The Jewels

Existentialism is a philosophical movement which emphasizes on freedom and making a right choice. It suggests that existence comes first and can never be completely defined or understood in objective, scientific terms. Albert Camus known for his existentialism wrote a brilliant piece of art in the form of a short story ‘The Guest’. A story about a schoolmaster Daru who had to make a choice and the choice not being right or wrong but something that he was concerned with, his own conscience. In his view Daru does disgust Arab’s crime of killing his own cousin and on the other hand does disgust the colonial government’s punishment for the Arab. He was given a job to deliver Arab to the police, but being in a state of dilemma, Daru had to make a decision to deliver him or just let him get away with it. But Daru being existentialist leaves the decision on to the Arab as he was not able to choose between right and wrong.

Daru didn’t want to be sinful as he had to deliver him to the police. And other way around he didn’t want Arab to get away with his crime and cheat his law. So he just refuses to take Arab with him and showed him two routes, one to the police station