How is the theory of the Absurd apparent in Camus’s ‘L’hôte’?
According to the Longman English Dictionary, the Absurd is something ridiculous, completely stupid, unreasonable or different from expectations (2003). However the dictionary definition is not enough or rather, does not explain the complexity of the theory of the Absurd. It dates back to Ecclesiastes but the modern interpretation is different, especially considering Camus conception of the Absurd, which diverge from its writer colleagues. Albert Camus (1913-1960) was a French-Algerian writer, novelist and journalist usually classified as a philosopher and existentialist although he denied to be either. Furthermore he is widely known for his existential themes and absurd works. According …show more content…
In effect, Daru's way to try to understand the world, people and so on and the final choice of the Arab, highlight the absurdity of life. In the specific case of the school teacher, this feeling arises from two reasons.
The first derives from his attempt to understand the Arab without success. Daru wants to find, give meaning and an explanation to the prisoner's character and behaviour. For example, Daru primarily asks to the policeman what the prisoner did and if he speaks French, starting to create a first contact with the Arab's issue. Subsequently he continues with the questions becoming always more specific and stressing cultural differences in order to create opposition: "il est contre nous? (...) Pourquoi a-t-il tué?" (Camus, 1957:87). The first question uses "nous" to symbolize the French administration whereas the second one will be asked again, this time, directly to the prisoner with "une sorte d'interrogation malheureuse" (Camus, 1957:93). In any case, his great effort to organize the universe in a meaningful entity and understand the mysteries of human nature is useless, once again; "Une colère subite vint à Daru contre cet homme, contre tous les hommes et leur sale méchanceté, leurs haines inlassables, leur folie du sang" (Camus, 1957:88). He is disgusted and revolted for the prisoner's crime. At the end he is not able to understand the Arab's …show more content…
Consequently this term can indicate either Daru or the Arab in both role: who is the guest? Who is the host?. The careful selection of the title shows Camus's desire to introduce the reader in the sense of ambiguity from the very beginning, thus giving a different point of view of the story (Black, 1989). In fact, the whole story is presented from the point of view of Daru, in third person. The reader not only shares the thoughts of the protagonist but also perceives his confusion, lack of knowledge and limited vision of the characters and the environment in which he lives. In this way Camus reiterates the importance of subjectivity which is a main theme present in the existentialist cultural movement, in opposition to previous philosophical theories which considered the world with an objective and external viewpoint. Moreover, the detailed illustration of the nature allows the reader to perceive Daru's exile from a silent and impassive world. For example the plateau, during the eight months of drought, is described as "calcinée", "recroquevillée", "torréfiée" (Camus, 1957:83) while the weather is dry and the sun burns fields of stones. Furthermore, during the narration, the sun's domination is accentuated by the use of words of time (such as “again”, “once more”, “for days” and so on) which
According to the Longman English Dictionary, the Absurd is something ridiculous, completely stupid, unreasonable or different from expectations (2003). However the dictionary definition is not enough or rather, does not explain the complexity of the theory of the Absurd. It dates back to Ecclesiastes but the modern interpretation is different, especially considering Camus conception of the Absurd, which diverge from its writer colleagues. Albert Camus (1913-1960) was a French-Algerian writer, novelist and journalist usually classified as a philosopher and existentialist although he denied to be either. Furthermore he is widely known for his existential themes and absurd works. According …show more content…
In effect, Daru's way to try to understand the world, people and so on and the final choice of the Arab, highlight the absurdity of life. In the specific case of the school teacher, this feeling arises from two reasons.
The first derives from his attempt to understand the Arab without success. Daru wants to find, give meaning and an explanation to the prisoner's character and behaviour. For example, Daru primarily asks to the policeman what the prisoner did and if he speaks French, starting to create a first contact with the Arab's issue. Subsequently he continues with the questions becoming always more specific and stressing cultural differences in order to create opposition: "il est contre nous? (...) Pourquoi a-t-il tué?" (Camus, 1957:87). The first question uses "nous" to symbolize the French administration whereas the second one will be asked again, this time, directly to the prisoner with "une sorte d'interrogation malheureuse" (Camus, 1957:93). In any case, his great effort to organize the universe in a meaningful entity and understand the mysteries of human nature is useless, once again; "Une colère subite vint à Daru contre cet homme, contre tous les hommes et leur sale méchanceté, leurs haines inlassables, leur folie du sang" (Camus, 1957:88). He is disgusted and revolted for the prisoner's crime. At the end he is not able to understand the Arab's …show more content…
Consequently this term can indicate either Daru or the Arab in both role: who is the guest? Who is the host?. The careful selection of the title shows Camus's desire to introduce the reader in the sense of ambiguity from the very beginning, thus giving a different point of view of the story (Black, 1989). In fact, the whole story is presented from the point of view of Daru, in third person. The reader not only shares the thoughts of the protagonist but also perceives his confusion, lack of knowledge and limited vision of the characters and the environment in which he lives. In this way Camus reiterates the importance of subjectivity which is a main theme present in the existentialist cultural movement, in opposition to previous philosophical theories which considered the world with an objective and external viewpoint. Moreover, the detailed illustration of the nature allows the reader to perceive Daru's exile from a silent and impassive world. For example the plateau, during the eight months of drought, is described as "calcinée", "recroquevillée", "torréfiée" (Camus, 1957:83) while the weather is dry and the sun burns fields of stones. Furthermore, during the narration, the sun's domination is accentuated by the use of words of time (such as “again”, “once more”, “for days” and so on) which