The Absurd in Albert Camus The Plague - Essay Example

This is the most absurd position possible to take but he uses the plague as proof that death can strike any one at any time with no reason or warning. However, this use of the absurd is not to imply that Camus views the world itself as absurd, but rather humanity’s reaction to it as often being absurd in the literary sense. The concept of absurdism as it applies to literature is that in and of itself, the human condition has no meaning or value. “Cut off from his religious, metaphysical, and transcendental roots, man is lost; all his actions become senseless, absurd, useless.

” (Abrams 1). This belief rejects any sense of value, truth purpose, religious beliefs or any meaning whatsoever concerning life and the universe. With this, individuals have no hope of finding happiness or fulfillment and are ultimately left alone to exist in an indifferent universe. Everything each individual does is insignificant. This sense was prevalent in France while being occupied by the Germans which is the mood Camus seeks to express in The Plague. While the terror and darkness of the war as well as the outbreak of the bubonic plague were striking issues, so too was the oppression felt but the French citizens.

There is more than one aspect of terror being portrayed here by Camus. What Camus reveals is the reaction of people to events that occur in the universe. The questions raised are how should individuals respond to events and should they accept the world as it is or fight against it or is it a fight they cannot possibly win? This position is evident is looking at the characters themselves as they react to the plague. For example, it is clear in Rieux’s conversation with Tarrou that he thinks one would be a madman to give into the plague.

His position is that one should not just passively accept the natural order of the world even when it is extreme such as sickness and death. Though he admits it might not be a battle that can be one, he still vows to partake in the struggle against it. This is a strong message of resistance. Some notable points concerning Rieux are that he is the first to name the plague as such and notes that it is an epidemic and urges the authorities to make efforts to stop the spread of this disease. He seems to be the only one to recognize or admit the danger being presented.

The character of Tarrou offers a similar response as he lives in accordance with a personal code that consists of a moral obligation to act in a manner that would benefit the whole instead of the individual. He sticks to this code even when it is a risk to his own life. In this sense, Camus is demonstrating an even deeper definition of what plague means. On the surface, it is an explainable sickness or disease that is killing people. What Camus is depicting here is that the plague is also that evil that exists within humanity that can perhaps be even more deadly than the disease.

This is the plague that Tarrou is most desperate to avoid. “What’s natural is the microbe. All the rest—health, integrity, purity (if you like)—is a product of the human will, of a vigilance that must never falter. The good man, the man who infects hardly anyone, is the man who has the fewest lapses of attention.” (Camus 105). What is notable about this character is that he arrives late on the scene but does so with a good nature and willingness to fight the plague. He even notes that fighting against the plague is everyone’