question about brotherhood and responsibility through political commitment and action as shown by the major characters, the Arab (someone who has allegedly killed his own cousin) and Daru (a French-Algerian schoolteacher who was tasked to turn over the Arab to the authorities).
It is interesting to note that despite the looming danger that Daru might be facing when the Arab is finally left to his charge; he is seemingly unafraid. He refuses to take out the shotgun from his trunk and quite deliberately ignores the revolver that was left on the table by Balducci. Daru's apathy and indifference towards the firearms reveals his own sentiment and confusion about the situation (the French-Algerian and Arab-Algerian conflict). Even if he has anger in his heart, towards both the colonizer and towards the colonized and more so, with the violence around him, he is confused as to how he will face the dilemma. Caught between his feelings of brotherhood and his respect for authority, Daru do not want to make any move that will compromise any of both parties. He does not want to be involved in a situation which can directly harm an individual he does not even considers an enemy.
However, he also has to follow as well as uphold the law. In his desire to remain uncommitted, Daru rejects any means that would instigate or provoke violence. As Daru states in the middle of the 12 th paragraph: Every bit of this disgusts me, and first of all your fellow here. But, I wont hand him over. Fight yes, if I have to. But not that.
It is evident that Daru is perplexed with his role in the conflict, and his response is to hedge; to avoid any commitment to any side. This can be interpreted as an act of cowardice, having failed to choose side, yet like most alienated individuals he wants to maintain the status quo. It is not much as being a coward but rather being able to live peacefully without severely affecting or hurting any of the warring parties. Daru makes his choice, and along with that decision to play placid comes the responsibility of self-accountability. His attitude further reflects his preparedness and his acceptance of the consequences of his choice, even if it means his own death.
In this world where the motto Survival of the fittest and elimination of the weak is the norm, non-violence stance may be considered an act of stupidity. To ensure victory in any battle, one has to be willing to initiate and make a pro-active stance. On the other hand, one can always view Daru's choice on a positive note. Preparedness is always an advantage, for strength cannot be solely measured by what we see but more importantly, by what is not visible to the human eye.
Daru's action can also be accounted to the fact that being a French-Algerian educating and living among the Arabs, he had empathy for the Arab Algerians, and come to deeply imbibe the Arab culture. It will be noteworthy to discuss the fact that for the Arabs, the ritual of hospitality is consequential and very important. Or, it could also mean that Camus was trying to emphasize similarities and parallelisms between the warring parties. In fact, it has been noted that the French title of the story, L'hote, means both guest and host in the language.
In a way it signals the ambiguous configuration of power in the guest-host relationship, thus in the colonial situation in Algeria. Albert Camus ingenuity creates a perfect character, in the Arab as a murderer, to represent his philosophical ideals. Murder is a grave act often committed by people in a very desperate condition -- -- a last resort to resolve and fix a predicament; the conclusive resolution to a ambivalent problem. Killing a person is a crime highly punishable, anyone who commits this particular crime is doomed to pay for it with his own life. By deciding to have the Arab as the murderer, Camus brought out and justified the underlying concepts of existentialism: a. ) that life is a series of choices, creating stress.
The Arab chooses to resolve his dispute with his cousin by killing and ending the others life. b. ) that Mankind has a free will. The Arab decides to commit the crime all by himself, without the influence of anybody, with his full knowledge. c. ) that if one makes a judicious reasoning, he has to be responsible for that particular decision. Since the Arab committed the crime, he has to face the consequences: to pay for the crime with his own life or any punishment that the law will mete out. He could have chosen to flee or run away since Daru gave him the chance to make a decision.
In the end, the Arab chooses to resolve his dilemma by taking the road to prison by himself even without Daru delivering him to the authorities. The Arab, with his free will, decided to pay for the crime he has committed; accepted the corresponding punishment for his act -- -the most appropriate and dignified thing to do. Jim Stovall once said, " Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching. " This may be absurd to some but this reflects the true meaning of freedom as Camus puts it. We are free beings, but it is still our responsibility to ourselves and to the world to accept and concur to the laws and norms of the society. If we have done something or anything contrary to what is legal and moral, we have to pay for the consequences and accede to whatever punishment meted out. In such manner, we will be able to retain our dignity as a human persons.
Life is indeed full of dilemmas. The story " The Guest" captures the essence of choices and accountability. It is a compelling exploration of Camus moral and philosophical themes and a powerful evocation of colonial relationships particularly in his beloved, Algeria. What makes life more meaningful is how we live it; how we act on it in response to situations and how we stand for our decisions and choices no matter what the consequences are. WORKS CITED Julian Grajewski. "Albert Camus. " Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition. Salem Press, 2001.
Thomson, Gale. The Guest, Albert Camus: INTRODUCTION in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Joseph Palmisano Project Editor. Vol. 76. 2005.
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