Baldwin and Camus How Much Term Paper

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Balducci, a soldier who Daru knows, approaches with an Arab prisoner. Balducci's government papers give custody of the prisoner to Daru, who must now take him to the French jail in Tinguit. Upset, Daru wishes to refuse. He does not want to become involved. Balducci likewise does not want to be in the lawmaker role. "You don't get used to putting a rope on a man even after years of it, and you're even ashamed-yes, ashamed." Balducci, in fact, is shirking his responsibility for decision making by passing the buck on to Daru.

Daru understands that the Arab is being made a political example -- in other words, a guinea pig. He killed his cousin in a family feud, which is not a case for the French colonial courts but the involved families. Daru accepts his charge, but relunctantly. By doing so, Daru is taking a clear position, defying the "rules" and authorities that Balducci blindly obeys, in addition to rejecting the actions of Arab. He then states, "Every bit of this disgusts me, and first of all your fellow here. But I won't hand him over. Fight, yes, if I have to. But not that."

Daru unties the guest and gives him the opportunity to make his own choice:

First he points to the east. 'There's the way to Tinguit,' he tells him. 'You have a two-hour walk. At Tinguit are the administration and the police. They are expecting you.' He then points to the south.

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'There's the trail across the plateau. In a day's walk from here you'll find pasturelands and the first nomads. They'll take you in and shelter you according to their law.' In other words, the schoolteacher makes no attempt to influence the prisoner that one course might be honorable or even just, but is suicide; or that the other, less honorable, could mean freedom.

In this story, Daru is given the option to make a choice, but declines. He feels it is up to the prisoner to make his own decisions for himself. Ironically, the townspeople are angry with Daru because he turned over their brother by not making the choice. Camus is thus asserting that since Daru refused to intrude on the Arab's free will, it was Daru, and not the people in the town, who really acted as a brother.

Thus, Daru exercises his freedom to choose by not delivering the Arab to the authorities. He makes a real choice, acting in the best of faith, by following his own principles. He also respects the right of the Arab to choose his destiny.

The two stories are similar, then, in their approach to decision making. The narrator and Daru give, respectively, Sonny and the prisoner the right and opportunity to make their own decisions about their own lives. They may have made a different choice, but must respect and try their best to understand the way decided......

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