The Plague by Albert Camus

It is the year 1940 in the Algerian city of Oran, in the midst of a horrible outbreak of the plague. This is the setting for Albert
Camus’s 1947 novel The Plague. (Before I get into what I have to say, it should be mentioned that this is not a true story, and
the “plague” this story is referencing is likely based off of a previous cholera epidemic in the same city.) At the beginning of
the novel, Camus tells a story of thousands of rats suddenly appearing dead in the streets of the town. At first, this is dismissed
and nothing is seen of it. However, at the same time of the “random” deaths of rats, doctors around the town begin to notice a
small surge of patients very quickly dying of an unknown disease. Obviously, the doctors notice that there is something very
strange about these occurrences, and one makes the claim that the unknown disease must be the plague. This is confirmed by
other doctors, and the public is informed that there is an imminent plague outbreak.

Soon after this announcement, the town is “quarantined”, and all travel in and out of the town is completely halted. Camus then
introduces an interesting character, Raymond Rambert, who wishes to escape the city to see loved ones that are trapped away
from him. He goes as far as to get acquainted with an underground criminal network. However, when he chooses to share his
plans with others, they too say they have loved ones outside of the town, so he changes his mind out of sympathy. 

The next important even in the novel is when the town begins to fall apart, and public lootings and violence start to happen. The
local government imposes even more rules onto the citizens, including an extremely strict curfew. The plague’s effects climax, then
quickly diminish naturally, and all seems fine. The town is reopened, and everybody gets to see their loved ones. The story ends on
a grim note, in which a doctor who had a large part in helping control the plague dies (of the plague), and another doctor’s wife dies. 

My view of the story

The Plague tells a very realistic story of how humans can work together under dire stress and during dire situations. Throughout
the story, characters go through many self-journeys and undergo many turns of self-realization, and ultimately, turn out as better
people. For instance, one specific example of a self journey is Raymond Rambert’s. Instead of trying to escape the city illegally,
in which he would have been risking getting shot, he decided to do the moral thing and wait for the city to be reopened. He
learned a lesson of patience, and was able to see his wife again. Because of the aspect of the story, that of a horrible disease, many
characters experience death at a personal level. In many instances where a character went through personal trauma, somebody was
there to comfort him/her. 

Overall, I would say this is definitely a book to read if you like long and detailed novels. For me, personally, I did not particularly
enjoy reading it, as I find it difficult to read endless details, but many readers may find that avenue attractive. 

-Ethan R