Daru's Unfairness In Albert Camus The Guest

There are very few people who would argue that life is fair. Some might say that this unfairness comes from God's wrath at Adam's rebellion, some say it's the fact that human beings are so greedy that no matter what happens to them they believe it underwhelming compared to what they deserve. Albert Camus, in The Guest, proposes that there is a free choice that goes along with life and if the result seems unfair, it is because humans are out of synch with each other.

Daru, the schoolmaster that The Guest surrounds, is a French colonist in Algeria, at a time when France was attempting to phase out Arab influence and make Algeria and extension of its own country. The Arab nationalists were seen as barbarians while the French saw themselves as pedagogues, come to save these savages from themselves. While Daru himself seems neutral to this struggle, he serves as a teacher to local students about France, drawing "on the
We are presented with a portrait for Daru as a comfortable person in his solitude because he knows he has control over his surroundings and his future, but this goes out the window when presented with his "Guest". At this point, Daru doesn't have total control, because his actions will one way or another affect his standing in the town. Balducci says "You have always been a little cracked", an outsider. Rob McGregor, in "Studies of Short Fiction" suggests that when Balducci says that, after an uprising, the citizens, including Balducci and Daru, will "all [be] in the same boat" it is an offer to Daru to integrate himself with the other colonists. Daru, consciously or unconsciously denies this offer when he says "I'll defend myself. I'll have time to see them coming." He has set himself apart from the townspeople and has already made a small decision in respect to how he will treat the