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The Plateau
The schoolhouse in “The Guest” symbolizes colonial indoctrination. The school is a state-run institution that Daru depends on for his livelihood; as such, it symbolizes the moral conflict Daru faces: duty to his own morals, or duty to his country. Ironically, he teaches his Algerian students about French culture, history, and geography, but feels personally aligned with and affectionate toward Algeria. Further, when Daru learns that he’s expected to deliver the Arab prisoner to the authorities, the schoolhouse becomes a temporary prison, a more overt symbol of colonial oppression.
The Schoolhouse Quotes in The Guest
The The Guest quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Schoolhouse. 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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“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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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 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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You handed over our brother. You will pay for this.
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In this vast landscape he had loved so much, he was alone.
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The Schoolhouse Symbol Timeline in The Guest
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Schoolhouse 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 a horse, the other on foot. Their progress is stilted as they struggle through...
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...he lives. This means he can stay warm, but it leaves the rest of the schoolhouse frigid. The school has a very dramatic view over the surrounding landscape. It overlooks the...
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...view, and he guesses that they must be ascending the hill that leads to the schoolhouse. In comparison to the dark, snowy weather of the previous three days, this day has...
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Daru walks out onto the schoolhouse’s terrace and sees Balducci, an old gendarme (police officer) he knows well. He is the...
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...then returns, silently getting back into bed. Later still, Daru hears faint footsteps around the schoolhouse but reassures himself it's a dream, continuing to sleep.
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...Arab that they must be on their way. He goes back to lock up the schoolhouse. He then doubles back to examine the outside of the building because he thinks he...
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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 blackboard, assuring him that he will pay...
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