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Theme Thousands of rats came out the fissures and let them died on the port city of Oran. They are found dead everywhere - on streets, houses etc. Time to rejoice as the ugly creatures is dying? Or is it an early warning symptom? Just like media celebrated hanging Saddam Hussain! TRP of channels increased as many of us wanted to see the show. Above that, does that suggest something more? Coming back to the story - It was Dr. Rieux (narrator of the novel) who recognized the imminent mishaps and suggested steps to be taken to curb the epidemic. As usual, to convince majority who did not suffer from the direct hit is a task next to impossible. The lukewarm response with the flavor of optimism results in increase of death toll. What happens next? Special ward in hospital, quarantine, burial of corpses under strict supervision and finally the port is closed! So, the reactive approach to the early warning symptom results in mishap. From here onwards the novel focuses on the response of certain characters towards the situation. The characters represents - the one who want to escape, the one who want to fight, the one who wanted to take advantage of the situation ---- Survivors, Opportunists, Sufferers ---- Camus is the master genius who pick up limited characters to represent the multitude of emotions! Raymond Rambert want to get out the city to join his heart throb in Paris but the movement is restricted due to quarantine. So what? There are smugglers who started the business of smuggling you outside the city! Cottard earned good fortune out of this smuggling business! Finally Rambert opt not to leave the city in trouble. The Jesuit Priest Father Paneloux represents the vested interests of the church and an opportunist whose sermons conveyed the following message "This is God’s reaction towards sinners. So, follow the Church". If we were to believe him, then the priest himself would have been the real sinner as he dies out of plague! We have Jean Tarrou who was a vacationer to the city who represents the “sane human being” volunteering to help the patients. Finally he sacrifices his life. He along with Rambert and Dr. Rieux represents the fighters of the novel who are engaged in helping out the victims and spreading message of positivity. As the epidemic was gaining strength and death toll raises - solidarity among the people undergone a positive revival. They started helping each other. Collective security is where everyone found solace. Finally - when the city was declared to be "plague free", it gave way to celebration! But in reality, they were able to subdue the evil and not eliminate it. People wanted to believe that they won but plague might come back to any happy city by letting some rats dying on their streets. (The concluding lines of the novel bearing this idea was popularized a lot when Plague struck a city named Surat in India) Related thoughts This novel rants the ultimate truth that existence is an ongoing struggle against an ultimately unnamable and unidentifiable foe. Who is this "foe"? Might be your inner self who always warns you or your complacency! The evil changes its faces but reincarnate as something or the other. Again we are left with variety of choices - to be a fighter or to be an escapist or to be an opportunist. I guarantee – you won’t regret for the time and money spent on this book.Read full review
Book is good. Wish the copy is received had had this displayed cover- which is much prettier than the one I got which has a bloody street on it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Straight forward translation of Albert Camus' novel of the human condition in dealing with disease and vaccine. Contains Dr. Rieux's famous statement: "I don't believe in God, that's why I am taking care of the sick."
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I would have given it a five except that the book I received has a different cover. Since I ordered it for a class, I’m hoping the paging is the same.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This book is very timely,due to our own twenty first century pandemic Camus captures the psychological toll isolation and fear and misinformation that arises when a deadly plague,similar to our own pandemic guts the lives of a coastal town prophetic
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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