Second Installment: CRISTINA VALENCIA

Author, Albert Camus writes The Plague with a didactic tone of voice. Although it is sometimes difficult to separate the tone of the narrator with the tone of the author, the audience is able to detect partiality or opinions in the tone of the narrator and through his opinions the audience begins drawing conclusions for themselves. Author, Albert Camus, also includes in the story certain objects or occurrences that further emphasize to the audience the main point Camus is trying to put across. For example, throughout the story Albert Camus draws reference to the rats infesting the town of Oran. Although against popular belief, these rats are not the there because they are to blame for the plague. The rats are there because they are symbolic of the individuals that live in the town of Oran. The rats, like the people of Oran, die in the streets, in the parks and in the business of the people of Oran. Although the rats may seem insignificant they are truly direct representations of the human conditions rather than a hazard to the population of Oran. At the end of the novel, Camus presents the future of the rats as positive signifying that the individuals in the town will too survive. Presenting the rats in this positive light further emphasizes my argument that the people of Oran remain optimistic throughout the entirety of the novel. Because the rats are a representation of the people, it is evident that the individuals will end up happy living in their town of Oran. However, I find it extremely interesting that many of the individuals of Oran only pay attention to the rats in the town of Oran when they are trying to escape them, in fear of death. This spin or irony in the plot keeps the novel both suspenseful and intriguing.