When progressing further into Albert Camus' novel, The Plague, I was genuinely intrigued to learn about the everlasting effects of the plague that citizens of Oran were experiencing after prolonged quarantine, similar to what we face as a global society today. The universal idea that we must abide by these globally agreed on laws to protect ourselves and each other are present in both our lives and the lives of citizens in Oran, and delving into this part of the novel, we can see more similarities emerge from the pages. The idea of being confined alone from loved ones, friends and family alike, has severe, deteriorating mental and emotional impact on how one perseveres. Often times, in the midst of our adapted "quarantine lives" we find ourselves plagued with an awful dull feeling, simply bored out of our minds, which can leave us unmotivated, upset and deprived. I was able to realize that our situation right now is very much similar to the novel in terms of how we are trying our best to deal with everything. That being said, it will definitely be interesting to finish this book and understand how the need to deal with this global outbreak will define and shape the mindsets of the citizens, and likewise, us.
Yeah, even 70 years later we are feeling just like they are.
ReplyDeleteTo a large extent we are. It is interesting that so much of the feelings are the same given all of the advancements we have since this time. I wonder if those advancements will impact the aftermath in a greater way.
DeleteSince so many of the predictions have been correct so far it'll definitely be interesting to see how accurately he guesses about the aftermaths, though it might be a while before we get to see them play out in our own lives. Completely agree, this last section of the book might be the most interesting and important for us as readers right now.
ReplyDeleteI wanna skip ahead like a year so I can just look back on this and see which predictions were right and which were wrong. Living it isn't as fun
ReplyDeleteI think that this novel does a good job of highlighting the inherent selfishness present in societies. First, there is the basic idea of people not wanting to see their loved ones until there is a pandemic locking them down. Next is that people will willingly put others in harm's way just to do what they individually desire (ex. Potentially spreading the disease by sneaking out). I think this mentality is especially present today, where people will consciously undermine the authority of health officials and the government with the justification of "Free Will" or their rights. Without getting too political, I'll finish off my comment by agreeing with your statement that the events in The Plague and the modern pandemic are very similar -- Right down to the large groups of people who deny its dangers and the others who work relentlessly to save lives.
ReplyDeleteOne aspect from the book that I thought was really similar to what I have experienced during this pandemic is the shift in attitude as the epidemic went on, not only in Rieux, but also in the general population of Oran. I recall one specific instance in the book where Rieux was discussing guards who could be persuaded to let people out of Oran at the beginning of the epidemic. As time went on and they began to realize the reality of the situation, they stopped taking pity on the people and stopped letting them through. What I think Camus was trying to portray was the idea that, in order to solve a problem like a plague epidemic, you have to work in the interest of the greater good and cannot allow yourself to act against the greater good out of pity for the suffering of an individual. I think there are plenty of examples from our pandemic to support this idea as well.
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