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The Guest Study Guide

by Albert Camus

The Guest study guide contains a biography of Albert Camus, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

The Guest follows the story of Daru, who is a schoolteacher in a remote plateau region. The area has gone through a draught, but recently a blizzard has passed through, leaving everything covered in snow. This has kept away Daru's pupils.

The narrative opens as Daru watches two men approach his schoolhouse. He watches them climb the hill. One of the men, a gendarme named Balducci, is very familiar to Daru. He leads an Arab prisoner who has been accused of murdering his cousin in a family squabble. Balducci has been ordered to bring the Arab to Daru, and then return immediately to his post. Likewise, Daru has orders to turn in the prisoner to police headquarters at a town approximately twenty kilometers away. Daru refuses this task…

Read the full The Guest Summary

• The Guest Summary
• About The Guest
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Summary and Analysis of Part I - Daru, Balducci, and the Arab
• Summary and Analysis of Part II - Daru and the Arab
• Algerian War
• Related Links on The Guest
• Suggested Essay Questions
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• The Guest: Major Themes
• The Guest: Essays
• The Guest: Questions
• The Guest: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Albert Camus: Biography