"The Guest" Albert Camus

Albert Camus
- 1913-1962
- Born in Mondovi, Algeria
- Won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957

"The Guest"
- Takes place on the eve of the Algerian war
- Depicts Daru's struggle with what's morally right
- Daru treats the Arab as a guest, but my choose his fate of being set free or being sent to prison
- When given the choice, the Arab chooses prison

Theory 1:
- Because of differing cultures, the characters have different views on crime
- Each character has their own moral code; Arab is not a hostile murderous person, Daru treats him as a guest not a criminal
- Daru cannot send the man to prison because of his moral code, so he leaves the decision up to him.
- The Arab's moral code leaves him with no option to go to prison

Theory 2:
- The Arab never runs even though he knows he is being transported to prison
- The Arab wants Daru to come to his trial to stand up for him
- Due to Daru's hospitality, the Arab cannot take the thought of his host being punished if he gets free, so he proceeds to prison

- Irony in the title (guests are treated well)
- Compares colonized and colonizers