1. The contrast between Cottard and the other characters is that while everyone else is in constant fear of catching the plague and doing everything they can to fight the disease, Cottard is cheerful in the fact that the plague has put a stop to the police investigating his mysterious crime . Cottard probably also enjoys the camaraderie of everyone else finally being in the same position as he is. 2. The symbolic significance of the scene at the opera is the parallel of the situation that the citizens
The Plague is an extraordinary realist novel, that tells the horrifying story of a plague that occurs in the small town of Oran. What is at first is thought to be a dead rat problem, turns into something much worse, a plague. Nobody in the town of Oran wants to admit that there is a plague, until it starts killing off most of the already relatively small population. As the city mourns their losses, all that the people of Oran can do is fight for their lives, and defeat this awful plague. Join Doctor
The Plague The rats did it! Rats, almost single handedly, killed off about a third of the European population throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. Its effects on western civilization still lasts today, but for the people who lived during the plagues wish indeed that they did not. Society was depressed, the economy was struggling, food was scarce, and all of Europe was in battle. Who would want to live in these dramatic conditions? No one, and not for centuries to come. The Plague, also
The Plague by Albert Camus Albert Camus' The Plague, takes place in the desert town of Oran, Algeria, in northern Africa. It is the perfect setting for this story to take place. The ordinariness of Oran is contrasted with the extraordinary business of the plague. Sprintzen points out that "There is a mythic significance of Oran. Given the previous description of the quality of Oranian life, the selection of Oran as the location for the outbreak of plague should not come as a surprise"(Sprintzen
Albert Camus’ gripping novel The Plague is a fascinating story of how man handles the concept of death and how a person's drive can radiate and transform the people around them. After the North African coastal town of Oran is struck by a mass plague, Dr. Rieux, the story's protagonist, makes a life changing choice that is in blatant contrast with society, as well as pure rationalism. Despite knowing that the chances of actually making a difference are rather minuscule, Dr. Rioux commits to sterilizing
Running Out of Time Time is only running out, and it is one of the most vital and overlooked qualities of life. Albert Camus highlights the theme of time in his 1947 novel, The Plague. Through the use of allegory and point of view, Camus substantiates that when people are not aware of time and its advancing, they are wasting the precious and limited time of their lives. He constantly establishes that the amount of consciousness obtained by a person is the difference between spending time wisely and
One deadly disease that demolished populations is the bubonic plague, also known as the plague or Black Death. It dates back to the early years of 540’s AD, but was known as Justinian plague until the 1300’s when it became known as the Black Death (Hogan, 2014). Yersinia pestis a zoonotic bacteria causes the bubonic plague and obtained its name from Alexandre Yersin, the discoverer (CDC, 2015). It first appeared during the early year of 541 in Egypt and spread to parts of Asia, till it disappeared
believed what he was preaching, I believe he was completely wrong. This would make what I would say much different from what Father Paneloux said. However, some strong points did emerge from his sermons. Overall, the two sermons in Albert Camus’ The Plague fail to help people become more faithful and fail to even preach to the people of Oran the truth. Father Paneloux makes statements in his first sermon that condemn the people of Oran for their wicked behavior. Camus’ description of the sermon makes
The Plague is a novel describing the plague epidemic in the large Algerian city of Oran in the 1940s. In April, numerous rats staggered into the open to die. Once a mild hysteria gripped the population, the newspapers began searching for any action they could take. Finally, the authorities arranged for the daily collection and cremation of the rats, but by mid-afternoon they were already pilling up again. When a cluster of cases of a strange fever appeared, Dr. Rieux's partner, Castel, became
this no one knew why or what started this disease that continued to kill people (Alchin). This Plague started in Europe, which eventually spread across the trade routes, and as a result, it there was a major dropped in the population (Alchin). The Black Death was caused by fleas that were on rodents, which eventually came in contact with the men on the ships and continued from there (Alchin). When the plague hit England it led to a major drop in population that turned into a high desire for labor, a
The “Black death or Plague” was a horrible pestilence that killed millions of people in the middle ages and it's hard to believe but this disease is still around today. This disease caused families to split up by parents having to send their children away to slavery just so they wouldn't starve, it caused entire villages to be destroyed in a matter of days because this horrible disease spread like wildfire. All in all the black death was horrible in which they way it caused families hardships, to
Albert Camus provides a unique look at humanity and the intricacies of living in an absurd world full of hopeless suffering in “The Plague.” Many facets of Camus symbolism within the book can only lead the reader to ponder “Should I kill myself?” while leaving them with the answer “No, life is worth it if I make it worth it. I can overcome suffering.” First, Camus use of parallelism to atrocities, specifically war, function to highlight that death and suffering derives from both humanity and nature
Understanding The Plague The Plague, written by Albert Camus, is a triumph of literary craft. Camus created a commentary on the way humans react to trying situations and circumstances in his fictional city of Oran in North Africa. The reader is presented with Oran as a city of several hundred thousand people. All of whom seem to take life for granted. The people of Oran ar constantly driven by business or money and only stop for life's finer pleasures on the weekends. A fairly accurate parallel
The Archetype of the Trial in The Plague and Hamlet Rare is the tale without a conflict, without a challenge to overcome. However, to even reach the challenge the hero must first pass through the Trial. The archetype of the Trial can be found in almost any folktale. King Arthur must draw the sword from the stone to prove himself fit to be king. Hercules must face labors to atone for the murders committed in his madness. It is prominent in other areas of literature as well; it is especially well
Existentialism and The Plague In the mid 1940s, a man by the name of Albert Camus began to write a story. This story he called La Pesté. Written in French, the novel became extremely popular and has since been translated numerous times into many languages. This story has been read over and over, yet it tells more than it seems to. This story tells the tale of a city gripped by a deadly disease. This is true enough, but this is not what the novel is about. The Plague can be read as an allegory
The Plague (French, La Peste) is a novel written by Albert Camus that is about an epidemic of bubonic plague. The Plague is set in a small Mediterranean town in North Africa called Oran. Dr. Bernard Rieux, one of the main characters, describes it as an ugly town. Oran’s inhabitants are boring people who appear to live, for the most part, habitual lives. The main focus of the town is money. “…everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits. Our citizens work hard, but solely with the
cases of a severe fever begin appearing that Dr. Rieux and Dr. Castel dare to consider that the plague has descended upon the city. For this reason, The Plague by Albert Camus is appropriately named. The novel explores the condition of a society living in constant fear of a disease that almost guarantees death. The title does not only reflect the name of the disease but as well as the event of the plague. The book is a chronicle of the events and the conditions, that urge the reader to hold on to the
Age is just a number, well at least for Stephen Quinn it is. Stephen Quinn is 15 years old, but he does not let his age define who he is. Although Stephen was matured for his age when the plague started, he still had a lot of growing to do. Throughout the novel The Eleventh Plague Stephen is prematurely forced through the journey into adulthood. Stephen had to mentally mature enough to allow himself to open up and trust people. Stephen had to toughen up and become a man and he had to be strong enough
The Plague of Plagiarism Simply defined, the word plagiarism means "the unauthorized use of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own" ("Plagiarism"). While many students understand and comprehend the first clause of this definition, many encounter problems with the second part - the thoughts part. Many students in today's educational system are frequently unable to develop their own thoughts, opinions, and ideas relating to the subject
In his novel The Plague, Albert Camus presents a pseudo-historical documentary of a plague that confines and controls the citizens of Oran within their city gates. The plague possesses the power of life and death over the people, as it determines which citizens will face their death or those who work to stop death. These latter men, personified by the characters of Rieux, Grand, and Tarrau, each struggle endlessly to master the plague's power over their lives, even with the realization they may never