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Daru, the protagonist of the story, is a French schoolteacher stationed at a remote schoolhouse on a huge plateau in French Algeria. Daru leads a solitary life, but suddenly finds himself caught between his duty as a French citizen and his personal ethical code. When Balduccitasks him with delivering an Arab prisoner to the authorities, Daru struggles with how to respond. As a representative of the French state, he has to function within the framework of the colonial system in Algeria. However, he also holds personal moral convictions that often clash with his official duties. The reader sees this tension explicitly as Daru faces the decision of whether to deliver his Arab prisoner to the authorities. Doing so would be an act that ran counter to his sense of justice and compassion: not doing it would result in his being severely punished or even killed by the French gendarmes. Ultimately, Daru tries to let the Arab prisoner choose, but the prisoner faces likely death, nevertheless.
Daru Quotes in The Guest
The The Guest quotes below are all either spoken by Daru or refer to Daru . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Guest Quotes
The snow had suddenly fallen in mid-October after eight months of drought without the transition of rain, and the twenty pupils, more or less, who lived in the villages scattered over the plateau had stopped coming.
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The sudden snowstorm that blankets the plateau in a thick layer of frozen obstacles disrupts Daru's routine and isolates him from his students. Because Daru’s schoolhouse sits on the edge of the elevated plateau, weather like this means he’s essentially trapped by himself in his schoolhouse until the snow melts and he’s able to travel. Daru’s precarious situation and physical separation from other people speak to the inherent chaos of life. It shows how fragile the fundamental rhythm of human society can be, and how easily it can be disrupted by forces beyond our control—in this case, nature. Because Daru’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur
The sheep had died then by thousands, and even a few men, here and there, without anyone noticing.
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Here, the story describes how the long drought has devastated the community of the plateau, and it paints a bleak picture of life in Daru’s environment. The sheer number of dead sheep—"thousands”—points to the severity of the situation. Previously, the story made it clear to the reader that the balance between death and survival in this region is a very fine one. The death of these animals, vital to the community's livelihood, is a disaster for the people of the countryside trying to eke out their limited supplies. Even more chilling is the mention of “a few men” dying unnoticed, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequat
But Daru had been born here. Everywhere else, he felt exiled.
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Early on, the story describes Daru’s connection to Algeria as well as his complicated relationship with the French colonial government. Daru—like the story’s author, Camus, himself—was born in Algeria and feels intimately connected with its geography. His connection to the land is so strong that although he’s never lived anywhere else, he knows he would feel “exiled” anywhere but Algeria. The sense of being “exiled” when away from his birthplace points to the solitude he feels, which is both geographical and existential: as a teacher who lives alone in a remote schoolhouse, he doesn’t seem to be fully integrated with Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Moles
“Listen, Balducci,” Daru said suddenly, “all this disgusts me, and your boy first and foremost. But I won’t hand him over. Fight for myself, yes, if need be. But not that.”
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This quotation comes from Daru’s conversation with Balducci about turning over the Arab prisoner to the French police. Because the Arab has been delivered to him as a passive, unknown prisoner, Daru feels that it would be dishonorable for him to participate in giving him up. Daru’s declaration of disgust toward “all this” is a broad, sweeping statement of his moral stance against essentially condemning a man unknown to him to his death. Daru’s refusal to comply is somewhat paradoxical, however, as Daru himself is a French colonial subject and has to abide by the same rules as Balducci does. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid is
He listened to that breath so near and daydreamed without being able to sleep. In the room where he had slept alone for a year, this presence bothered him.
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The night after Balducci leaves Daru with the Arab prisoner, Daru lies awake, listening to the Arab’s breathing and worrying about what to do next. Daru is accustomed to sharing his space in the schoolhouse during the day, but at night he’s usually alone. His sleepless vigil, the silence only punctuated with his “guest’s” breathing and occasional movements, throws his usual solitude into stark relief. The presence of another person disrupts his comfort zone, making him notice how alone he was for an entire year previously. This moment reveals how Daru’s isolation has become both a familiar comfort and a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore
The idiotic crime and the man himself revolted him, but to turn him in was dishonorable; just thinking about it filled him with humiliation.
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The Arab prisoner’s crime introduces human-induced chaos into Daru’s otherwise internally ordered life. In a place where day-to-day survival is a challenge with no guarantee of success, Daru perceives the Arab’s murder of his own cousin as an “idiotic crime.” It’s not just morally wrong for Daru, it’s a waste of human life and flies in the face of the community’s efforts to survive the drought. His disgust with the crime itself is clear, but its broader implications also make him feel hostile toward the Arab. At the same time, Daru also feels a strong sense of honor. Handing the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore lab
Daru felt a lump in his throat. But he swore with impatience, waved vaguely, and started off again.
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This quotation comes after Daru has turned away from the Arab prisoner, having left him with a package of provisions and the option to choose his own path to freedom or capture. The Arab’s response to this choice is to sputter and struggle to speak, as he’s apparently shocked that Daru would allow him the freedom to make his own decision. Seeing this reaction to his gift of the choice to seek freedom or surrender to authorities, Daru experiences a moment of emotional conflict. Even though allowing the Arab to choose how he will proceed gives him back his personal Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit n
You handed over our brother. You will pay for this.
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This is the threatening message Daru finds on his schoolhouse’s blackboard after leaving the Arab prisoner to choose between his two possible fates: traveling north to turn himself in or south to nomads who will shelter him. It turns out that the sounds Daru heard while he and the Arab were leaving the schoolhouse meant that they were being watched. While they were gone, the Arab’s allies swore to take revenge on Daru for complying with Balducci’s request to keep the Arab prisoner in his home instead of immediately letting him go. Despite the fact that Daru didn’t take the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis.
In this vast landscape he had loved so much, he was alone.
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This is the last line of the story, which comes immediately after Daru has read the threat from the Arab prisoner’s allies and turned away from it to look again at the plateau. The “vast landscape” Daru is looking out over is a place of unpredictable and enormous power. Living there involves a constant struggle for survival. Yet, the chaos of its indifferent harshness is familiar—something he’s adapted to and even found solace in. Now that his actions with the Arab have been misconstrued by the members of the Algerian resistance who have sworn revenge on him, he’s even become Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam
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Daru Character Timeline in The Guest
The timeline below shows where the character Daru appears in The Guest. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Guest
Daru, a schoolteacher living in French Algeria, observes two men approaching his remote hillside schoolhouse—one riding...
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...October snowfall following a long drought has prevented the local children from attending school. However, Daru knows they will return and he won’t be alone for long. Because he’s currently by...
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Having warmed up a little, Daru returns to the window. The two men have disappeared from view, and he guesses that...
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Daru’s room is filled with large bags of wheat the administration provides to distribute to his...
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...that they might someday get their livelihoods back and rebuild. In contrast to this desolation, Daru feels privileged to have had his simple existence in the schoolhouse remain unchanged. Compared to...
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Daru walks out onto the schoolhouse’s terrace and sees Balducci, an old gendarme (police officer) he...
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As they drink tea, Daru offers the Arab a chair, but both he and Balducci have already made themselves comfortable....
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As Daru thinks about what he should do, it’s so quiet that the men can hear the...
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Balducci prepares to leave, offering Daru a revolver for protection, which the schoolmaster declines. Balducci presses him to take it, saying...
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Daru still refuses to comply. He tells Balducci angrily that he can inform his superiors he...
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As he lies quietly on his bed watching the sky darken, Daru thinks about his assignment to this remote plateau. He initially requested to be posted to...
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There’s no noise from the classroom, and Daru has a thrill of hope that his prisoner has escaped and he won’t have to...
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Daru begins to cook a meal. He makes a pan-fried cake from flour and oil, and...
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Daru sets up a sleeping cot for the Arab and prepares it with blankets which he...
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Frustrated, Daru snaps at his guest to lie down. The other man refuses, insisting that Daru explain...
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Later, Daru lies in bed naked, as he usually does. However, he feels unusually vulnerable unclothed because...
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Sleep doesn’t come, however. Later in the night as Daru lies awake, he sees the Arab stealthily sit up and look around the room as...
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Awakening to a clear sky, Daru wakes his guest and tells him not to be afraid. They share a quiet breakfast...
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Daru packs a small parcel of provisions and tells the Arab that they must be on...
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When he’s sure no one is around, Daru hands the package of provisions to the Arab and tells him that there’s enough for...
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The Arab looks panicked and tries to speak, but Daru tells him to be quiet and walks away. Glancing back, he sees the Arab standing...
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When he gets back to his classroom, Daru finds that someone has entered the schoolhouse. They have left a scrawled message on the...
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