When I read The Guest, my initial response was to feel guilt for Daru. Balducci’s only task was to transport the Arab to Daru and to receive a signature proof of the handoff. After their interaction, Balducci was returning to El Ameur where he would carry on with his normal life. Daru was left with the decision to turn the Arab into the police, and feel much guilt, or to let him run free, knowing that he disobeyed his orders.
As the story elapsed, I also felt guilt for the Arab. When Daru gave the Arab the choice of which direction to travel – freedom or prison –, it represents Daru’s indecisiveness. I understand that Daru was torn on his decision to turn the Arab into the police or not, but I think he was being unfair to the Arab. It was evident throughout the story that the prisoner did not comprehend much of what Daru was telling him – and what makes Daru’s description of the two directions any clearer? For as much as we, the readers, know, the Arab could have picked going to prison equally as likely as he could have picked freedom, simply because he did not know the difference. I believe that when the Arab stood motionless for a short time after Daru left him, the Arab was both trying to understand what Daru had just said and trying to make a decision. Daru was handing too much responsibility off to the Arab and should have decided the Arab’s fate himself.
My response to this story was to have guilt for both Daru and the Arab simply because the situations they were both put in were unfortunate. Even though the Arab brought his consequence onto himself by murdering his cousin, he was placed in a tough spot at the split in the road. Daru’s situation was all around unfortunate because he was not expecting the arrival of neither Balducci nor the Arab. As the book described, the two men approaching Daru’s schoolhouse were strangers. Daru’s life was forever changed by this surprise visit.
Interesting idea that the Arab didn't know which way to go because he didn't understand Daru's descriptions, I'd never thought of it that way before. However, I disagree that Daru was being unfair to the Arab. In my opinion, the best thing Daru could have done for the Arab is exactly what he did: give him the ability to decide his own fate.
ReplyDeleteYou have a very compassionate soul, Lauren. I think Daru was presented with a choice that he had to make and live with the consequences of his decision. He was a man of the uniform and should understand all too well what comes with that. However, I definitely agree with you on the Arab's situation, he may have just not understood what was happening.
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