Who decides whether or not a country declares war on another? The leader always decides. And to say that every citizen in that same country agrees with the leader is ridiculous. So there’s always a good chance that there are reluctant enemies in war. This is clearly evident in the stories “The Guest” by Justin O’Brien and “Gregory” by Panos Ioannides.

In the story “The Guest”, every character is pretty much reluctant in one way or another to being enemies. The most obvious is Daru towards the Arab. Having killed someone, the Arab became an enemy of the state. And Daru, being a law-abiding citizen who is given orders by the authorities, is part of the state. Hence, they are enemies. But Daru does several things that prove he wishes this weren’t true. First off, he clearly does not want to take the Arab from Balducci. When Balducci first tells him he has

to deliver the Arab to a prison Daru says, “Are you pulling my leg?” Then he continues to argue with Balducci about not wanting the Arab. After it’s clear that Balducci is leaving the Arab there no matter what, Balducci offers Daru a gun. Daru says, “Keep it”. Later, when he’d finally taken the gun, he notices it in his pocket. He puts it away. He also lets the Arab know that he doesn’t want to be enemies by eating with him, and by sleeping in the same room. Daru even helps the Arab. First, he gives him the chance to escape by not budging when the Arab gets up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Second, near the end of the story, he gives him money and food before letting him decide himself whether he is to go to prison or be free.

In the story “Gregory”, it’s painfully obvious that the narrator does not want to fulfill his orders, and kill Gregory. Even before Gregory came along, the

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