Theme.. continued

“Grand was the true embodiment of the quiet courage that inspired the sanitary groups. He had said yes without a moment’s hesitation and with the large-heartedness that was second nature to him” (135).  Like Rieux, Grand is another character in this novel that exhibits courage in the face of the adversity provided by the plague. Joseph Grand is an elderly gentleman that has been stuck in the same temporary position at the post office for twenty two years. He is complacent – not a man of action, never speaking up in regards to his boss’ exploitation of him. “All he desired was the prospect of a life suitably insured on the material side by honest work, enabling him to devote his leisure to his hobbies” (44). He is not a capitalist, something that distinguished him from the majority of the population of Oran. As seen described in the very beginning, and throughout the town’s battle with the plague, the citizens of Oran are inherently concerned with personal gain. This tendency of the town is so drastic that the narrator notes it is not a place for old people – for they will be left behind, unattended to by their families, as their families go off in pursuit of material gains. Despite the overwhelming majority of his peers’ behavior, Grand is never driven by a desire for material gains – he simply wishes to make enough to support himself. This attitude further highlights Grand’s complacency: he doesn’t care to take action even to benefit himself. He is neutral character is further defined by his trouble with language, seen in his inability to write his book. He is stuck on the first sentence; either because he is a perfectionist and is unable to move on until he finds it perfect or because he simply doesn’t have a firm grasp of the language in which he is writing. He is so reluctant to take action he cannot even finish a written sentence. All of these factors contributing to the total blandness of Grand’s character are why I found his bravery in the face of the plague so interesting; this form of action taking is almost out of character for him. He is actively standing up for what he thinks is right rather than letting external forces or people decide his fate for him; he volunteers himself to work in the sanitation squads. Granted, he is only helping with registry and statistics, but it is still an act to help the plague-fighting effort.  He even eventually goes one further in this newfound trend of taking action – doing much of his work in the actual hospitals alongside Reiux. When thanked for volunteering he replied: “Why, that’s not difficult! Plague is here and we’ve got to make a stand, that’s obvious. Ah, I only wish everything were as simple!” (134). Grand was a formerly neutral character, a man of little ambition or sustenance. However, when faced with the plague a change is seen in his character: he becomes more of a man of action, sacrificing his own time and possible health willingly in an effort to help fight the plague. 

Possible Theme: Freedom and Confinement

Another possible theme for the end of the year term paper is the idea of freedom and confinement. The situation that the people of Oran are in is an interesting one. They are physically isolated, struggling for survival, but are they truly trapped? One can consider freedom to not be a physical state of being, but a mental capacity. The people are free to think and pursue what they wish inside Oran. People such as Cottard are now free of fear from the authorities and thus are more in a sense "free" than they were before the plague. Therefore, freedom is in each and every character, and how they act to embrace it.

Possible Theme: Hope

In the Plague, throughout the entire novel there is an interesting progression with the concept of hope. Hope is something that we all need and desire. Without hope people can lose themselves and the will to live. In Oran the people are unfortunately subject to this horrible disease that forces the entire city to enter quarantine. In the beginning everyone is hopeful and confident that they will get through these hard times, but as their condition worsens and the quarantine lasts longer and longer, hope begins to fade. As this happens people begin to react and adjust differently as the one thing that they used to rely on to drive them fades and they need to find something else to replace their lost hope. Something to motivate them to carry on.

A More Pronounced Theme: CRISTINA VALENCIA

When I read Veronica's comment I did realize that my theme was too broad and it called for a more pronounced version of the way in which Camus interprets an individuals inherent nature. As I thought, I soon came to the conclusion that I want to write my term paper on the individuals living in the town of Oran. Although it seems as if Camus just wrote his book around specific characters like Rieux, this is not the case. The beginning of every chapter is reserved for the individuals of the town and the way they react to the plague. Thanks to Veronica, I have been able to do more research and realize that Albert Camus is interested in the behavior of a human and through my term paper, I will be able to explore more on the subject matter. Thank you Vero for allowing me to understand more thoroughly the basis of my paper.

Vero's theme narrowed down

I have narrowed down my theme (thank you lauren) due to the possible difficulties that I will encounter while writing a term paper on the existentialist aspects of a novel writen by an existentialist author. Way too much material to include. I have decided to analyze the people of Oran before and after the plague as a whole, as well as through certain key individuals. This will encompass both the philosophical and literal aspects of the novel. I am also thinking about comparing these observations of Oran's change with those of a country/town at war.

As soon as I complete my first paragraphs I will post them.

Theme: courage in the face of hardship continued

One of the characters that display courage in the face of hardship is Rieux. He works every day, all day, in the plague hospitals trying to fight the increasingly fatal epidemic. If not informed by the narrator, the reader would never know there was an underlying hardship in Rieux’s life. He commits himself so whole-heartedly to the job it appears as if it is the only thing in his life. His work appears to consume him entirely as he fights to save lives. However, this is a misconception created by his courage and work ethic in response to the epidemic. He has a sick wife in quarantine outside of the town. He is subject to the same sense of isolation and separation that the rest of the town feels. This is a feeling that drives many of the citizens, as seen with Rambert initially, into listless hopelessness. This despair felt by the citizens of the town who had been separated from a loved one is felt to acutely by the majority of the population that it is describes for about one hundred pages of the novel. This feeling is what dictates many peoples behavior throughout this time. This feeling leads to the increase in business in bars and restaurants during this time of plague; these isolated individuals flock to these places in an attempt to find some escape from their sense of loss. They think that if they go to highly populated areas they will feel as sense of community somehow, that their feeling of wholeness will be restored. Dr. Rieux, throughout the novel, suffers from this same sentiment that drives the majority of the town into desolation. However, Rieux doesn’t let it affect. He maintains complete control and focus over himself. Even when he has reason to believe his wife’s situation has worsened – through her increasingly friendly and optimistic telegraphs constructed to put him at ease – he never stops his battle against his faceless opponent. 

Term paper theme possibility: Existentialist analysis of the citizens of Oran's lives

Camus is considered an existentialist writer. The Plague can be taken very literally, or it can be analyzed as a philosophical novel.
According to the free dictionary the existentialist philosophy is a 20th-century philosophical movement chiefly in Europe that assumes that people are entirely free and thus responsible for what they make of themselves.
This theme will give me a wide array of things to analyze and write about. The people in Oran before during and after the plague. The people of Oran as individuals. A person before and during a lethal disease.

Theme: A Person’s Inherent Nature: CRISTINA VALENCIA

The theme I want to write about in my term paper is a person’s inherent nature. Throughout The Plauge, author, Albert Camus, provides readers with notions as to why individuals respond to certain occurrences they way they do. Nevertheless, I did not notice this topic as a trend in the novel until I read the last few chapters. After the individuals of Oran realized that Paneloux’s sermon and turning to religion was not giving them they immediately turned to superstition to solve their problems of the plague, I find this quite interesting. In my opinion, Camus, is claiming that humans are inherently impulsive creatures that desire immediate gratification.

Post #2: The End- CRISTINA VALENCIA

As the novel reaches a close, Albert Camus purposely writes on certain scenarios that are so surprising, that I have drawn my attention. When the period of quarantine reaches the end, Othon, who has proved himself an honest man/ volunteer, offers to remain in the camp to help with the anti-plague effort because it would make him feel “less separated” from his son. I find this interesting because his decision leaves a lasting impression on me, the reader. For the first time in the novel, I have an epiphany and come to the realization that this novel does not only explore the effects of this death-defying plague but when the book ends, it also allows reader to analyze the effects of the plague. As I read Othon’s perspective, I realize, that though he has overcome the plague, it is not like he will never have to think of it again. Othon, like many of the people the plague had affected, will never view life the same way again. As a result of the plague, they will forever live in fear of the atrocities life has to offer. Also, all the individuals that survived the plague will be forced to recover from all the loved ones they have lost as a result of the plague. Albert Camus leaves the book on a soft human claiming that it is nature for humans to live through bad experiences but it is their character that defines who they really are, saying that though all the individuals in Oran have lived through this travesity, they still have hope.

Post #1: A Change of Pace- CRISTINA VALENCIA

At the cusp of the plague, the individuals of Oran experience a dramatic shift in how they view the plague. Now, the public has turned its attention from religion to superstition. After adopting their new method of praying and going to church, they quickly found that they received no results therefore; they began becoming superstitious of their surroundings. I believe through the individuals of Oran, Camus is trying to emphasize the public inherent method of reasoning. Even a society that is not connected to the world still develops. Through evolution and technology an individual is built to desire immediate gratification, just like the individuals living in an advanced world. Through the actions of the people living in Oran, Albert Camus is attempting to explain that individuals, even at a time of adversity, still yearn for a sense of quickness. When Paneloux delivers his next sermon, the church is emptier than before. Consequently, this is a turning point in the plot, due to a dramatic shift in the disposition of the characters. Author, Albert Camus, is also stating that through the actions of the people living in Oran, individuals have an inherent desire to find an outcome that benefits them; Camus is almost saying that individuals are egotistical. Even through the death of their society, they are still looking for ways in which they can survive and this combined with their other actions, demonstrates that they are only thinking about themselves.

Theme: courage in the face of hardship

The theme I am thinking about writing about is that of courage in the face of hardship. Rieux, Rambert, Grand, and Tarrou are all characters that risk their lives daily to help those affected by the plague. Rieux, though it is his job as a doctor, commits himself whole-heartedly to the cause – putting his ill wife and personal troubles secondary to the plague effort. Rambert is at first a selfish coward – trying everything to escape the town. However, as the novel progresses, his character changes. He was previously so desperate to get out of the town he was going to leave illegally with the help of two guards. Through doing this he was prioritizing his escape over that of people whose whole families lay outside of the town, he was acting extremely selfish. He was also disregarding the fact that he could possibly have been single-handedly responsible for spreading the plague outside of quarantined Oran by illegally escaping. However, when finally given the opportunity, he passes it up. He feels he must stay to help fight the plague. He gives up his own happiness – escaping the plague and going home to his love in Paris – to help fight the plague that is ravaging the town.