Dr. Rieux and his surprising change in attitude: CRISTINA VALENCIA

After being introduced to Dr. Rieux in the beginning of the novel, I had found him to be a symbol of hope to the people of Oran. However, as my reading progressed, I began to view him as a more pessimistic character and though a Doctor; he demonstrated a seemingly low or negative point of view when the topic of the epidemic arrived in any conversation. Nevertheless, Dr. Rieux’s character has once again proved my opinion wrong by now, in this section, demonstrating a more positive outlook on the epidemic.

            Albert Camus uses Tarrou as a character who unmasks the beliefs and perceptions of Dr. Rieux. In this section, Tarrou holds a conversation with Dr. Rieux after a town priest who claimed that it was the plague delivered the sermon was the townspeople’s fault. In this conversation, Dr. Rieux’s reveals that he and the priests holds different beliefs—Dr. Rieux is not a Christian. The reality that Rieux is not a Christian is surprising due to the fact that many of the individuals in Oran are. His different religious preferences clearly differentiate him from the individuals in Oran. Furthermore, deeper into the conversation, Dr. Rieux reveals that he shares the same belief system as that of Tarrou-“ human catastrophes have a positive side because they force people to rise above themselves”. Also, Dr. Rieux demonstrates his belief system: believing in God is aimless and the individuals of Oran should concentrate on “defying death”. Dr. Rieux’s beliefs and perceptions demonstrate a clear difference between himself and the individuals of Oran. 

Ghost Town

...

I agree with Lauren the funerals are an essencial part of the story, in showing the progression of the people‘s state of mind. Though in the early days of the plague people attempted to stick to their beliefs, they soon began to realize that practicality was more important than complying with old customs. Religion in the form of religious services are the first to go being that they take up so much time and provide no apparent benefits besides easing people‘s minds. As people become more desperate due to the prolonged duration of the plague they attempt to do every possible little thing in that may have even a slight chance of helping more people survive. Thus, it continues... even coffins are not no longer allowed, they are used for show then recycled. Another example of the priority given to practically in order to help ensure survival.

In response to Lauren again, talking about the decreased level of emotion, I agree that that is something that is occurring, but i think it is important to note that though people have become more indifferent to the event of the town, they still have break downs, and bursts of strong piled up emotion. In the case of Dr. Rieux as i mentioned in a earlier post and just the simple fact of his patients who when losing a loved one break down and succumb to their fear and desperation.

Adaptation-Level Phenomenon

The plague now seems to be acting like an invasive dark cloud that is just finding its way into every aspect of the people's lives. They do not really remember their past, and they have no hopes or dreams for the future. There is not really much to differentiate one from an other. Well, of course, when all you see is people dying and there is no escape, you stop thinking about your interests and even less your personality. What is weird is that as a reader, I have gotten uncomfortably used to the hole notion of that plague and the deaths at Oran. The fact that there is no room at the cemetery and that they are cargo burying people does not phase me. I guess its like what the people in Oran feel. They are no longer so panicky and crazed as they were at the beginning. The adaptation-level phenomenon. People adapt their current situation as their new norm. Their norm, full of disease, loneliness, death and insignificance. They might as well just abide by the rules and ride it out. It is sad but it happens. Inhabitants of countries that are long at war adapt to the fact that they are at war and then cannot imagine what life was like without it. The big black cloud over Oran.

The Decreased Value of Emotion

The town, as it was ravened by the plague, placed less and less value on the emotion of its inhabitants. This can be seen primarily by the decreased value placed on relation during funeral processions. The families go from being able to hold a service to their dead to simply accompanying them to the cemetery, to finally being informed by a government official of the passing of a loved one as the individual was carted off to the cemetery. In times like this, especially once the town had declared martial law, the good of the town is placed over the good of the individual. However, this can lead to problems because individuals make up the town, and if as a whole the individuals are sent into despair by the new laws the town as a whole suffers. The low moral of the town even led to such extremes as good citizens looting and setting fires to their neighbor’s homes. These individuals are described as being perfectly normal but seized by crazy impulse. These crazy impulses come as a result of the new state of the town both as a result of the progression of the plague and the new law system. Individuals are going as far as creating violent encounters with the city limit guards – to the extent that casualties result. In a town where death is so prominent that hangings draw no attention, it is hard to control the citizens – for what do any of them have to loose but their lives? Those of which are in jeopardy by simply living in the city. 

The Funerals

The funerals serve as the largest indicator of the town’s evolution as a result of the plague. At the beginning services were held in churches as families mourned. It slowly progresses to the point where church services are outlawed – not because of a lack of religion but because they slowed down the burial processes. The burial processes evolved for the sake of efficiency and began to disregard family or emotional ties. The banning of church services was only the beginning; it progressed to such a point that coffins were not longer used for each body. Bodies were crammed into coffins at maximum capacity and upon reaching the cemetery gates the families were told to leave. The families, at this point in the progression of the plague, were no longer able to even be present as their loved one was laid to rest. This was not because of a possible health threat but rather because of the shame of the Prefect. The fact that the bodies were then unloaded from the coffins and carried to be stored in sheds and that the coffins were then sterilized and sent back to the hospital to cart more bodies over was a source of shame and embarrassment. At this point the individuals no longer even received their own graves; they used mass graves to bury the bodies. They did, however, console themselves by separating the mass graves by the sexes. The plague further upped its death toll resulting in desperate measures to be taken; past inhabitants of graves were uprooted and cremated making more room of the new bodies. When space completely ran out in the cemetery a car service was hired to drive the plague victims to the crematory. Families were now notified by the government - they had no idea how their loved ones were treated upon death. 

Indifference

The panic is settling down and being replaced by this new coping mechanism, indifference. In these pages of the novel the people have seemed to have given up hope and stopped caring about finally being rid of this plague. All they seem to do is "mark time" (page 189). Unfortunately, all the characters seem to have relapses, there they lose control of their feelings and break down. Rieux is one example. Up until this point we have barely heard of his wife and he has scarcely mentioned her, but he finds himself speaking of her to Grand. Also as he seeing his colleagues scumming to the pressures of their work, he begins to realize the effects the plague has had on him, such as having grown "hard and brittle" (page 192). Rieux realizes that the only means of moving on is close himself off.

This isolation and indifference is the only way to keep going because as a doctor, everyday he goes to see patients, and simply has to tell them that they are going to die. The families beg and plead, but unfortunately there is nothing he can do. It is hard to imagine what it must be like to practically be the executioner of these dying people since they are just condemned to lay in bed isolated from their families to avoid the risk of spreading the disease while there is nothing you can do for them.