In the beginning in the novel, the audience is introduced to
Cottard- a man scared of the everyday occurrences in the world around him and
of people inherent behaviors. However, now, Cottard has created a shift in his behavior—he
is not scared anymore. This is a direct consequence of the fear brought on by
the plague. The fear of the plague haunts all the individuals in the town of
the Oran, and as a result, Cottard, is happy.
In
this strange situation or occurrence, Camus is trying to emphasize to his
readers that Cottard and the individuals that live in Oran have an inverse
relationship. When Cottard is unhappy, the individuals are happy; and when
Cottard is not scared of what the world has to offer him, the individuals are
afraid.
Nevertheless,
the audience now notices a flaw in Cottard’s new and improved character; he
now, “craves human contact”. Some rationalize this is a direct consequence of
Cottard’s dependent, scared nature. However, I believe it is because Camus has
created a complex character and Camus wants to keep Cottard that way.
I
find Cottard to be the most interesting character in the novel. Cottard’s
idiosyncrasies bring about a conflict in the novel. His complexities further
demonstrate a point Camus wants to distinguish to his readers: when some big,
like a plague, hits a town, people begin losing their mind—it is inevitable.
However unfortunate Cottard’s situation, he is in fear of human contact due to
his fear of the plague.
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