From the Bookshelf of The Practical and the Theoretical: A Philosophical Book Club…

The Plague

Albert Camus

Start date: January 14, 2021

Finish date: February 11, 2021

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Apr 24, 2020 Cindy Tebo rated it really liked it

In the past, I have started and stopped reading Albert Camus', "The Plague," several times. It's not an easy read especially in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

One problem I have with Camus' novel is the lack of character development concerning women. For example, the central character and narrator of the novel, Dr. Bernard Rieux, has a wife who is only superficially mentioned before she is shipped off to a sanatorium.

Here's an example of how Dr. Rieux describes his wife before she is sent away In the past, I have started and stopped reading Albert Camus', "The Plague," several times. It's not an easy read especially in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

One problem I have with Camus' novel is the lack of character development concerning women. For example, the central character and narrator of the novel, Dr. Bernard Rieux, has a wife who is only superficially mentioned before she is shipped off to a sanatorium.

Here's an example of how Dr. Rieux describes his wife before she is sent away, "How young she looks, almost like a little girl!" The irony is Dr. Bernard Rieux is a physician who cannot successfully treat his own wife and has to send her away. Dr. Rieux's description of her as resembling a "little girl," immediately diminishes her importance. She will not be occupying any major role in this novel other than being a ghost who occasionally resurfaces in Dr. Rieux's thoughts as though she were already dead. The reader just knows she's never coming back.

She isn't the only woman who receives such casual treatment. In general, women in this novel exist in the periphery and are not described in any meaningful way. For whatever reason, Camus does not give women their due as fully developed characters. Once I got beyond this deficit, I concentrated more on other aspects of the novel.

The setting of the story is in the town of Oran. The city is surrounded by hills and a "perfect shaped bay." However, the town turns its back on the bay. This is symbolic of citizens who live in the "modern" towns of today and turn their backs on nature. We take nature for granted and ignore its inherent beauty and perfection. However, nature is complex. Sometimes it's not beautiful; sometimes it's horrifying.

Camus' description of the landscape is not merely idle talk. He's foreshadowing how people in the town will ignore the significance of the rats when they start to die. First, the dead rats are a blessing. Who needs rats, right?

Next, they become a nuisance and a sanitation issue. Apparently, no one has told the rats they should die alone and out of sight so as not to annoy the citizens of Oran.

It isn't until the rats disappear and the people start dying do they realize the significance of what they have witnessed. The rats were a warning that the "plague" had already started. A warning Oran did not heed until it was too late.

Hence, the novel becomes a cautionary tale.

Camus also examines the theme of isolation and the effects it has on people once they are shut off from the rest of the world. If only they could have their mundane, ordinary lives back--all those simple freedoms they once took for granted.

The plague, however, is a merciless specter. It takes almost everything away from people including their loved ones.

Despite the novel's flaws, it is well worth reading. Camus has truly crafted an allegorical tale that speaks to our past, present, and future. One can only wonder how Camus would view the current pandemic and our response to it if he were alive today.

...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Dec 02, 2017 Mehdi Khafaji marked it as to-read

Group Home Bookshelf Discussions

Photos Videos

Send invite Members Polls

From the Bookshelf of The Practical and the Theoretical: A Philosophical Book Club…

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

What Members Thought

The Practical and the Theoretical: A...