What is the message of the Plague by Albert Camus?

The most meaningful action within the context of Camus’ philosophy is to choose to fight death and suffering. In the early days of the epidemic, the citizens of Oran are indifferent to one another’s suffering because each person is selfishly convinced that his or her pain is unique compared to “common” suffering.

Is the plague an easy read?

There are three reasons to read ‘The Plague’. Its style is an ‘easy’ read, with people and places meaningfully conveyed without pomposity or excess drama.

What is the disease in the Plague by Albert Camus?

To the Editor—More than 70 years ago, Albert Camus published the novel The Plague [1], the story of Oran, a French prefecture in the Algerian coast affected by an epidemic of bubonic plague.

What is the plague a metaphor for?

In Camus’s case, the plague was intended as an allegory for fascism—a metaphor for something that creeps into a place and takes over before most people notice, only later causing subtle shifts in human behavior.

What are the most significant themes within the plague?

Suffering and Death The rest of the themes generally follow as corollaries to Camus’ philosophy. In the novel the bubonic plague is a symbol of many things – the harsh, meaningless universe, the human condition, or war – but all of them mean suffering and death.

How did Camus compare the plague with war?

Camus writes: ‘Pestilence is so common, there have been as many plagues in the world as there have been wars, yet plagues and wars always find people equally unprepared. When war breaks out people say: ‘It won’t last, it’s too stupid. ‘ And war is certainly too stupid, but that doesn’t prevent it from lasting.

How long does it take to read the plague?

5 hours and 20 minutes
The average reader will spend 5 hours and 20 minutes reading this book at 250 WPM (words per minute).

What is the climax of the story the plague?

The climax occurs when the gates of Oran are reopened, announcing to the world that the battle against the plague has been won. The novel ends as a tragic comedy. Although the protagonists finally overcome the plague, many lives, including Tarrou, have been lost to the antagonist.

What does the plague symbolize in the plague?

The plague itself can be seen as a metaphor to illustrate a calamity that tests the mettle of humans and their endurance, solidarity, compassion and will. Camus emphasizes that a time of pestilence teaches us to come together and that there is more to admire in humans than despair.

Is the plague based on a true story?

The novel is set in 1940 but is loosely based on a cholera epidemic in 1849, after the French colonisation of Algeria. Albert Camus said the novel could be read on several levels and was also an allegory of the French resistance to the pestilence of Nazism and the German occupation during the second world war.

What is the climax of the plague?