Sudden Shifts in Character

As argued by Lauren Schrager, the townspeople of Oran are not afraid of the plague and are still concerned with their “individualistic pursuits”. Nevertheless, I beg to differ. In this section, the individuals of Oran are demonstrating a wide spread panic: the population is beginning to realize that the fever has lasted longer than thought.

            Author, Albert Camus, clearly identifies the townspeople’s sheer anxiety when he notes that, “in normal times the townsfolk of Oran are not particularly devout,” (85) and somehow almost all inhabitants have attended Oran’s “Week of Prayer” and “Weekly Sermon”- religious attempts to resist the plague. In this section, the audience senses a sudden shift in Oran’s people: their newfound trust in God and religion, forcing them to neglect their previous self-interested character. The townspeople’s actions are not surprising however, because it is generally known that many individuals turn to religion during difficult times in their life. Nonetheless, shortly after, the individuals undergo a sudden change in character when they begin believing that there is no way out of this plague-infested environment.

            Camus begins referring to the townspeople as “prisoners” (101) because they are beginning to behave as individuals who are begin punished for a crime. Camus explains that, “some fellow citizens were losing their heads” (97). He later explained that he knew this because there had been scenes of violence’s against public officials and night attempts to, “elude the sentries and escape the outside world,” (97). It is evident that the townspeople of Oran rather face persecution for escaping then conform to living a monotonous life.