Characterization in Albert Camus' The Plague and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
Characterization is an important aspect of Waiting for Godot and The Plague. In both works, the authors use characters to express their own views and enable the reader to understand themes and messages.
In The Plague, Camus discloses a small part of himself in each of the primary characters. The main character, Dr. Bernard Rieux, represents Camus' own rejection of needless suffering and his overwhelming compassion and respect for people searching for meaning in life (Lebesque 80). He silently accepts all that happens in the course of the epidemic, waiting patiently for the pestilence to die away. His role in the book can be summed up when he tells Father Panaloux that "Salvation's much too big a word for me. I don't aim so high. I'm concerned with man's health; and for me his health comes first" (219). Rieux rejects any form of heroism, focusing all of his energy on his duties as a doctor.
Dr. Tarrou, the other protagonist in the work, shares a smaller portion of the narrative duties. Unlike Rieux, Tarrou often gives a personal, more moral account of the events happening around town. He often gives his own opinions on something, rather than a simple impartial explication. Tarrou expresses a desire for simplicity and directness while also wishing to rid himself of all evil. He identifies the plague with the death penalty and launches into an elaborate story about how his father was a lawyer and regularly fought for the death penalty. His emotional reactions against capital punishment express Camus' own views of a world in which the murder of people is legal and human existence becomes worthless (Rhein 44).
Characterization is key in establishing the theme of Waiting for Godot. Vladimir and Estragon seem to have two modes of existence: together and by themselves. One critic observes, "As members of a cross-talk act, Vladimir and Estragon have complementary personalities" (Esslin 29).
Vladimir seems to be the more stable of the two, while Estragon is more of a dreamer. Vladimir pretty much makes all of the decisions, and he is the only one to remember significant events from the past. He is always the one to remind Estragon that they must wait for Godot, and he seems to be the only one who cares about the consequences of not waiting.
Dr. Rieux is absolutely an absurd hero because he does what he has to do. He still works as a doctor instead of hiding in fear, hoping to not get the plague like many other of the citizens. Of course, he does not want to fall ill, but he knows that should not stop him from completely ignoring his duties. Unlike many of his fellow citizens who just cowered in their home, he realizes his responsibility and lived up to his specific duty. Everyone’s belief was that the whole city is condemned to die, which was influenced by the priest's sermon, stating this is punishment for the sins of the townspeople, but Dr.Rieux ignored that and stayed to fight. "There's no question of heroism in all this. It's a matter of common decency. That's an idea which may make some people smile, but the only means of fighting a plague is – common decency." (Camus, The Plague). He does not give up and he does not show weakness. Dr. Rieux has a very similar personality to the character Sisyphus in The Myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus is sentenced to roll a rock to the top of the mountain and then watch it roll back down, for eternity. “Man...
...he reader that Rieux is Camus' hero. It is precisely this sense of "common decency" which sets him apart, renders him uncommon in a town of men exiled from eachother by selfishness. Rieux is not searching for anything, he is merely doing what has to be done to fight the plague. His will to see man healed has freed him from his own search, and thus from exile; no longer in exile, Rieux has found eternal kingdom.
Powell, Michael. "New York: A City Turned Upside Down." The Washington Post (2001). 12 September 2001 < http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14164-2001Sep11.html>
On September 11, 2001, a terrible disaster struck the United States. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. The only time US soil had been attacked since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The attacks occurred not only at the World Trade Center’s twin towers, but also at the Pentagon and what would have been the White House. The attack on September 11th was one of the most devastating events this country has ever experienced.
There has been few and very minor assaults directly against Americans on U.S. soil from foreign adversaries. On January 25, 1993 an illegal Pakistani immigrant, Mir Aimal Kansi, opened fire near the entrance of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) headquarters in Virginia. The attack killed 2 employees and wounded others. Apparently, the Central Intelligence Agency was a target because of its interference in Pakistani matters during the war in Afghanistan. (Kephart, 2005)
Character development in The Plague plays a significant role in illustrating the way that man will endure against an incomparable being or force. In this case, the plague. The people of Oran have an understanding, though an indefinite one, of the power of the plague because Dr. Rieux publicly accepts the situation. Rieux makes it clear that he plans to “get busy with [the plague]” (89), but “[he] knew: that this wasn’t the easiest course” (89). In other words, Dr. Rieux us fully aware that he is up against something much stronger than himself. However, he is intent on combating the plague. Dr. Rieux, however, does not represent all of the people. Not all of the people are immediately awake to the fact that the plague is a force to be reckoned with. Because a majority of them do not know the true power of the plague, they have no desire to counteract the early stages of the disease. Without knowing the actual severity of the situation, “the risk of the plague seemed insignificant” (70) to them. The overall nonchalant attitude of the citi...
In ‘Waiting for Godot’, we know little concerning the protagonists, indeed from their comments they appear to know little about themselves and seem bewildered and confused as to the extent of their existence. Their situation is obscure and Vladimir and Estragon spend the day (representative of their lives) waiting for the mysterious Godot, interacting with each other with quick and short speech.
Our citizens work hard, but solely with the object of getting rich. In other words, he portrays them habituated to a recurring lifestyle, mocking, and disdaining them for their triviality. They were simply lifeless before the plague struck; death was never problematic for them as they would not ever confront and antagonize this absurdity within their daily lives. The plague’s arrival denotes a physical manifestation of the absurd. Nevertheless, everyone in town is forced to respond and unable to continue their daily mundane lives when faced with death. Rieux is an exemplifying notion of Camus’s novel when confronting the absurd conditions of Oran. His journey to overcome this absurdity leads him to keep going and strives
Information About Child Abuse & Prevention. (2011). San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center. Retrieved March 7, 2014, from http://www.sfcapc.org/press_room/information_about_child_abuse_and_prevention?gclid=CLOXwKuYgb0CFa9cMgodNl8ARQ
Dr. Rieux is the strongest character in The Plague because he was able to distance himself from the events of the plague and not allow his feelings and beliefs sway the reader’s outlook on the plague. This shows tremendous engagement strength by Rieux because he could focus working on ending the plague while also telling a story and not being completely objective to the terrible experiences that he went through. He was in a very stressful environment that would drive most doctors insane. Dr. Rieux didn’t go insane but was a professional about his job. Camus’ best decision about writing this novel was making sure that the reader didn’t know that Rieux was the narrator until the end.
Since more than 40 years, Toyota Company was thinking how to develop the traditional process costing system and the production system. Some of the companies believe that the increasing of the production is a big profit, while Toyota proved the opposite. The more you increase the products out of the need of the market, the more losses you are going to gain. This kin...
Daniel, John M. I. New York: Arno & The New York Times, 1868. reprinted, 1970.
The play “Waiting for Godot” has all the traits of existentialism both Vladimir and Estragon represent the man in general who is facing the problems of his existence in this world. They are interdependent like all other man. Hope for salvation is the subject of play and is the problem faced by the whole human race. Representing the man in general, the two tramps realize the futility of their exercise and we note that they are merely filling up the hours with the pointless activity. Hence their ‘waiting’ is mechanical and deals with problem of existentialism.
In The Plague Camus’ characters are forced to think, reflect, and assume responsibility for living. Their self-discovery and actions demonstrate that every man can give meaning to his life by doing good deeds for the welfare of others. In the case of the plague men have to work together and do away with indifference if they are to reach the common goal. One of the purposes of Dr. Rieux’s chronicle was “. . . to state quite simply what we learn in time of pestilence: that there are more things to admire in men than to despise” (Camus 308). The plague has offered them a chance to give meaning back to their lives.
September 11, 2001, marked a tragic event in U.S. history. An American Airlines Boeing 767 carrying thousands of gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact left a burning hole near the 80th floor of the skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors. As the evacuation of both towers got underway, live news feed streamed in images and videos to the public of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767–United Airlines Flight 175–appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center and sliced into the south tower near the 60th floor. The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and all over the streets. As millions watched the events unfolding in New York City, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington, D.C., and crashed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters. America was under attack!