The Guest

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1957

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Literary Devices

Irony

Irony entails using words in a manner often contradictory to their accepted meanings, frequently in attempts to convey humor. As a literary device, irony can involve words, statements, or situations utilized to create denotations or realities veering from readers’ go-to expectations. In the context of a literary work, irony may manifest itself in narrators’ remarks, as well as in characters’ comments and unforeseen plot outcomes, depending on the work’s genre.

In “The Guest,” the narrator’s descriptions of the weather culminate in the story’s ironic ending. For example, the repeated evocations of the snow covering the ground as white and dirty and of the dirty light peeking out of the afternoon sky display irony in that typically one thinks of snow and light as positive in their respective purity and capacity to reveal. These ironic details—along with other meteorological oddities, namely that a long, intense drought has been rapidly followed by an unannounced snowstorm—find an echo in Daru’s ironic comment, “Odd pupils!” as he welcomes the two adult men into his classroom devoid of students. As the schoolmaster persistently refuses to carry out the gendarme’s orders, the latter, contrary to character, asserts that he, too, finds the task of tying up men shameful. Both while Daru naps and later during the night, he—first due to silence, then, ironically, due to noise the Arab makes while going outside to relieve himself—imagines the prisoner’s escape; whereas the man could have easily done so, he hasn’t. This irony foreshadows the story’s climax and dénouement, at which, provided with food, money, and a path to freedom among Berbers, the Arab chooses imprisonment by the French. The story’s final and most stinging irony lies in the fact that Daru’s decision to offer the prisoner the freedom to choose his own fate is misinterpreted by the writer of the menacing message on schoolroom’s chalkboard, which suggests imminent harm to the schoolmaster despite his noble intentions.

Ambiguity

Ambiguity exists when a word, phrase, or situation lacks a single, unequivocally clear meaning. In literature, authors often purposely create ambiguity to explore deeper and more complex meanings in life—and death—as well as to invite readers to participate in the interpretive process and draw their own conclusions. Camus exploits the power of ambiguity in “The Guest” from the get-go by choosing a title whose meaning in the original French can be translated as both “host” and “guest,” thereby causing a potential shift in subjectivity. He furthermore creates ambiguity by alternating between omniscient and limited third-person narratives and free indirect discourse. This strategy, coupled with that of creating intentional informational gaps, leaves the reader with only partial knowledge of the situation at hand. For example, Balducci indicates that the Arab appears to have murdered his cousin over owed grain, twice noting that full details of the situation aren’t available: “It’s not at all clear” (68); “But you can never be sure” (68). Since Daru knows virtually nothing about the prisoner, he hesitates in deciding which action to take with him. As the two men prepare to leave the schoolhouse, Daru hears mysterious noises around him whose provenance is never revealed. Why the Arab chooses the path to prison is never mentioned, nor does the author disclose what transpires when the prisoner chooses to walk towards Tinguit. Finally, the reader never learns who wrote the ominous message on the chalkboard, nor whether Daru knows. What happens to the despairing schoolmaster because of his misinterpreted decision is also never discussed. Camus creates these multiple instances of ambiguity in the story to suggest that often in life, people mistakenly believe they possess all the facts necessary to make foolproof decisions when in reality, all claims of absolute knowledge are lacking.

Tragic Hero

In literature, a tragic hero is a protagonist who meets their downfall due to their innate failings and the misfortunes they undergo. First articulated in Aristotle’s Poetics over 2,000 years ago, the tragic hero is typically well-intentioned and principled, bearing qualities with which readers can identify. In the beginning of a story’s narrative, the tragic hero tends to be comfortable and happy. As the plot unfurls, this protagonist encounters conflict, which they confront nobly, attempting to make decisions whose outcomes will be the most favorable for all involved. Their heroism turns tragic when things go awry despite the protagonist’s having been guided by a strong internal moral compass. This irreversible twist of fate is followed by the tragic hero’s recognition of their error—designated by Aristotle as the anagnorisis.

Daru emerges as a tragic hero in “The Guest.” Hospitable and sympathetic, the schoolteacher warmly welcomes the itinerant guests into his humble home. Vexed at the sight of the bound prisoner, Daru insists on untying him—despite being revolted by his putative crime—treating him with the same respect he would show to any fellow human by eating alongside him as an equal. In his refusal to comply with the gendarme’s orders, the schoolmaster acts according to his own moral code, which prohibits him from making personal life decisions on another’s behalf. Providing the Arab with money, enough food to sustain him for two days, and straightforward instructions directing him to a town where French authorities await him and to a Berber tribe that will take him in, Daru feels that he has offered the prisoner tools and options that will guarantee his liberation. Daru’s choice emerges as a failing of tragic proportions when the Arab chooses justice under the French system over his own freedom. This anagnorisis is amplified when the schoolteacher encounters the threatening message on his chalkboard; rather than having facilitated the prisoner’s self-preservation and sustained his own neutrality, Daru has inadvertently caused his guest’s and his own demise.