The Trapped Guest

The Trapped Guest

            He was welcomed, fed, and given a bed to sleep on.  He was a cousin, a guest, but more importantly a prisoner.  Throughout the short story “The Guest” protagonist, Daru, creates a warm environment for his guest, an Arabic prisoner.  Author, Albert Camus, employs dramatic and situational irony to display Daru’s inner conflicts.

            Dramatic Irony is the contrast between what the character says/thinks and what the reader knows to be true.  During Daru and Balducci’s conversation, Balducci commands Daru to walk twenty kilometers and deliver him to police headquarters in Tinguit.  Immediately, Daru refuses to turn him in.  However, since the Arab doesn’t speak French, he doesn’t realize that Daru denied Balducci’s commands.   After Daru makes dinner, initially only the Arab is fed which makes him apprehensive.  The Arab is suspicious that Daru may have poisoned him, but shortly after, Daru begins to eat.  The Arab asks, “Why do you eat with me?” Daru replies, “Because I am hungry,” quicky the Arab realizes Daru has no evil intent.   In addition, this shows Daru’s inner conflicts about sending the Arab to jail.  Instead of keeping the Arab as a prisoner, Daru treats him as a companion because he can’t build up the courage to turn him in. 

            In addition, situational irony is employed to show Daru’s self conflicts.  At the end of the story, Daru gives the Arab two options: to either turn himself in at the police headquarters or to walk south to nomads that will take him in and shelter him.  Daru also gives the Arab “a thousand francs” and a package full “dates, bread, and sugar” which shows that he expects him to choose the path to freedom.  Surprisingly, the Arab walked “the road to prison.”  This creates inner conflict for Daru, he can’t understand why the Arab chose captivity over freedom. 

            Furthermore, the dramatic and situational irony applied in “The Guest” creates conflicts within Daru.  The use of dramatic irony shows Daru’s inability to gather courage and turn the Arab in, while the use of situational irony displays Daru’s confusion within himself.  Daru’s conflicts will be kept unresolved since the Arab left.  However, fortunately for Daru, he was alone again.