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Chaos vs. Meaning
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Guest, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Daru leads a solitary life in every sense; he lives alone and is forced to fend for himself emotionally and morally. He works as a schoolmaster, having been assigned to a posting on a high and remote plateau. His only companions are the students he teaches, and occasionally military policemen like Balducci. This physical detachment from others reflects his emotional isolation. He seems to have no one else in the world with whom he can share his burdens, as Camus never mentions another person who might offer Daru guidance or share the weight of his choices. Everything he does, he does alone.
The story further emphasizes this sense of isolation through the fact that Daru cannot communicate properly with his prisoner, because they only have the rudiments of a common language. Despite being physically together, they are emotionally isolated from one another. He can’t make his prisoner confide in him, nor can he be sure that the other man understands what he’s saying. Although Daru does feel a brief sense of companionship with the Arab when the two men share a room, he rejects that feeling as being inconvenient and untrustworthy.
Daru is likewise isolated by his moral choices. In making the choice not to deliver the prisoner as Balducci asks, he alienates himself from the gendarme. The ending of the story further hammers home the fact that Daru is completely alone. Even though he didn’t turn the Arab in, the fact that they left the schoolhouse together was enough to make the Arab’s “brothers” swear revenge on him. Because there were no witnesses to Daru’s choice and the Arab chose to walk east toward prison instead of south toward shelter, Daru still faces the physical consequences of turning him in—that is, he will likely be killed. Although it’s bleak, Daru’s aloneness also has a silver lining. Even though he begins and ends the tale alone, he makes the best of his situation and tries to exercise kindness and good moral judgment wherever he can. In this way, Camus suggests that it is worthwhile for human beings to try to act honorably and morally, even if they act alone.
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Isolation ThemeTracker
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The Guest
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Isolation Quotes in The Guest
Below you will find the important quotes in The Guest related to the theme of Isolation .
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
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
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
