today in draw my life . the plague . by Albert Camus
it is the writers most renowned novel
published June 10th 19 47
his story unfolds in the Algerian city . of Oh ran
and it tells how a modern society is affected by an extraordinary circumstance
 that ends up altering and completely changing the lifestyle that it leads
kamus actually based it on a small plague outbreak . that happened in 19 31
it only had 76 cases
but he wanted to explore what would happen to society
if that outbreak reached the point of no way out
the novel is written in the form of a diary
where the narrators identity is kept anonymous so as not to hinder the narration
the point of view is as if the reader found the writings . and reading it discovers all the horror that was experienced in the quarantine of the city
it examines the routine in which the society is subjected
and how it cannot see the terminal danger in front of them
and how a disease manages to end the hedonism in which it lives . and puts it in a place of primary survival
the story begins with Oh rans description
a modern and engrossed city,
where it is only suitable for those healthy
there lives the doctor Bernard Rieux
who had to send his wife out of town because she was ill . and needed to move outside to get better
one day doctor Rieux discovers a dead rat on the landing of his house
when picking it up . the doorman . Michel says strangely
it had to be brought from outside . in this building there are no rats
but the number of dead rats increased rapidly
the municipal service began cleaning them . and discovered that in one day the number went from 6000 to 8000
and the peoples concern also increased
suddenly they stopped dying
and everything seemed to be back to normal
but then Michel appeared with strange symptoms like fever, neck abscesses . and vomiting blood
Rieux ordered him to be transferred to a hospital
but inside the ambulance . and just before reaching the hospital . he died
On the other hand . Jean Tarrou appeared in the story .
a modern historian who carried with him notebooks . where he wrote down everything he saw
allowing to give concise data of what was happening
Rieux was called by an old patient of his . Joseph Grand
telling him about his neighbors suicide attempt . Cottard
Rieux also encountered more cases similar to Michels in the city
and saw that the newspaper did not report human deaths . so as not to alarm the rest of the inhabitants
which they had not done with the dead rats
Rieux finally understood the problem of the situation . when the number of deaths increased rapidly with the days
Together with his companion, doctor Castel . they concluded Rieuxs fears .
that they were facing the bubonic plague epidemic
Rieux recalled the plague epidemic . that had hit some countries in Europe with a figure of 100 billion deaths
for him the epidemic could not end with Oh ran
but the death toll in the city rose higher and higher
Dr. Rieux and his partner, Dr. Richard, met with the citys doctors
All of them concluded in treating the epidemic . with preventive measures to avoid a high number of deaths and infections.
the doctors went to work
but as the deaths increased they noticed that the measures would be insufficient
and that they would need government help
talking to the prefect, they confirmed that it was the plague and that they should close the city
in doing so, the inhabitants began to feel isolated from the world
attempts were made to communicate with letters, but the guards saw the magnitude of the epidemic and prohibited all types of communication
it was allowed to enter Oh ran . but not leave . and many did not want to risk it
the plague epidemic also affected the citys commerce
since no transport could enter
inside the citizens felt like slaves
but the disease continued to take lives
Rieux felt tired
but what affected him most was that his wife was not next to him . and this worried him even more
some of the inhabitants tried to leave the city at any cost . without any result
the heat reached Ohran . but the citizens could not enjoy it
Rieux, together with the prefect . formed a volunteer to take care of hospitalized patients
Tarrou conversed with Raymond Rambert
a journalist who had traveled to the city to investigate the quality of life in the Arab quarter
the two foreigners discussed the consequences of the epidemic
however some of the residents soon tired of exile
some rebelled and the city became chaotic
some started fires . while others robbed shops and houses
This led to more severe measures such as executions, imprisonment . and the turning off of the lights during the late hours of the night
the high number of deaths did not allow the deceased to be buried individually
so they were thrown into groups
and funerals were not allowed
the number of deaths continued to advance.
So instead of burying them . it was decided to incinerate them
this alerted many citizens
since they thought they could get the plague through smoke
and the government had to take other measures
so it was decided to leave them on the streets until they rotted
The months passed and the uncertainty of when it would end continued in the city
the residents were in low spirits . and there was an atmosphere of solitude everywhere
the epidemic was progressing . and Dr. Rieux noticed that he was getting more and more tired . since he only slept four hours a day
his job became to just diagnose and isolate patients
and what frustrated him the most was not being able to heal everyone
Rieux and his companions were exhausted,
but the only thing that could be good about the plague was Cottard
since for him the epidemic was a metaphor to understand that there are worse things in the world
such as low self-esteem . cancer or tuberculosis.
Still, Tarrou told Cottard that what the citizens of Ohran needed was to think of the hope
that the epidemic would end . and they could get back to doing the things they longed for.
they both organized weekly orchestras in Ohran
to try to distract residents
on the other side . Rambert began to feel somewhat strange symptoms . after drinking a few drinks
he felt pain in the armpits and groin
but the suspicion of plague was ruled out . and the intense rhythm of life that he led was associated.
Rambert and Tarrou . visited Dr. Rieux at the hospital
and in addition to being surprised by the number of patients . they discovered that the city judges son had contracted the disease
upon receiving it . Rieux made the decision to test the serum that Dr. Castel had developed to combat the plague
however, the results were not as expected
and little Jack died of the disease
his parents were present while he died
and consequently they were isolated to prevent further spread of the epidemic
Christmas time has come
but because of the epidemic, Christmas became very different
the cold, the loneliness, and the isolation affected the parties
as well as the fact that inputs were lacking to celebrate them
among all this it was discovered that Grand was sick with the plague
which worried Rieux
the doctor gave him up for dead
but suddenly in an unexpected turn . he fully recovered from the disease
at the same time
doctor Rieux began to see . that more similar cases were presented
cheering up the medical community
finally an air of hope arose in Ohran
the complete recoveries of the patients pleased the rest of the citizens
Although the disease continued taking lives
like that of the commissioner Othon
the city realized that the end of the epidemic had begun
and little by little bars, cafes, and cinemas opened
and they also lowered the prices of the products
but the fear of contracting the disease continued
as well as fear of how to start again once the epidemic will take root
before the city gates opened . Tarrou fell ill with the plague
he remained inside his hotel room . accompanied by Rieux
who did everything possible to avoid his death
he applied the serum of Dr. Castel
but the plague ended by ending the historians life
the doctor mourns his death
since during the epidemic the two had become very good friends
and they had shared many moments together
In addition Rieux also received a telegram, where the death of his wife was reported
Ohrans doors opened
and slowly the relatives of the citizens returned from their exile outside the city
Cottard on the other hand was arrested for locking himself in his room and shooting from his window.
Rieux patient announces tribute to citizens of victims of the epidemic
the plague led him to the conclusion that in man there are more things worthy of admiration than contempt
Rieux revealed that the narrator of the story was himself
and that you should not sing victory, because the epidemic could return
Albert Camus is considered a philosopher of the absurd
who used his novels as a showcase for his existentialist theory
his philosophy highlights the moment
in which modern man discovers at a certain point in his life
that life is meaningless
this presents him with three possible ways out
pure nihilism and suicide
the leap to religious belief
or pure acceptance
the plague is considered one of the peak novels of this philosophy
and awarded Camus the Nobel Prize for Literature
the central theme of the novel is human solidarity
that in the face of a terminal situation . where life is placed in imminent danger
the will to solidarity is stronger than the purely animal instinct
An example of this in the story is Tarrou
in the novel, society goes from not taking the epidemic very seriously to reaching the point of fear with quarantine,
but then the disease is overcome
society returns to normal
forgetting what happened
and the story ends with a show of honor to the victims who did not survive.
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