The Guest Symbolism

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The story The Guest, by Albert Camus, read on page 381 of Perrine’s Literature textbook,contains many symbols. Perrine describes symbols as “Something that means more than what it suggests on the surface.”pg 300. The first of many symbols in this story are the guns. Guns are normally a symbol of protection, of justice or sometimes of violence and death. All of which are prevalent topics in this short. However, just as the police officer urged Daru to keep his gun close for his own protection, Daru decided to leave his life up to fate and the Arabic man he was hosting, saying “Why? [should he have his shotgun near his bed] I have nothing to fear” Pg 384. This could also be the reason that, although he felt a bit vulnerable he slept naked, rationalizing