Literary Criticism: The Plague (Written By: Albert Camus)

 

The story is set in Oran, Algeria, during the 1940s. The protagonist is Dr. Bernard Rieux, a physician who deeply cares for others. The plot begins when Rieux finds a dead rat at his front door. At first, he pays little attention to it, as he is rushing to the railway station to see off his ill wife. However, rats soon continue to die by the thousands—reaching around six thousand per day. The turning point occurs with the death of the concierge, Michel. Realizing that no one can save him and that he was destined to die, Rieux and his colleague Castel come to a grave realization: the plague has arrived.

Camus uses a diverse cast of characters to represent different human responses to crisis:

Dr. Bernard Rieux: The primary protagonist, driven by a simple sense of duty and empathy.

Dr. Castel: A secondary character and colleague of Rieux. Castel represents professional lucidity, reason, and commitment. He has no ego, nor does he see himself as a hero—he is simply a normal person determined to defeat the disease through medical science. Ultimately, he develops the dedicated serum used to fight the contagion.

Raymond Rambert: A journalist trapped in Oran by the quarantine. Initially, he cares only about escaping back to Paris to reunite with his girlfriend.

Father Paneloux: A Jesuit priest who initially preaches that the plague is a divine punishment for the citizens' sins. However, witnessing the agony and death of young Jacques Othon (the judge's son) shatters his rigid religious beliefs.

Jean Tarrou: A thoughtful traveler who suggests creating voluntary sanitary squads to support the doctors with tasks like cleaning premises and managing patients.

Joseph Grand: A humble municipal employee suffering from writer's block who meticulously manages the statistics of the epidemic for Rieux.

Cottard: A fugitive criminal for whom the plague represents freedom from prosecution.

The atmosphere of the novel is deeply oppressive; even the reader feels quarantined. The tone is dark, defined by the initial absence of a serum or a clear strategy for coexisting with the disease. While a few characters are driven by moral conviction, many inhabitants act out of self-preservation at the expense of others. In the end, Camus offers a fragile glimmer of hope: the plague retreats and goes dormant, but it remains unbeaten.

Conclusion:

In my opinion, the true central character of the novel is Doctor Castel. Despite his limited appearances, he is vital to saving lives. Through his quiet dedication to science and humanity, he emerges as the unsung hero of the story.