The Guest Essay

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“Man is condemned to be free” (Sartre, 1957). Believing in existentialism entails thinking that the universe is chaos and nothing has a destiny. In “Existentialism and Human Emotions”, Sartre believed that men and women are condemned to be free because the choices they make are the only input for their character. Whether a person acts in good or bad faith is entirely up to them, and their choices define them. In the short story “The Guest” there are few characters to outline where on the spectrum of existentialism that one can exist. The main characters in the short story “The Guest” displays many key points from the book “Existentialism and Human Emotions”. The protagonist in “The Guest”, Daru, is tasked with delivering a prisoner to the nearest town where he will be handed over to authorities. In this time of war a gendarme is transporting the prisoner but is needed in his hometown. Daru is a schoolteacher on a plateau near a desert seemingly in the middle of nowhere. This is an example of the randomness and chaos of the universe. Daru doesn’t want to act as a transporter of prisoners “all this disgusts me, beginning with your fellow here. But I won’t hand him over. Fight, yes, if I have to. But not that” (Camus, p. 6). The gendarme agrees that “you don’t get used to putting a rope on a man even after years of it” (Camus, p. 6). After being left …show more content…

He chose to stay true to himself when faced with the dilemma of transporting a criminal to his final destination. In doing this he furthered his character as someone who doesn’t bow to the pressures of others. The story of “The Guest” depicts the randomness and uncertain chaos of the universe. Daru eventually releases the prisoner but is still threatened, this displays how one can do the right thing but still be punished. Daru couldn’t blame any of this on anyone but himself; how many times are terrible events simply described as the will of

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