The Plague

            In considering Camus? philosophies and beliefs, I think The Plague is an essential read. Compared with my other exposure to him, it seems to be his only work where he provides both the question and answer of life (as he sees it). In The Fall and Exile and the Kingdom we were made very familiar with Camus? idea of the problem of humanity: of isolation. He did not, however, give us much more than a glimpse of that problem's solution. In The Plague, on the other hand, Camus gives us another account, through symbolism, of isolation and then its antidote. .
             I believe the city of Oran is a symbol for the world; that Camus depicts us as people locked in a city of plague. The plague, I think, is representative of the pain and death. With this symbolic setting, Camus makes the statement that humans, as mortals, are, irrationally (as he was an atheist) being constantly chased by death. With this we are once again presented the hopelessness of the Camusian world. These ideas were common in his other works also. In The Plague, however, we are given a sort of hope for the hopelessness; the idea that we are capable of giving meaning to our lives. This hope, as defined in The Plague, was to choose to fight death and suffering. Camus is pretty unashamedly clear, also, that this action is futile, but noble. .
             Camus also sets up two polar characters to validify his views: Paneloux and Tarrou. Observing these characters and the way they lived, reacted to the plague and died both personifies Camus? ideals, and degrades the opposed views. Paneloux passively accepts death, dying with what the reader could infer as much doubt in his dogmas. The Camusian hero, Tarrou, fought hard against his dying and lost. He, however, was not adoubtful case?, and seemed to have an understanding on the human condition, unlike Paneloux. .
             The hopelessness is represented in the way he outlines the ineffectual choice between death and death.