The Plague

The Plague, commonly referred to as the Black Death, swept the French Algerian city of Oran. The novel The Plague centers its focus on a deadly epidemic of disease and the course it took throughout Oran. This disease was spread through bacteria carried by fleas that lived on rats. Due to the fleas, the rats were able to rapidly spread this malady worldwide resulting in millions of deaths globally. In the novel, various rats stumbled into the open and began to die hastily. When a strange fever began to ensue, Dr. Rieux's colleague, Castel, identified the illness as the plague. This resulted in denial, but soon after the city was placed under quarantine to take precautionary measures. Finally, the citizens of Oran were able to identify the transmitter of death, the rats. In short, the rats provide the symbolic meaning of the people in Oran, the Plague, and recovery to the literary work. To begin with, the rats died everywhere throughout the novel. They were found dying on the streets, in businesses, in apartments, and playgrounds. As the number of rat deaths increased, so did the number…

during the existence of the Bubonic Plague. What is a disease? A disease is well known to be detrimental to your health and deadly. A disease like the Bubonic Plague can wipe out a portion of a society. People during this grotesque disease tried to eat nutritional food and to stay hygienic to prevent getting the plague. Other diseases were also a threat like dysentery, Gangrenous, gonorrhea, and influenza (labelle.org). These diseases were not as widely spread or as deadly as the plague. For all…

his life. Once one recognizes the absurdity of life, Camus argues that one cannot simply revert to a life of ignorance and naiveté. Instead, one can either succumb one’s self to the pessimistic perspective of the world or affirm his life in light of the Absurd and rebel against the indifference of the world. In the novel, characters utilize different contrivances and philosophies to combat the plague-a physical manifestation of the Absurd. Dr. Bernard Rieux combats the plague by saving the lives…

The plague arrived by ship in October of 1347. The tragedy was extraordinary, killing around 60 percent of Europe’s entire population. About 50 million people were killed because of the plague in a seven year time span. Understandably, citizens were terrified that the disease was coming for their own village. The plague caused great panic and terror around all of Europe. People were never able to feel safe during this devastating time period. The plague can be transmitted by contaminated food or…

Most people have heard of the devastating dark ages event, the Black Death. This breakout caused the largest biochemical disaster known to mankind. The bacteria that caused the black plague is known as Yersinia pestis, and continues to exist even today. At the time when the original plague broke out, lack of medicine, and other sanitary needs greatly affected how quickly the plague was able to spread. Although the overall period of time is mostly considered to be the breakout of one common…

around them, so when they succumb to the wrath of the plague, they realize for the first time that their lives are indifferent to the world and that death may be around the corner. In Albert Camus’s The Plague, each character develops a different way of thinking that helps them to rationalize the plague. Rieux uses what he knows as a doctor as motivation to help the people suffering around him, while Father Paneloux uses his religion as a way to motivate others to turn to God in hopes of…

Traditional values are defined as beliefs and moral codes that are passed down from generation to generation within a culture, subculture or community. When thinking of traditional values one thinks about religion, marriage, schooling, and overall the mores of a family. Fascism relies on these values and controls them in any way possible. The government controls every aspect of your life and of society. They impose strict regulations on businesses and on the family life. Many times denying women…

The Bubonic plague was a horrific time in history. The Plague took Europe by storm. It started December 31st, 1347(Source: Plague Map). People were dying all throughout Europe. Just about 23 million died between the years 1345 and 1400(Source: http://www.hyw.com/books/history/Black_De.htm) . The physicians at the time died or they would over price just to inspect the ill. People abandoned their families and let the die alone. (Source: Marchione di Coppo). Everyone accusing innocent people for…

“Father abandoned child, wife husband, one brother another, for the plague seemed to strike through breath and sight. And so they died. And no one could be found to bury the dead, for money or friendship.” This was how Agnolo di Tura described the plague in 1350. Citizens of European towns felt they could not even trust their own family, afraid that the plague would catch simply through being near each other. This horrible sickness broke family ties and friendships through its destruction of…

“The Plague is an infectious, epidemic disease caused by a bacterium, Yersinia pestis, characterized by fever, chills, and prostration, transmitted to humans from rats by means of the bites of fleas” ("The Definition of Plague"). The Plague, which today is a disease barely heard of, was at one point in history an epidemic that killed almost one-third of Europe’s population, had unique symptoms, and spread very quickly. Today, people hear about receiving a cold or the flu. Usually these are…