Critical Evaluation of the Theme of Morality - Literature review Example

Critical Evaluation of the Theme of Morality in Camus’ “The Plague” Introduction In the first place Camus’ novel “the Plague” deals with the inherent human nature that is more existentialistic in nature than what human society tends to characterize as moral. When a society has a predefined set of principles of morality or virtuosity, this existentialistic nature of human being is more likely driven by the circumstances which a man is attached to. Camus puts the characters of his novel in a situation that not only exposes the most clandestine nature of human being, but also makes his readers shockingly aware of the fact that the moral codes of a society totally get reversed, when the people of a society happen to face the question of “to be or not be”. Camus never feels the necessity of God in human society, but at the same time he never undermines the role of moral codes in it. Inescapable Reality of Death and Camus’ Moral Source for the Society The story -set in the post-war physical and spiritual damage of human society- works out Camus’ philosophy of moral source that is found to be necessary for human being to survive in a world that is, according to Camus, absurd and in which man is neither metaphysical justification nor a part of the divine scheme. Camus’ “moral source” that an individual needs to deal with such cosmic meaninglessness does not necessarily come from any acknowledgement of divine scheme; rather it evolves from Camus’ concept of “revolt” (Raskin, 2001, p. 158). According to Camus, first man revolts against this absurdity and then he will add a meaning of his own to it. Indeed Camus’ morality is predominantly shaped by this meaning that man creates in terms of his condition. Inescapability and Absurdity of Life: Social Bond among People The characters in “the Plague” are greatly determined by this moral source of Camus. Almost all the characters first try to flee from the plague and then being futile, they revolt against their conditions. Indeed the plague metaphorically refers to the inescapable reality of death. Death is inescapable and this realization soon brings most of the characters of the novel to the front line from they together fights against this inescapable condition (Raskin, 2001, p. 162). The heroic futility of their fight against death and its realization create a sort of bond among them that is similar to a traditional social one, as in this regard, Neilson (n.d.) says, “Since all men must die, all men are brothers. Mutual cooperation not self-indulgence, is the logical ethic that Camus derives from his absurd perspective” (p. 3). The characters as well as the whole structure of the novel reflect the theme of morality in an inescapable plagued context. The author carefully divides the novel into five parts among which the first and the last ones portray the life before and after the affliction of the pestilence. Indeed in these two parts lives before and after the pestilence are contrasted with each other. Again the second part and the fourth part reflect the details of the people’s personal and communal sufferings as well as their reactions and activities against the plague. Finally the third part of the novel depicts a community that is devoid of personal distinctions and that works as a single collective entity during the climax of the death tolls caused by the pestilence. It is the society that was, before the afflictions of the pestilence, morally degenerated and fragmented, but after the pestilence it appears to be a well-tied community based on the bond of the inescapable reality of death. Moral Attires of the Characters in “the Plague” While drawing the outline of his own moral source, Camus points out the lines of immorality existent in the Oran town. This immorality has been rendered through both Camus portrayal of the Oran town and the characters. Eventually, the narrator depicts the capitalistic self-absorbed and self-interested people of the town. These people have turned their back on the spiritual joy of life. They are interested only in material gains, as in this regard, Verzick (2007) says in this regard, “The inhabitants go about in their daily lives seemingly without any imagination or creative thought. Their main concern is making money and continuing the same daily routines, each within their own clique.” (p. 1) The self-orientation among these people makes them detached from each other and devoid of emotional association. Religious hypocrisy is vivid in Father Paneloux’s character. Father Paneloux tries to manipulate the pestilence to increase his congregation as well as his hold on the community. He is found to deliver a sermon the people of Oran urging them to repent. He characterizes the plague as the wrath of God for their sins. Eventually for him, those who have been infected by the plague deserve it. At a first glance, he can be viewed as morally crooked. But as soon as Father Paneloux is found to change his stance, readers are instantly aware of the fact that it is more of the futility of his belief than his crookedness. Neilson (n.d.) refers to the futility of Paneloux’s belief: [Paneloux] preaches a second sermon in which he advocates a blind, total acceptance of a God who seems, from the human vantage point, to be indifferent, arbitrary, even, perhaps, evil….he has been destroyed emotionally and spiritually because his religious vision was inadequate to the challenge. (p. 3) Also Camus portrays a man’s instinctive selfishness through the character of the reporter Rambert. Rambert is sent to Oran to report on the situation in the plague-afflicted city. But being locked in the town by the quarantine he is driven by the feeling that all of his beloved ones are away from this danger, as Nielson (n.d.) says, “For most of the novel he rejects the view that the plague imposes a social obligation on all; he insists that individual survival and personal happiness are primary” (p. 2). So he desperately looks for an escape. But failing to manage an escape he accepts his fate and devotes himself to the betterment of the plague afflicted people. Rambert’s feeling that he, instead of any of his acquaintances, is exposed to the danger more likely will be viewed as selfishness, but for Camus, his initial reaction to the plague is natural. Rather it is a success on Rambert’s part to accept the inescapable reality and to establish a bond with the dying people. Indeed the only character that is morally crooked both in traditional social perspective and in Camus’ philosophy. In traditional view, his immorality is well-defined because his crime is against the interest of the society. But in Camus’ view he is crooked, because he does not revolt against the inescapable reality of death. Rather he accepts it as one of the most natural factors of life. As a result he does not feel any bond with the plague the plague afflicted people. Conclusion But Camus’ morality differs from the traditional moral values in the sense that when traditional moral values mostly evolve from belief, ritual and customs of a society, Camus’ morality emerges as a response to the necessity of human existence. Indeed Camus’ morality is basically a code of behaviors, as Todd (2000) says in this regard, “Camus had freed himself from God, but not from the need to construct a code of behavior” (p. 45). Using the physical illness as a theme in the novel, Camus has attempted to portray the degeneration as well as the futility of the people’s morality that is apparently devoid of the cognition of the absurdity of this world. References Camus, A. (1991). The Plague. Translated by Justin O’Brien. New York: Vintage International. Neilson, K. (n.d.). The Plague overview. Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://www.all-art.org/world_literature/camus1.htm Raskin, R. (2001). Camus’s Critiques of Existentialism. Minerva - An Internet Journal of Philosophy. 5: 156–165. Todd, O. (2000). Albert Camus: A Life. trans. Benjamin Ivry. New York: Carol & Graf Publishers. Verzich, N. (2007). Review: Albert Camus The Plague. Associated Content. Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/366146/review_albert_camus_the_plague.html?cat=38 Read More