The Plague - Epidemic literature

                          नमस्ते friends, 

              I hope you are staying at home  and follow the rules of lockdown, that through we are fighting against COVID-19. We know that the current situation is very questionable, suspicious for human beings. We don't know what is happening next, what is the future for us. So welcome to these disputable conditions. Our country is in a mood of fighting against Coronavirus.

                As a student of Literature and criticism, I am thinking that How this terrible situation affects literature ? How is this situation portrayed in literature? whether this type of literature is existing or not?  If yes then which kind of story is there? Situations are similar to us or not? How do people deal with this type of situation at that particular time period? 

            When we look for epidemic 

Literature then got a very important and interesting novel by Albert Camus.

He was a French philosopher, author, and journalist. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44 in 1957, the second-youngest recipient in history. The novel is " The Plague" published in 1947. 

            

           So here I am going to write about the novel The Plague. This novel is a very popular novel, Psychological fiction, Philosophical fiction and Absurdist fiction. Originally written in French language ( la Peste). The Plague, an allegory of the German occupation of France and an attack on dogma and cowardice, established the reputation of Albert Camus. Today, argues Tony Judt, it is more relevant than ever.

The novel is believed to be based on the cholera epidemic that killed a large proportion of Oran's population in 1849 following French colonization, but the novel is set in the 1940s. Oran and its surroundings were struck by disease several times before Camus published his novel.

"The Plague" is a famous allegorical novel by Albert Camus, who's known for his existential works.So the initial impression is that  the novel is about pestilence of plague disease. Shakespeare also used a word pestilence : " I'll Pour this pestilence into his ear "

Albert Camus believed that human suffering is meaningless in itself but an individual can make his or her life meaningful by rebelling against suffering. Being an atheist he did not believe that God had assigned any meaning to suffering, that is, suffering cannot be said to be just punishment for human sins. Camus brings out this idea through Dr. Rieux’s attitude towards Father Paneloux, the Jesuit priest who preaches that God has sent the plague to Oran in order to teach the people a lesson.

So here I am writing about my initial impression of reading the novel "The Plague". So the COVID-19 epidemic is going on and this time the reading of the book is a very interesting one. Because the viral situation is also similar to the novel's calamities. Because of this pestilence, it is easy to understand the psychological and philosophical conditions. Let's discuss through the points : 

Humanity : Human self centeredness v/s  human sacrifice

           In the  novel we have many situations that symbolize both self-centeredness and human sacrifice. Dr. Rieux was the most relevant example of self sacrifice. Because his wife was admitted in the hospital and he was busy in his work  for the sake of plague patients he was sacrificing everything. He does not think about health but he more thinks about diseased people. He sacrificed his love towards his wife and his family.

Somehow the character of cottard who is similar, for that police has been arresting him. But because of the plague pestilence he was not arrested by police. That's why he was happy and he wanted that this epidemic never end that showed his self centeredness. Because if the situation changed then he must be arrested by police. Rambert also self centered early in the novel. But he was changed at the end.

          We may assume that humanity's concept changed person to person.  Every situation affects the human mind in a different manner. So humanity changed with each person. That's why the question raised is :  what is humanity ?

"You can't understand. You're using the language of reason, not of the heart; you live in a world of abstractions."

There is a contrast between reason and emotions.

Lack of women character :

       If we closely observe the novel then and then we find that in the novel we do not find any strong women character. Two characters are there like,

Mme. Rieux - mother of Dr. Rieux

Old Spanish  women : the conversation  between Raymond Rambert is an important one.  In a way Camus doesn't give attention to women's character. 

The old Spanish women went to Mass every morning. "Don't you believe in God"  she asked Rambert.

' But the old Spanish women lost nothing of her serenity '

            These sentences show that Camus showed women character as religious. Maybe it is true also. 

Science v/s Religion : 

        Each and every calamity we find is the conflict between Science v/s religion.  Here in the novel we find that the concept of science v/s religion. Paneloux was the priest in church. In his holy speech he said that the disease of plague is the punishment of God. Because the people of Oran had committed innumerable crimes so  that's why God became angry on them. This type of foolish advice given by him.

           

         But in the other side Dr. Castel and Dr. Rieux is  doing their job. They don't stay with hope in god but they believe in work, in the sense of science to find medicine for patients. So here is like to mentioned Dr.Rieux words for Paneloux :

"Paneloux is a man of learning, a scholar. He hasn't come in contact with death; that's why he can speak with such assurance of the truth — with a capital T. But every country priest who visits his parishioners and has heard a man gasping for breath on his deathbed thinks as I do. He'd try to relieve human suffering before trying to point out its goodness." ( Part-2)

   In a way Dr. Rieux believed in the philosophy of karma.

• References :

•  Camus, Albert (1970). Philip Thody (ed.). Albert Camus: Lyrical and Critical Essays. Ellen Conroy Kennedy, translator. Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-394-70852-2.