Study Guide for “The Guest” by Albert Camus (1957)
Existentialism – a brief summary:
We define ourselves through living: making choices and following through. Only this act of choosing, i.e. living,
gives our life meaning. Human nature, spirit, faith, etc. are all well and good, but they are pointless unless we act
accordingly. What we do is the only tangible measure of our being. This implies that we are defined through our
interactions with others. Brotherhood and responsibility (political commitment and action) play a huge role for Existentialists
(Camus). We have meaning because of our actions: our existence, not because of our thoughts/spirit: our essence:
“existence precedes essence.”
1. You may need to do a little background check to completely understand this story. Look for The French Algerian
Conflict and the underlying concepts of existentialism.
2. List the main characters and briefly describe each one.
3. Plot: write a brief summary of the story (NO MORE than a couple of sentences).
4. Focus on the characterization of the Arab and Balducci. Consider the following:
a. What does Daru observe about the Arab’s physical features and actions?
b. How does Balducci treat the Arab?
c. How does Balducci address Daru when he speaks to him? What does this reveal about Balducci?
5. Discuss the ending of the story by answering these three questions:
a. What did Daru choose to do to solve his dilemma? Why?
b. What did the Arab choose to do? Why?
c. What are the consequences of both their actions?
6. Explain the role of justice in this story.
7. Explain the role of revenge in this story.
8. Give an example from the story for at least one concept of existentialism.
9. Consider these quotations about the environment and answer the questions that follow:
 “This is the way the region was, cruel to live in, even without men—who didn’t help matters either” (Camus).
 “For days, still, the unchanging sky would shed its dry light on the solitary expanse where nothing had any
connection with man.”
 “No one in this desert, neither he nor his guest, mattered” (1240).
a. What do these quotations reveal about the environment?
b. How does this relate to existentialism?
c. If the environment in the story were a character, what kind of character would it be? Describe it.