The Guest
Considering the events in "The Guest", what is the main idea
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I think the story is an existential look at the absurd nature of human belonging. Despite this indifference, human beings must survive. They continue to build meaning and pursue certainty, even though such aims are impossible. This combination of a godless, uncaring world and human striving leads to a condition that Camus dubs "the absurd." He writes, "The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world." Daru desperately wants to belong to the Arab culture but cannot. He helps the Arab prisoner: even giving him his freedom. Daru's empathy comes to nothing. When he returns to his school house, he is threatened. The absurdity of his situation is sad and acts as a metaphor for the way our world operates.