The Plague

From Freepedia

For the disease, see Black Death.

The Plague (fr. La Peste) is a novel by Albert Camus, published in 1947, that tells the story of medical workers finding solidarity in their labor as the Algerian city of Oran is swept by a plague. It asks a number of questions relating to the nature of destiny and the human condition. The characters in the book, ranging from doctors to vacationers to fugitives, all help to show the effects the plague has on a populace.

Generally taken as a metaphoric treatment of the French resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II, The Plague is interpreted to mean much more. Camus uses extreme hardships (e.g., pain, suffering, and death) to represent our human world. The story is told through the narrative of the main character, Dr. Rieux, whose decidedly existential account of events in the story is not only helpful in exploring the philosophy of existentialism, but also in making this an allegory of the nature of life and suffering. Although his approach in the book is severe, he emphasizes the ideas that we ultimately have no control, irrationality of life is inevitable, and he further illustrates the human reaction towards the ‘absurd’. The Plague represents how the world deals with the philosophical notion of the Absurd, a theory which Camus himself helped to define.

Main Characters

• Dr. Bernard Rieux
• Tarrou -- a man vacationing in Oran
• Rambert -- visiting journalist
• Cottard -- a fugitive
• Joseph Grand -- municipal worker who desires to be an author
• Father Paneloux -- a priest

Minor Characters

• Castel
• Mme. Rieux
• M. Othon and his family
• Cat-spitting guy
• Asthma patient
• Gonzalas
• Richard
• Prefect
• Marcel and Louis