The Plague – Albert Camus

The Plague – Albert Camus – 1947

Reviewed by: François Paltrinieri      Date: 13 June 2006

One of Albert Camus’s better novels, this grim story of a doctor trapped in a plague-infested city does well to expose the key elements of the existentialist school of philosophical thought. Dr. Bernard Rieux, a resident of the Alegrian city of Oran, becomes a prisoner of Oran, as the entire city falls victim to the medieval black plague and is quarantined. The citizens become locked in their grisly fate and are left to fend for themselves in the face of certain disaster. Rieux is faced with the choice of escaping the tragedy or remaining in Oran, the latter of which would accord him almost certain death, but would give him hope of helping his fellow man, and perhaps easing his suffering brought on by the merciless disease. The choices presented serve as a metaphor for how Camus feels about the current condition of man and his plight. It is Camus’s feeling that in the passage through life, Man is given the choice to deny, combat or accept his fate (death). Those choices translate into: religion, which ease mental anguish and provide hope for life after death, all while denying the inevitable truth, that we are alone; combattance, which is a selfish course of action that can bring immediate pleasure but gives no gain to fellow man; and solidarity, which brings certain doom but also a sense of humanity.

For Camus, death is everyhwere, it is unavoidable. Yet, there are actions that can be taken to increase the solidarity of mankind in the face of this horrible truth, making the grim passage through life a little more bearable. La Peste, one of the greater philosophical novels of our time, is written as a complement to l’Étranger (which was somewhat incomplete) to present this message. La Peste is a complexe but comprehensive work, whose purpose is to detail Camus’s shool of thought, which is largely based on his personal experiences in Algeria. It is a must read for people who can identify their feelings towards life, death and divinity with those of Albert Camus and Existentialism.