Paneloux’s Sermon

            I found the sermon rather confusing and misleading – also rather contradictory. He says “his first sermon still held good – such anyhow, was [Paneloux’s] belief” (223). However, he then goes on to that instead of trying to explain it the population should try to learn from it. Previously, he went so far as to clearly explain it: he said that God sent the plague to the town of Oran because the people had drifted in their faith, because they had moved to far towards materialistic ideals instead of religion (Christian) ones and that the plague was an unstoppable force not to be reckoned with. He said everyone should simply accept the punishment but should continue to love God. He says he has not changed his previous belief but he then goes on to directly contradict it: “There was no question of not taking precautions or failing to comply with orders wisely promulgated for the public weal in the disorders of a pestilence. Nor should we listen to certain moralists who told us to sink to our knees and give up the struggle. No, we should go forward, groping our way through the darkness, stumbling perhaps at times, and try to do what good lay in our power” (227). This is a direct contradiction of his previous beliefs. He seems somewhat confused throughout the sermon; Rieux observes he seems to be wasting time through some of it. In the end Tarrou comes to a conclusion about the true meaning of the sermon: “Paneloux declines to lose his faith, and he will go through with it to the end. That’s what he meant to say” (229). He is fighting to maintain his faith in an ever loosing battle surrounded by misery and sorrow that is hard to credit God for without questioning his belief.